The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-09
WESTERN DE 0CRAT.
.aCCHARLOTTE.Gd"
Fr.na the Raleigh Standard.
THE REGISTER AND MR.. RAYNER.

The Raleigh Register of Saturday last
contains All article, headed-"The Demo
cratic Meeting and Mr.. Rayner'-which
REQUIRES some notice at our hands.
Our readers will bear witness that it has
not been our habit to thrust matters SAVIOR
ing of personal nature ON their attention.
We have uniformly addressed them as an
Editor. keeping to ourself our peculiar feel
ingS, our criefS, and our matters for rcjOic-
ing a. u man; and restraining all PERSONAL
Ties and all expressions of passion, which,
however they might tend TO interest them
in Us personally, could be of no substantial
scrvice to the great principles which we
hold and labor To enforce. But recent
events. toiiored By the article abore rctcrrSd
70 IN the Register. imposes upon Us new
duty, from the performance of which we
could not shrink and 1t the same time be
true to ourself, to our position, or to our
friends.
The Register, abiding to the late Demo
cratic meeting held in the Commons Hall.
suys:
The Resolution, denouncing the attack OF Mr..
Envucr on the Editor OF The SIaHda!d, Is IN vcIy
bad taste and deicacy "u- ht 10 have bd IFS pub
ECarIon va the columns 81 the SIaLdaId. i he
,aull Of NJ x. = characterized as IAN unJusttiabe
and cuwa dis attempt TesITaIu the iTeedun OF the
p.css" Il the COMMITTEE c, Who reported this ResO-
luton, really believe anything 1i the kind, We beg
leave To- assure them that they differ iIUm the
iOrIty oil the CIZus OF iSalr I.h. heir Resolution
does not agree with the pubic sentiment OF tins
place and should not. at distance, be regarded as
an expression OF The voice OI tiI,s community. As
tar rs We have been able 10 learn what the OpIn-
ION of IN. pubic on tins matter, We hesitate not 10
say that the conduct OF Nj. r. - regarded Just the
T.reTse Of lrEdt LhIs DemOcId tIc Committee hare
pronounced Il. IL was not aud ~ not now CunsId-
cred a. an 'atteupt To RESTRAIN the freedom Of the
press" Mr.. RayHeT rs one Oi the last men in the
world who would undertake dcSIre restTIc any
proper liberty Oi The piess- The course Ut the EdI
of the Standard was such that some OF ms per-
snEaI Trends even SAID that they would not blame
Mr.. X. II he should call hum To an account. But
a'reT all that may be SAID thus subject, the
demnauOn OF All asscmb!age Oi political enemies,
expressed thTOur h a Resolution, can fix no brand
OF degradation GA Kenneth RayueI-nor can IL, we
opne, alter the public estimate Ut one who resorts
to s-ch method 10 sOUIhe his wounded feelings.
Tie resolution referred to was the act of
the committee and of the demo cratic meet
ing. IL was unanimously reported, and
unanimously passed. The imsinuation-not
made in n spirit of nanho"d-but the iaSia-
ua!ioH that We have rc>urtcd II" zach q
method to snothc" our wounded feelings"
j. deliberately and unGuuiiicd!y false. We
s:udious!y ab>taincd from expressing any
opinion on the subject To our most intimate
friends, determined a. we were to leave the
whole matter in their hands. We had no
wounded feelings" TO "soothc." 1t was
for the peopIe to say, as thry did say. that
nm ''dttcmPt" had been made to RESTRAIN
the freedom of the press" But it was only
an "aitcmpt." The freedom, not the licen-
tiousness of the press, is one of the great
bulwarks of public liberty. The press has
no right To invade private character. In
this respect we are hlamclcss; and if any
man disputes this, let him prove what he
says. Our files are open to him. But the
press has the right to expose and to char
acterizc the conduct of public mcn-tO COM
mend orrto dcnnunce thcm-to warn the
people of evil, and To attract them to good
and even tn impeach, if il chooses, the pa
triotism and the integrity of public mem
Within this sphere it may not be asSallcd.
Within this sphere it is sacred in its rights.
and is not to be questioned either by prose-
cutions, or threats. or bludgcons, or deadly
weapons. Within this sphere the man
Holden is nothing-the press, rs the organ
of the people. every thing. He may Ice
struck down and pass away; but the great
institution of free types and fee printing,
so far rs Constitutions, and human rights,
and public men aud public acts are con-
cCrncd, will survive. 1t can 10 more die
than the sun can 60 out, or the waters cease
to flow. IL crjSfS, and in this country no
power can destroy it. We shall not debate
about it. We will not hear it questioned.
We rciU be true to 1t, noJc and hereafter, as
heretofore, trithoat regard to consequences.
But it was in every bad taste"-the re-
solution was-"and dclicacy ought to have
forbid its publication in tho columns of the
Standard" The Standard had no right to
suppress any portion of the proceedings of
public meeting; and as to the taste" of
the thing, people differ about that. We
shall not go to the Raleigh Register TO be
instructed i'll matters of taste"
But says the Register, 1.-THE resolution
does not agree with the public sentiment
Of this place, and should not at a distance,
be regarded as the expression of the voice
of this community" And, adds that paper,
ave hesitate not to say that the conduct of
Mr.. Rayner is regarded just the reverse of
what this Democratic committee have pro-
nounccd it." And that paper continues
1.-The course of the Editor of the Standard
was such that some of his personal friends
even said they would not blame Mr.. Rayner
If he should call him to an account"
These assertions are both unfounded and
unjust. We regret that they have been
made, for they have rendered it necessary
that we should go into the matter of the
assault, which we have thus far refrained
from doing, and refrained too while an arti-
Gle was going the rounds of the press doing
Us injustice, and while some of the papcrs-