Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-02-26
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL
The State ConventIOn-Just as we Feared.

gladly have done something to avert We did take the
liberty begging brethren of the press to avoid as
far as possible partnership for individuals as candidates
for the nomination of the Democratic party for the Of
fee of Governor of North Carolina at least until the
time for making that nomination should be close at hand
when these mere expressions of preference could pass SIM
ply as such, without having time to engender discus
sions out of which eouse or excltements might arise
and, from the nature of things, most probably would
arise.
. A goodly number Of Democratic contemporaries
entertained the same notions this subject that we en-
tertaned and expressed-ohers did not and We at least
claim no right to take them 70 task for following their
own impulses or obeying the dictates of their owa
judgments We only regret find that the very state
of things we deprecated, and would gladly have seen
avoided is likely to arise if it has not already arisen and
that some of our contemporaries appear to have more
realizing knowledge of the existence and claims OF their
particular avourtes for the nomination than they have
of the existence and claims of over fifty thousand Demo
cratic voters who have their homes in North Carolina
We see our friend of the Godsboro Tribune taking the
Elizabeth City Pioneer to task because the latter paper
prefers Judge Ellis to Mr.. Holden. Surely the Pioneer
has right to do so it pleasesthe same unquesona-
BILE right that the Tribune has to prefer Mr. Holden to
Judge Ellis It is for the Charlotte Convention to de-
eide that matter We feel assured that cur respect
ed contemporaries intend to support the nominee IN good
faith whether their preferences consulted not
The Tribune will give Judge Ellis hearty support if
he is selected the Pioneer will do ali it can for Mr.
Holden if he is selectedAboh papers will do their
best for the nominee should neither of these gentlemen
be called to that position And take it and give 1t
there benefited
the preliminary audations of indscreet friends Look
ers on are said to see most of the game and will hardly
to be made pawns Of to be jumped about or swap
ped off North Carolina, among her fifty or sixty
thousand Democratic voters has more than one or two
men, but the Democratic party choose but one per-
son as its nominee for Governor. AS its neminee-the
exponent for the time being of its principles, whose
success will be its success the party will give to the
person selected it's fullest support but this must not be
COMPOUNDED with merely personal manworship Plenty
Of other men in the party would equally deserve and
receive this support, if called upon to occupy the same
position. The Democratic party is now as strong or
stronger than ever it was-au good Democrats nave
learned from the experience of the very recent past the
lesson that safety is only to be found in more rigid ad
herence to the established principles and usages of the
party and less reliance upon the d1CtG OF mere ndlvd
uals no matter how trusted Men are but men and as
SUCH must be more CT less swayed by their personal
feelings aspirations, but party like the Democracy
Of North Carolina must be composed of vast pre-
ponderance of those who have no private aspirations
to gratifying ends to seek but the good of their Coun
try their State and tb party that its course may be
far more safely folowed-ts decision far more readily
obeyed than the course or the preferences Of any
individuals no matter how prominent. And we must
confess that have no sort of affection for this thing of
cutand- dried arrangements like that limited at by the
Tribune when it speaks of the getting out of Gov Brgg
Who the Tribune says written to months before
hand &c. We 60 for free Convention or none The
nominee of the Convention we shall support. If the
people in their primary meetings choose to express pref
erences have nothing to say for their votes must
elect the next Governor Nor, save as matter OF
policy can we have word to say against any express
ion from any quarter. We only think, as things stand
that such expressions may do harn-they already en-
rendering controversies.
Since we havespoken about the fifty or sixty thou
sand Democratic voters of the State think it as
good time any to speak also of the mode Of voting
Convention. A Democratic candidate for Governor ex
poets to be elected by the Democratic voters of the State
at largely the fifty to sixty thousand votes which
they can poll for him. Every mans reason will say al
once that since they must elect the candidate they ought
also to say who that candidate shall be- and this
only be fairly done by each county casting in Conven
ton the number of Democratic voters which it cas
at the polls Any other mode of voting is maniestly
unequal Take the plan of voting which has prevailed
New Hanover polls fifteen hundred Democratic votes
Gulord about onethird that number and yet under the
system which has prevailed New Hanover would cast two
G,1if Ooct4 tC
each Democrat in Guilford four times the weight in
choosing the Candidate that each Democrat in New
Hanover would possess. What we propose is that thu
system of voting shall be adopted at the State Con
venon which has been found to work well at Distric
Conventions, namely-that the delegates from eacl
county shall be entitled to cast the same number o
votes for the Candidate for Governor that the county
cast for Governor Bragg at the election in Angus
1856 This principle is so evidently fair and reasona
BILE, that we anticipate no objection being made to it
adoption. 4
OH1o.-We recolect that Ohio of the new
States over whose immense profits from public works
built by land donations Mr.. McRae grew so eloquen
in the course of his speech in the Court House of Thu
place.
Now, all the lands that Ohio got for public works
were given to assist in the making of canas-she go
none for railroads. WE'LL now, what is the position
things in Ohio Last year the canals of Ohio did no
pay the actual expenses ofworkng them, by $6225 Sc
and when the State had paid the interest money Dor
rowed for the construction of these canals she
of pocket the nice little sum of 1921 ,945.
So much for these canals, built in part by grants
public lands Now for the railroads. for which no land
were granted Ohio stands first in the number of mile
Of railroad within her borders being forty miles