Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-02-03
RI. n;sorranixer In Wilmington.

The Disorganizer In Wilmington.
Mr. McRae made a speech in Wilmington on
Thursday night last ostensibly in defence OF himself
but really, in opinion, with the view of disorgan'
izing and injuring the Democratic party. We are
pleased to learn that no Democrat replied to him.
A controversy the stump with Democrats would
no doubt be agreeable to him. as it would dignity
his course as disorganizer and furnish fresh fuel
for the fires of his disappointed ambition.
The Wilmington Journal truly observes that Mr.
McRaes course before he left for France that of
disorganizer and opponent of his party-his first
step his return is in the same direction. In his
letter to Mr.. Dancy he places the humbug question
of redistribution above the momentous slavery is
sue and deliberately repudates the usages and Or
eanization of the Democratic party. This, of ITSELF
would have excluded him from the party to which
he now appeals, and with which he has tho assn.
rance to claim connection He left the Democratic
party of his own ACCORD, certainly they have not
left him, for they just where they were and what
they were before he returned from France and what
they will be long after he shall have been politically
forgotten.
We invite attention to the Journals notice of his
speech and the conclusive extracts in relation to
the constitutionaity of distribution which that
paper has made from one of the speeches of Mr..
Calhoun:
"MR. McRAE's SPEECH LAST NIGHT THE Court
HousE-Last evening, Duncan K McRae, Esq, ad'
dressed a meeting of the citizens of Wilmington,
assembled in the Court House. The published OBJ
iect of the address to defend himself from the
attacks of portion of the press of the State.
Circumstances prevent our being present and
hearing the opening portions OF Mr.. McRaes remarks
We understood that he complained bitterly that he
should be singled out for accommodation from the
ranks of the Democratic party because of his differ
ence from the majority of the party On the distrbu-
ton question: while others similarly offending, were
held as amongst the pillars of the party. He was
also, understand, very bitter in his denunclatons
of the Raleigh Standard.
Now, if gentleman chooses to place himself in
opposition to his own party what he himself says
is the only living issue remaining-if he throws HIM
self forward into the to receive the plaudits of
the opposition for blows adroty aimed at the avow-
ed principles and recognized organization of the par
ty to which he claims to beong-if he more than
hints that he will be candidate before the people Of
North Carolina, relying, he must rely, upon the
anti Democratic vote of the State-assisted by the
few Democrats whom he hopes to detach from the
true banner of Democracy,-if he does all this, and
expects to remain in full fellowship with the Demo-
cratic party of North Carolina he must surely think
that the party is too stupid to see or too deficient
in energy and spirit to act. Mr. McRaes course be-
fore ne left for France was that of dsorganizer,
and opponent of his own party-hs first step on his
return is in the sane direction. He jumps through
breaks down, the lines and limits of the party
gets beyond all recognised or recognizable ground
upon which Democrats can stand-assumes posi-
ton of hostility to the party from which he has sep
arated the land question, and then, after all this
finding himself outside of the Democratic pale, he
turns round with air of injured innocence, and
seeks the honors of martyrdom. He says he has
been prescribed, and an attempt made to turn him
out of the Democratic party. To our simple appre.
hension, Mr. McRae has gone oat of his own accord
He may think differently. He may feel like the
sonabe juror who was cooped up with eleven frac
tous persons, who would not agree with him, al
though they accorded between themselves. He will
find the Democratic party as stubborn as the eleven
jurors.
As to his reference to the Editor of the Standard
the more especially as Mr.. Holden is abundanty
able to take care of himself. Much of it, as we
learn was pretty much the old song of the Raleigh
Register.
But all this was simply prefatory-the real thing
was the making of land distribution Speech and to
some points in that speech propose to REFER
Time and space will prevent US making more than a
cursory review of effort which occupied between
two and three hours in the delivery.
Mr.. McRae deduces the constitutional power of
Congress to distribute the public lands from that
provision of the constitution which says that the
Congress shall have power to dispose Of and make
all needfu rules and regulations respecting the terri.
tory other property belonging to the United
States. He asserts. what we have before asserted,
that the public lands are property belonging to the
United States and are to be disposed of like other
property belonging to the proprietor. In what
way is this right of disposal to be exercseG-how
far does it go? What obligations does it impose !?
These are the questions to be answered. and the
questions which Mr.. Nc Rae did not answer. Let US
turn to the opinions of those expounders of the
IL III r. Al
and patriotism-Calhoun, Webster and Clay, and
see what they say about it.
Mr.. Calhoun, in 1841 spoke as follows:
Whether the government can constitutonaly distri-
butte the revenue from the public lands among the
States must depend upon the fact whether they be-
long to them in their united federal character or in
dividualy and separately. II in the former, it is
manifest that the Government, as their common
agent or trustee haze no right to distribute
them, for their indiridual, separate use. fund de-
rred from property held IN their united and feder-
al character, without special pooer for that Dur.
pose, uhch is not pretended A position so clear of
itself, and resting the established principles of
law, when applied to individuals holding property in
like manner, needs no illustration. If the con-
trary, they belong to the States in their individual
character, then the Government would not only
have the right, but would be bound to apply the
revenue to the separate of the States. So far is
incontrovertible, which presents the question: In
which of the two characters are the lands held by
the States?
To give satisfactory answer to this question, it
will be necessary to distinguish between lands that
have been coded by the States and those that have
been purchased by the Government out of the COM
mon funds of the Union
The principal cessons were made by Virginia and
Georgia. The former of all the tract between the
Ohio, the Mississippi and the lakes, including the
States of Ohio, Indiana Illinois and Michigan and
the Territory of Wisconsin, and the latter, of the
tract included in Alabama and Mississippi. shall
begin with the cesson of Virginia, it is on that
the advocates of distribution mainly rely to estab-
Esh the right
L hold in my hand an extract of all that portion
OF the Virginia deed of cesson which has any bear