Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-03-05
State POIItIcs-The Legislature, &c.

All our readers are aware that Governor and Gen
cra Assembly will be chosen by the people OF this State
on the first Thursday in August next little refec-
lion will convince every person who is capable OF any
reflection at ALL that the Legsature-the General AS
sembly-is the really important obect-amost the sole
repository of political power The Governor has
to-he has next to patronage. He is not, like the
President Of the United States coordinate branch of
the Legislature in any form shape. He pardon
criminals and he can appoint to vacancies during the
recess of the Legislature This, in practice, does not
amount to much.
In taking survey of the position of politicians In
this State it will be necessary to bear these facts in mind
in order that may the better understand the move
ments of Others and be prepared the more ntegenty
to shape our own course We hear and read good deal
about candidates for GOvernor-we hear of this gentle
man and that gentleman who to be run, or IS to run
himself as the distribution candidate Tor that Office
One gentleman in particular, d. K. McRae, Esq, has
been and u.s. busy running by himself for something, not
yet explained but supposed to be in the way Of prelim
nary practice for the gubernatorial But remem
ber Mr. McRae has not said in his speeches that hew
be candidate for anything and has not mentioned the
word Governor in that connection. What then, does
all this sudden waking up mean on the part OF Dlsrlbu-
ton orators claiming to be Democrats who, as MIR.
Leak canddy avOws, in his own case, hope to get the
support of all the OppositiOn-Of what Democrats not
long since called the NOthngs-and also to make
inrOads upon the Democracy? What means the
backing and filling the part of that opposition IN
concert with whom some orator, claiming to be A.
No / Democrat is to make inroads " upon the ranks
of the party of which he claims to be A. No. mem
ber These arc questions to be pondered, and pro-
pose to offer few remarks for the consideration of our
readers which, if they do not fully answer these ques-
tons may at least set the people to working out some
solution that will be satisfactory to themselves.
We take it for granted that if the Democrats Of the
State are halfway true to themselves, no candidate
brought forward by coming forward under the aus
pces of any form Of opposition, can hope to be elected
over the regularly nominated candidate of the Democrat
ic party for the office Of Governor. Men will say at
once-ther good will compel them to say at once,
what has this question of the distribution of thepubc
lands got to do with the Office of Governor OF North
Carolina? Suppose Mr.. McRae, Mr. Leake, or Mr.
Anybody-ese elected, what additional voice would he
have in the matter?" And the answer will be that
the office of Governor has nothing to do with disrlbu
ton and the Governor of North Carolina has nothing
to do with it, and that therefore, in that connection
the thing is mere electioneering hobby. Common
sense will 90 farther and ask what reason there Is In
talking of distribution when the Federal Treasury is
empty and Congress forced to resort to loans to carry
on the government and pay its actual daily expenses.
Distribute what? A clear humbug without practical
Importance.
This is so. The people will think over it and will
find out and make sure that it is So The distribution
IL rIo1o
continuance and discover its shaowness Can they then
expect to succeed in defeating the regular Democratic
candidate upon irrelevant and impractical issue ??
Can they think that, at time like this, the South
having established almost perfect union upon the only
party which afforded basis for such union, will desert
that party around which it has rallied because cleo
oneerng issue is raised irrelevant to the local contest
into which it is dragged besides being ridcuOusy
practical and must say unpatrotic, with depleted
and embarrassed treasury? The fuss about the Cover
nOrship we take to be mainly eigned attack, which
may however be turned into real one, if any want of
unison on the part of the Democracy affords prospect
of success.
But we have remarked that General Assembly is to
be chosen-a House of Commons and Senate. Does
it not strike readers that there may be the danger
That that may be the point aimed at. How many Off
ces the next General Assembly may have to dispose of
we do not know-we have never thought, but good
many we presume Among others there will certainly be
one Senator-Gov Reds term will expire March 4th,
1859 If reports be true there will be another Senator
to choose for the unexpred term of Mr. Bggs this of
course in the event of Mr. Bggs being appointed to the
Judgeship.
These two Scholarships to start, would form very
happy basis for cementing the entente cOrdiae between
the allied forces whom Mr. Leak expected to rally around
him for Governor These forces are to be composed OF
of the opposition-the Know Nothings as they were
called during the last gubernatorial contest and the
"inroads from Democracy, as Mr. Leak now calls those
Democrats who are to be seduced into cooperation with
them Suppose for instance that through the negligence
of Democrats from any other cause parties should be
nearly balanced in the next Legislature and when the
test came it should be found that there were certain
Democrats upon whom inroads had been made
who like Mr.. Leak and Others ready to cooperate
with the opposition and elect one Distribution Demo
crat " and one American or Know Nothing? Does
not the whole thing reveal itsespread itself out like
book.
We don't go for reading men out of the party-menE
own actions can alone do that but of this we may fee
certain that when politicians get to cooperating cor
daily with tie opponents of their own party, they can
not be far either in feeling position, from opponents
themselves and the current will soon carry them to the
point towards which they are drifting, Far be it from
us to say that every Democrat who in the abstract may
favour distribution is prepared to approve of sucha Pc
ston as that to which we have alluded But they shou(