Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1857-02-18
Gbe Stanbar1.


RALEIGH. SATURDAY. FEB. IA. 1857.
Cape Fear and Deep River Company--Gross in
justice of the Fayetteville Observer towards
Gov. Bragg.
One of the Raleigh correspondents of the Fay
ettevlle Observer furnished to that paper of the
9th instant, lengthy sketch of the debate in the
House of Commons the affairs of the Cape Fear
and Deep River Navigation Company; in the course
of which he referred to the bill offered by Mr.. Gill
liam, of Washington, to sell the States interest in
the work Just mentioned, and also in the old Cape
Fear Company below Fayetteville. This correspon-
dent misapprehending the facts and the law, al
though lawyer, speaks of Mr. Gilliam's bill as a
proposition to sell out " all the rights, privileges,
and franchises of the two Companics,-he then
states, in italics, that Mr. Gillian said in the Com
mons that this BILL thus providing for selling " all
rights privileges, and franchises" had "6een sub
1,aitted to tile Governor and met his appreciation -
and afterwards, in postscript, he adds the follow
ing:
"Since writing the above, 1 have met Governor
Bragg and he assures the member from w Wash.
ingon had misunderstood what he said to him about
his substitute bill That he objected to selling the
franchise below Fayetteville, and was opposed to
restricting the State from granting aid to other
works leading to the Coal Fields That if the State
would not aid the work. he thought provision should
be made to dispose of it in some way. That portion
of the bill met his appreciation, and that portion
only, and he regrets that he was misunderstood by
the member. Suffer to add that knowing the
member from Washington as do, am satisfied it
was misapprehension his part, for he is too
noble a fellow to misstate, except upon misappre-
hension of what the Governor had SAID when con-
suited by him."
This correspondent also states that Mr.. Glliam's
bill, which he represents Gov. Bragg approving,
proposed to sell to "Marsha Parks, Addison Burt,
and Others for $2oO0OO," the State being bound to
"grant no aid to any other works" leading to the
Coal Fields but " to road to the N. c. Rail Road"
And the Fayetteville Observer of the 9th, following
this matter up has editorial (Which We shall
notice presenty) which for falsehood misrepresen-
taton, and sneaking inuendo is altogether worthy
of that paper and of the malicious partizan infu-
ences by which it is controlled. And then follows
letter to the correspondent from Gov Bragg,
o6oiously not attended for publication, but only to
point out to this correspondent the particulars in
/ which he had done the Governor injustice.
Now, in the first place, Gov. Bragg did not seek
consultation with Mr. Gillian this subject.
Mr.. Gillian called on him while he was busily en-
81 gagged; and the Governor, it is apparent, gave no
very full consideration to the subject, in the shape
REPRESENTED by Mr.. Gillian. He gave his appreciation
q to no such measure as that described by the Oh.
IA servers correspondent did not object to the
"a selling of franchise" for the plain reason that
such thing could not have been disposed of by the
State; and any such proposition would have been
absurd. The bill offered by Mr.. Gillian, and as
read to Gov Bragg, proposed to sell the States an-
terest in the Cape Fear and Deep River Company,
and in the old Cape Fear Company, for the sum Of
" $5OO,OO0 No names of purchasers were read to
~ him. The purchase to be made on condition that
a& the State would not grant any other charter or
~ charters to any rival work to the Coal Fields,
4 extend aid to any work already authorized. This
# condition objected to by the Governor and
q Mr.. Gillian himself was understood to have said
NJ the floor of the House, at the time he made his
statement, that the bill was approved by the Co.
vernon, except in one particular, which he did not
mention. The only effect ofa sale, without the con-
dition would have been to substitute individuals al
stockholders in lieu of and to the extent thu
State. And the Governor says in his letter above
referred to- published in the Observer-"if if nothing
was to be DONE did think it best for the State t.
sell her interest in the Deep River work to private
individuals, at fair price, provided they would g
and complete the work. And, if they would no
buy without it, no objection to selling th'
States stock in the Cape Fear Navigation Company
so to give them voice in the management of th'
same" What sound objection could there hav,
been to that? If the State, failing to prosecute,
she has, the Cape Fear and Deep River work, coule
have got back the $5oooOO which she has expended
there, and if the works could have been finished ant
the coal developed by individual enterprise, a0h
soouM hace been injured?
The Observer, in the editorial above referred to
says:
"The extraordinary spectacle was there presente
of an attempt to dragoon the party in power int
the adoption of an impolitlc, inefficient, wastefu
measure, which had already been decidedly rejecte
on full view of its merits The Governor and al
his officials, from the parlor and the kitchen, assist
ed by bands of lobby members, generally having
direct pecunary interest at stake, piled the mem
bers, by message, by personal appeals by speeches
and by threats. And the result was, that the Gov
ernor was left in the minority, test vote, of 16
Yes, 10 friends out of 80 democrats! And severa
Of the Is Americans"