Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-05-24
For the Standard.
THE DISCUSSION IN CHEROKEE.
MURPHY, Cherokee Co., May 0, 1856

THE DISCUSSION An CHEttOhGE.
MuapHy, Cherokee Co., May 0, 1856.
Editors Of the North Carolina Standard:
GENrlExES The discussion between the guoer-
Material candidates opened here yesterday, ana l
propose to give you the points made and the sao-
stance of what was said by the candidates on ,has
occasion. There was probably some two hundfeu
persons present, and there wonld nave oeen a.oso
had it been generally known that both canoiaates
would be present. Until Gov. Bragg arrived 1t was
doubted whether he would attend, as the Standard
announcing his intention to do so did not reach US
until the day of his arrival.
Mr.. Gmer opened by informing the people that
his name John A. Gilmer-that nc was can
didate for the office of Governor, and had come
among them for the purpose representing his claims
for their SURFACES He said he had found the coun-
ary beautiful and romantic far beyond his expecta-
tons-never having before been on this sac tne
mountains-and that when in the Legislature IL
would be found that he had voted for the measures
introduced for their relief and fol- the improvement
of their section
He said that short time ago he had no inten-
ton of becoming candidate-that he had not now
nor ever had any political ambition-but that he
had listened to the opportunities Of friends and had
yielded rather to feeling than to his better
He said the organ of the party to which his OPP
ponent belonged had said that ne had bad polltl-
cal record, and had referred to many OF his votes
and addresses to show that he was a Western man.
Well, he was ready to defend these votes and ad-
dresses-they were brought forward to injure him
in the East. He was then justified in making an
appeal to the people of the West to sustain him as
Western man. First he was charged WIN nav
ing voted to distribute the school fund according to
white instead offederal population. He said it was
true, and had he not done right in SO doing? He
referred to the first law introduced and passed
under the auspices of Bartlett Yancy, Esq, to
raise the fund and distribute it among the white
children of the State In 1889 it was submitted
to the people and accepted on that basis In 1912,
when the Democrats got into power, they altered
the law to the federal basis the effect OF which was
to give to a child in the East five six times as
much as to one in the West. This was unjust and
was violation Of the original agreement upon which
the fund raised. He further said that had Wes-
tern men been true to themselves Gov. Reid never
could have been elected occupying the position he
did upon this question that party was allowed to
overcome their rights and true interests for, taking
the counties for the present mode of distributing
the fund and those against it, and there would be
found majority of IA or Is, 600 in the latter In
the vote he had given he had carried out the will OF
his constituents and he put it to them to say if it
was fair to charge him with being Western man
with view to injure him. He hoped if snch was
the case the West would stand by him. Next, as
to Free Suffrage. He had been charged with being
opposed to that. This was not true. He was al
ways for it, provided it could be passed in proper
manner and with such guards and qualifications as
in his opinion ought to go with it. He preferred
Convention. He could not see why the West was
distrused on that question, willing as she was to 60
into convention on the federal basis. Then all
things could be settled. They could elect their
Justices of the Peace by the people and establish
cheap justices courts for the trial of petty Offences
and thus keep them from the courts-that it was
important that justices should be elected by the
people, as they laid the county taxes
He said he voted against the present Free Suffrage
bill because there was no provision in it to prevent
the undue taxation of land. That the Senate as
now constituted was check on that; but abolish
the freehold qualification for voters and where would
the check be?-that he had offered amendment
himself which, had it passed. he would have voted
for the bill and waived his objection to the legisla-
tive mode of amendment. That the object Of that
amendment was to provide simply protection to
lands by requiring land and slave poll and white
poll to be taxed alike. That in his opinion some
thing ought to be adopted to protect the landholder
He said that the Standard had called him the
"shinpaster candidate" 1t was true that his face
appeared upon the bills Of small bank in his town
but he was in no way concerned in the same, and
had no interest in the institution. He was. howev-
err opposed to the law, and would make war upon
any law which undertook to do away with small
notes. Why take away small notes? the only cur
renew which poor man could get? The rich
could get large bills; but they were beyond the
reach of poor man. Here Mr.. Gimer entered
into rather elaborate argument to sustain the
policy of small bank notes, and read the Bank
Note Reporter and other authorities to show
that true policy required their free circulation, and
that the worst consequences had followed their dis
continuance in some of the States.
He next Swallowed forth project for new bank
to be owned in part by the State and part by ind-
viduas. For every 500 the State owns in railroad
stock he would have her own like amount in stock
in the bank, and the same as to individuals; and
Ic1o, CkDka dc
part of the basis, but the writer did not clearly
catch the idea
1t was insisted, however, by Mr.. Gimer that such
bank would be very profitable, and that the
State would realize enough from the profits to pay
the interest of the State debt and relieve the peo
pie from taxation and the plan was he said, for the
bank to issue mostly one and two dollar notes for
currency. as In South Carolina.
He was, too, in favor of having State bonds
and the interest on the same, payable in North Car
olna and not in New York, and thus keeping the
money of our people at home. He said the nation
al debt of England, being due to her own people,
strengthened her; while ours acted as a continual
drain to pay interest in New York
After speaking II hours Mr.. G. said he
desired before he closed say something on federal
politics. and the principles of the American party, of
which he was the candidate.
He said when Mr. Fillmore left the Presidency all
was quiet. He had approved of the Compromise
measures and when Boston had rebelled against
the fugtve-slave law he declared he would burr
the city he would enforce the law, and it en-
forced. We had extremists at both ends of the
Union. Formerly, the Nashville Convention said
the Union should be dissolved unless the Missouri
Compromise line should be adopted Now, the
black Republicans said it should be dissolved unless
it was restored.
Mr.. Fillmore in his message said the existing laws
were finaty on the subject of slavery-both the
great parties said so in 1852, and agreed to abide
by it. Did they do it? No-and hence the trou
bes We now have. He had no doubt but that Mr.
Pierce had acted honestly; but he had appointed
freesoilers from the North and ire-eaters from tn
South, in order to reconcile all; but this had no