Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-07-18
From the Daily Journal Of last Friday
The SsoeokInp YeRteYdaV

Experience showed the prudence OF ha'lu 'ho Speon
ing there for the Court House could not have begun
to accommodate the numbers who attended
At little before ten O'CLOCK the Dell rang, anu
shortly AFTER say ten minutes alter ten' MI 0iiel
commenced speaking. He seemed mucn "ofh' ana
for some reason, did not speak with MS usual ANNA
tion. He touched upon Free Suffrage, accusing Gov
Bragg of having been opposed to it in 1840 and IN
sisted that be himself was a better Free Suffrage man
than the Governor next alluded to his plan for pas
sing the measure by amending it, saying that II he
had been Governor of North Carolina, he could have
passed or had it passed very easily without MS
amendment the landed interest would be IN danger.
He next spoke Of his course On internal improvement
denied that he had been a sectional man further
than his duty to a western constituency demanded.
Next referred to the River-mouth improvement bills
nassed over the Presidents veto and hoped that the
day was not far distant when the mouth of the noble
Cape Fear would be opened in spite of strait-ls ced
Democracy.
Mr. Glmer next alluded to the public lands and
the influx of foreigners, who were crowdlng into
these lands TO the exclusion of native Citizens
Thought the influx ought 10 be stopped, as being
likely to produce dangerous results. Thought that
the giving of public lands 10 build railroads at the
west was unjust and enured to the benefit of Northern
politicians, who pocketed their millions and hurrahed
Mr. Pierce.
Mr.. Fillmore in Mr.. Glmer's opinion, had done
much to secure the tranquility of the Country by
means of the compromise measures, and also by
means of his efforts to have these measures recog-
nised as a inaty Mr.. Fillmore he said, had ap-
pointed no man to Office who was not compromise
man. Mr. Pierce, he said, had unsettled that state
of things by appointing secessionists TO office, ard
even, terrible to relate, Catholic had been placed
in his Cabinet He had also appointed foreigners 10
high office. He thought that these appointments
were wrong. He had all the respect in the world
for Mr. Dobbin, but he did not approve Of his being
appointed to a cabinet office, because he thought his
having made speech in favour of secession ought
to have prevented it. He also thought that General
Foot ought to have been appointed from Mississippi
instead of Jefferson Davis. He further thought that
the present administration of the government was
extravaganza. The only nationality of the Demo-
cratic party was common longing for the public
plumber. The expenses about seventy millions.
Mr. Gilmer read several extracts from Mr. Fill
more's recent speeches, also remarks aPprobatory OF
that gentleman's course in 1850, from Gen. Cass,
Mr. Clay and others. He did not approve of the
original Kanzas and Nebraska Bill, in which he dis
covered squatter sovereignty and great many other
things of dangerous character.
These were the main points of Mr.. Gilmers speech.
We could not see that he advanced one new idea, or
departed in any way from the usual sereotyped news
paper talk Of his party.
Gov. Bragg regretted much that his competitor
would continue to misrepresent him. He demanded
of MIR. Gilmer his authority for asserting that he,
Gov. Bragg, had been opposed 10 Free Suffrage in
1848.
Here Mr. Gilmer replied that everybody in Mr..
Bragg's county said so, and that the members from
that county, friends of MIR. Bragg had voted against
1t. Mr. Bragg demanded the name of one man who
said Mr.. Gilmer was silent. Mr. Bragg con-
tinued, stating that when he and his competitor were
in Northampton county this thing had been brought
up. One of the members alluded to had been there
present and stated the facts. The question of Free
Suffrage had not been discussed ia the county
of that year, and the first words exchanged between
Mr. Bragg and any of the members on that subject
were after the latter had returned from Raleigh, when
Mr. Bragg freely expressed his opinion that in voting
against Free Suffrage they had given wrong vote I
Thus, said Gov. Bragg nail that charge to the
counter as spurious coin. There let it stuck
AS Governor, he had discharged his duty in recon-
mendng this measure, which he believed 10 be right
mer talked about what he could and would have
done, and how easily he could have passed the meas.
ure by means of his amendment II was simply ne.
cessary to show here, that when Mr. Gilmer did Of
Ter that amendment, it only got some ten or twelve
votes thus proving concusvely that It had no sort
OF strength and that the Senate did not look upon it
as either practicable or practical. The history of Mr.
GlImer's course was record of uniform opposition
to Free Suffrage, which would now be part of the
Constitution, had Mr. Gilmer voted for it at the time
when he voted against it. If anybody asked him
who defeated Free Suffrage he would turn to his
competitor and say thou art the man. All the
talks about Convention amendments, etc. were well
understood to have been only so many parliamentary
modes OF warfare upon the bill 1t was hardly worth
while now TO go over Mr. Gilmer's votes, showing
his position in direct opposition to the present basis
they were all on the record. Neither did he deem
necessary to say much about his own position OF
the sub ec of internal improvement is. That was be
fore the public in his official communication TO tht
Legislature in which he recommended the extension
of the N. C. Railroad east and west, and the exten
sion OF all the aid to other works that the credit O
the State would permit. This is his position now
In regard to the public lands and the emigration
of foreigners, Mr.. Gilmer and his darling Fillmore
were at outs Mr.. Fillmore in his recent Newbur1
speech invited the oppressed of all nations to come
here. He wanted them. Mr.. Gilmer wanted tc
check their coming. Again, Mir. GiImer talked very
strong about the Illinois Central Rail Road for th,
building of which large amount of public lands haf
been given. All he could say was that Mr. Fillmore
WI 70 J.