Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-05-28
Discussion at Clinton. Sampson County.

opposition parties respectively, addressed the people OF
Sampson county, at the Court House in Clinton, on
Saturday. the 22d instant. Wishing to hear the two
gentlemen together, well to enjoy the pleasure OF
meeting many of friends in that county, we made
hurried visit to Clinton the occasion OF the discussion
Judge Ellis arrived on Friday evening. Mr.. McRae,
having addressed the people of Robson On the day pre-
viouS did not arrive until about o'clock on Saturday
forenoon. The Judge, who had been somewhat ndis-
posed previous to the opening of the canvass and mea
gureaby since appeared to have improved in health and
felt better than he had for some time. Mr.. McRae,
apart from the fatigue of travel appeared also to be in
good health A goodly number of the citizens of the
county continued to arrive during the forenoon and at
the time agreed upon for opening the discussion -
o'clock, the Court House was filled indeed we might
say, thronged. Our obliging host, Mr.. Beaman had
hurried dinner in order to accommodate, and thus all
were prepared to li8ten without Interruption to the ad
dresses Of the candidates.
At about 25 minutes to one Mr. McRae opened
He said he had Travelled far that morning and endured
considerable fatigue in order to keep his appointment
with the good people of Sampson before whom he said
he did not appear the candidate of party although
his party affiliations were well known to them.
Mr.. McRae then proc ,ded to draw dark picture of
the position of the State Of North Carolina and stated
that she either stationary retrograding-
from 1880 to l840 she had hardly increased in popula
tOn and from 1910 to 1850 had only increased IA per
cent That her towns had not grown-her manufactures
hourshed her wealth increased That her town prop
erty was now depressed-herR Railroad stocks below par
her debts already five Millions and her future liability six
millions, and consequently her taxation greatly ncreaS
ed and he commended that the rate of taxation must be
still more increased He asserted that the amount of
revenue to be raised two years hence must be something
like double of what it now is That the State, under
the acts charering the Western n. G. Railroad Co..
and the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Rail
road Co., was liable to be called for four millions for
the first and two millions for the second That ten year
bonds negotiated in 1849 would soon be due and must be
met along with the interest on the above sums. He did
not say this for the purpose of casting blame but to call
attention to it, lie did not blame internal improvement
men, For himself he would not recommend the increase
of the State debt to the extent of one dollar for any work
OF Internal Improvement in progress in North Car
DINA. We understood Mr. McRac as agreeing with his
competitor Judge Ellis that the appropriations under
the acts charering the Western North Carolina Rail
road and the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford
Road are already binding on the State and therefore
cannot come under the head of increase. Mr.. McRae
did not believe in the right to tax posterty for In
terna improvements nor to make those not directly on
the line of such works bear any part of the burdens
they imposed
Mr.. McRae commented at some length on Judge Ell
lis letter to Mr.. Dancy also upon the Charlotte Con
venton and the platform therein adopted He quite
and inclined to rdicule those gentlemen, formerly
of the Wing party but acting with the Democrats
particularly those of them who attended the Charlotte
itSD
He thought the resolution on Internal Improvements
twosided and equivoca intended to bear one sgnifca
ton in the East and another in the West He said that
his competitor, Judge Ellis went for the Western Road
tunnel included also the Wilmington Charlotte anc
Rutherford and the Fayetteville and Western R. Road
He (Ar. McRae would not 60 for any further aid tc
the Western N. G. Road Or the Wilmington, Charlotte
& Rutherford Road, nor for any appropriation to the
Fayetteville and Western Road Would transfer to The
last named work. to aid in its completion State stock il
the Raleigh and CASTOR r. Road. From this it would
appear that Mcae hmefdoes not have any dependence
upon distribution for when the Fayetteville Road i
brought home to him. he forced to fall back upon some
other "pan"
Mr.. McRae made some sport over what he seemed t.
consider the newborn zeal of the Wilmington Journal
the Raleigh Standard and Judge Ellis in behalf of Fay
ClICNIC' IuC utS VI our DdCE VIII SHOW lnaI we nave
said nothing since the commenced that hat
not said before. OF course we take it for granted tina
Mr.. McRae missated simply through want of inlorma
ton on this particular fact.
Mr.. NIcRae then went on to say that he was an In
ternal Improvement man-that he did not want the pub
lie works of the State neglected their prosecutio,
stopped but he wanted to point the people to the
public domain as d resource out Of which to obtain tn
to discharge theirde and tighten their taxa
ton. He contended that this domain was being squan
dercd given away, and that North Carolina ought t.
go for distribution in order that she might derive all tn
benefits that he believed Ohio, Illinois and other new
States had derived from land grants He said that ber
had been more lands given away than there had bee
sold, by several millions of acres. He drew glowing
picture of the growth of Illinois and of Ohio the gian
of the West, with her revenue Of $36OOOOO, and he
large school fund He appealed loudly to the poor me-
of Sampson to get this fund-to them he called. Tn
rich might not want it-they might not want tn
sons of the poor educated lest they should come in
petition with their own sons, etc.
Mr.. McRae did not assert that the constitution il
words conferred the power to distribute but claimed
to stand on the footing with Mr.. Jefersons pur
chase of Louisiana. He then proceeded to quote AM
refer to various instances in which he asserted the powe
had been exercised and its exercise had met the approva
of leading Democrats, as VIM. r. King and Others
This portion of Mr.. McRae's speech was so far as
went identical with that which he delivered some tim
since in Wilmington He did not refer definitely to hi
plan OF distribution, and gave way little before hi
time had expired, stating that he was very much ia