Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1856-01-23

Editors A. G. Standard:
GENTLEMEN My attention has been called to an
article which appeared in the Raleigh Register of
January lst, headed Prescription" in which the
Editor of that paper comments with considerable
acrimony upon the action of the Legislature Of Vir
gnia in regard to the Charter of an Orphan Asylum
in this place. His article is papably intended to
make political capital in your State. and so utterly
false in regard to the facts of the case that am in
duced to give you correct history of that transac
tion and then leave it to candid public to judge
who have acted honorably in this matter, and who
have attempted to make charitable institution Gre
ated by the voluntary contributions of people living
in every section of our country, and OF all reli-
gions and politics, a political machine. The
Register says that the delegate from Ports
mouth ''named men Of all partIcs-seecting those
citizens who had been active in allevating the suf-
ferings of the sick and dying during The late cpl
demic." Ii is true that of the thirty-three names
presented to the Legislature for Trustees eight
Democrats and the remainder Know Nothings, from
town in which the two parties are about equally
divided but so far from his selecting those who
most active in ministering to the sick, major
ity of those proposed 10y him tied from our plague
stricken town at the commencement of the epi-
demic.
A majority of the members Of the Town Council,
and they all X Ms, elected to attend to the
public affairs gnoby deserted their posts at the time
their services were most needed, and instead of re-
signing their offices (with two exceptions) that
others could oe elected in their places, held to
them and thus left without municipal govern
ment for three months; and yet the Register states
that the proposed were the most active in alle-
Waiting the su,Ierings of the sick and dying.
The facts of the simply these: knoying
that an application would be made to the Legisla-
ture for the Charter of an Orphan Asylum, and
our municipal affairs under the control of Know
Nothings and both of the delegates from this coun
ty belongcdto that party, and supposing that they
would in this do they have always done
when they had an opportunity, attempt to get con-
troll Of every thing both political and philanthropc,
a gentleman representing a neighborinG county in
the Legislature was requested to have as many De-
mocrats added to the list Of Trustees there
X. rs proposed, as to prevent the possibility OF
this institution being used for party purposes.
This in effect attempted and accomplished; but
the gentleman who entrusted with this business,
seeing that it would give the Democrats the prepon-
derance and knowing that the Democracy of Ports
mouth did not desire it, withdrew his motion and
the change could be made without giving either par
ty majority of the Trustees But, Mcssrs. Editors
why this hue and cry simply because the Know
Nothings have been prevented from raising up in
town, in the and under the garb Of char
liable institution, the means by which their political
ends could be better attained. The Editor of the
Register doubtless thinks it all right to have twen-
| ty-ivc Know Nothngs and eight Democrats Trus
tees of charitable institution; but horrible to re-
duce the number fiom thirty three to thirty-two,
| and make an equal distribution between the two
| parties.
Now, Messrs. Editors which party has acted hon
estly and honorably in this mattcr-the Know
| Nothings who attempted to make this political in.
Stution or the Democrats, who have checked them
| in their unhaowed ends and will place it in the
hands Of those who will make it what it should be
PORTSMOUTH.
Portsmouth, Va, Jan. 7th, 1856.
| GRATIFYING FACTS
The New York Day Book, paper which has been
uniformly true to the South and to the Constitution
and which, though printed in free State, even jus.
titles slavery, says that since the first of December
it has kept private memorandum of the new sub
scribers it has received by letter and they as
follows: From the free States, 2,a77-from the
sIaveholding States, 1860
This shows plainly, says the Day Book, " tha
there is large population in the North that is still
willing to hear and receive the truth-a prodigiou
number who will gladly support proslavery den.
ocratic paper if they can find one. The Day Bool
has, beyond all question, the largest weekly crcula
ton of any democratic paper published in the north
ern States, and its course on the slavery question
alone has been the cause of its getting this crcula
tion We have proved, to our own satisfaction a
least the truth Of the assertion have frequently
made, that democratic paper taking bold ant
firm stand on the pro-savery ground would receiv
better "support" and more subscribers than an,
ever yet established in this city. We have bot
proved and realized this, and the Utica Herald vii
find out between this and next New Years tina
Franklin Pierce will prove and realize the fact tina
such "pro-slavery truths as he has put forth i
his last message will get him more "support" Mort
of Mason and Dixon's line than any other Presiden
has had since the days of Andrew Jackson"
FRE!-On Thursday nightlast, in this City, abou
nine o'clock, an alarm Of fire was given; and it wa
discovered that the bedroom of the Clerk of th