The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-09-29
NORTH CAROLINA.

That the AntiSavery party in North Caro-
lima held the balance of power is made proba
bic, if not evident, by the late election of the
Opposition candidate for Governor of that
State, Mr.. Gilmer. The greatest number Of
the party unfriendly to Slavery in North Caro-
lima consist Of the Quakers, who are rather
numerous in some of the counties, the Wesley
an Methodists, and that class of religionists
who call themselves Christians. Two preach.
ers of the persuasion of Wesleyan Methodists,
Crooks and Mcbride, our readers may remem-
Der, were obliged to leave the State for bearing
their testimony against Slavery. Abiding to
this, in speaking of the election of Mr.. Gilmer,
letter addressed to gentleman of this city,
from his friend in Guilford county, says:
"But the moral effects of these proceedings
1.-THE expulsion of Crooks and McBride) were
felt in way not exactly looked for by the rad
ical slavites. For quite number of our best
citizens left the State, and others withheld their
votes, and thus plainly manifested their disap-
probation, and it was not until Mr.. Gilmer gave
his Anti Lecompton vote in Congress that our
people could be induced to forgive him for the
part he took in the business, though he went
only as a moderator. In my section of the
county, jamestown and High Point election
precincts, the effect was very strongly marked.
At jamestown, in 1857, Gilmer received los
votes, and his competitor 100. This year. Gil
mer received 229, and Williams IS votes. At
High Point, Gilmer received l08 votes in 1857,
and in 1859, 200; Williams, 81 each year. Gil
mer's reelection by such a decided majority
shows conelusively that all the Southern people
are not radical slavites, and that branding a
man with Abolitienism has lost its talismanic
effect. Let us take heart and hope for better
times"
We have before US a return of the votes of
Guilford county, both at the late election of
Governor and the previous one in 1857. In
1857 the vote for Williams, the Democratic can
didate for Governor, was in that county 400 ;
the vote for Gilmer, 1868 at the recent cleo.
ton of 1859 it stood, for Williams, 468; and
for Gilmer, 2,047.
In Guilford county, the Quakers, Wesleyan
Methodists, and Christians, form considerable
part of the population. 1t was in Guilford, also,
that the system of common schools was intro
duced at an early period, and the people at
large are better educated than in the majority
of the other counties. The system was intro
duced in North Carolina by degrees; law
was passed allowing the counties to accept or
reject it at their pleasure, and at first it was
adopted only by somewhat less than third of
all the counties in the State
We have before US North Carolina paper,
the Greensboro Patriot, in which appears an
article defending the Quakers of the State, par
ticularly those of Northampton county, against
the attacks of Senator Bragg, of that State, who
has been denouncing them in his public speech
es. The Quakers, it seems, have offended the
friends of Slavery beyond forgiveness, by giving
the majority to an nti-Lecomptonite candidate
for Governor.-E0ening Post.