The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-05-12
A rI1RBADBARn SUBJECT.

L
4 our readers with stale and uninteresting
subjects, we sometimes have to allude to
them for the purpose of correcting error
and rebutting false arguments. A distri-
button of the public lands is one of the
"obsolete ideas" of the old wing party
one that was handled by its leaders for
personal promotion. and then kicked to
death by the people as an unfair and un-
constitutional proposition, the evident ten
dency of which was to corruption and ex-
| travagance.
The old folks used to tell the children
that when a mud turtle or terrapin fastened
its jaws on anything, the hold was not re-
| linquished until it Numbered. So it is with
the opponents of democracy. They have
| from time to time grasped the land question
! las a drowning man will catch at straw
and tugged and pulled until the thunder OF
! an overwhelming democratic majority would
| break their grip and dispel their visionary
| ideas of the benefit to result from an indis-
criminate squandering of the property of
TIE General Government among the States.
The land distributionists can beat the
inimitable Jim Crow himself in turn
abouts, and backward and forward political
gymnastic exercises. For the sake of pro-
noting their leaders they jump from one
question TO another as fast as the people
place their condemnation upon their cleo
pioneering schemes.
We want confidence in the sincerity of
the party that is now clamoring for divi-
sion of the public domain, and we refer to
its past course as indicative of political
dishonesty. How was it in 1871 4! The
opposition had a majority in Congress-
distribution bill was passed which appor-
toned to North Carolina few thousand
dollars, with promise of more if the tariff
was not raised beyond certain per cent.
But the very next year, these same distri-
button advocates increased the tariff Ito
the great injury of the South) and thus cut
off further distribution. Now, if they be-
lieved, as they professed they did, that the
measure was just and proper one in itself,
why did they kill it for the sake of extend
ing further encouragement and protection
to northern capitalists Was North Caro-
lima or Virginia's share of the public lands
of less Importance then than now? Or
we're they convinced that the measure was
diverting the public money from its proper
channel!
The fact is the whole scheme was ma
tured from the beginning for electioneering
purposes, and its friends sustain US in this
assertion by their actions. How is it that
during the Congressional canvass of 1855
and the Gubernatorial campaign of 1856.
we heard nothing of the peoples share of
the public lands! Foreigners and Catho-
lies and the Pope of Rome and Bishop
Hughes, were then of more Importance to
the land grabbers than the rights of the
old States" While there was prospect
of making votes by holding up foreigners
as a great bug boo, the land question was
passed over in silence; but now, after find
ing that know nothingism, with all its false
teachings and hypocrisy, failed to place its
friends in authority, they fall back on their
old hobby. Hence the appeals to the peo-
pie, by opposition papers, to go for distri-
button.
We ask the frcemen of North Carolina
not to suffer themselves to be deceived in
regard to this matter; and when they al e
told that the democratic party is "squan-
dering the public lands on the new States"
we beg them to bear in mind that Willard
Fillmore, the great leader of the opposition,
signed the greatest squandering bill ever
passed by Congress, that donating hun
dreds Of thousands of acres to the Illinois
Central Railroad-and further, that the
wing Senators from this State, Messrs.
Badger and Mangum, voted for said bill.