Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1859-06-15
First Confessional District.

OF WAKE
First Congressional District.
We publsh to-day, from the pen Of . friend, .
,.o.cb Of the discussion in jackson. Northampton,
S..,reen DR.. Shaw and Mr.. Smith.
We are surprised to learE that Mr.. Smith is en-
,,,rorius to make capital out of the State debt
W. know he voted against the revenue bill at the |
,.e session of the Legislature, when it was neces-
other to raise the taxes or drive the State to
..,nd;ation: and his course in this campaign, in |
dre,lins upon and magnifying the State debt and
n irving to hold the Democrats responsible for it
: conclusive proof that his vote against the revenue
Ii; WAS the result of selfish and party considers
TONS We have no patience with those public men,
..ho like Mr.. Smith, omit to perform duty which
.hev know ought to be performed because there are
,ers to perform them and then turn round and
trv to take advantage, Mr. Smith is doing, of the
OMISSION Mr. Smith felt and lnew that the reve-
me bill ought to be passed. yet from party and self
;sb considerations he declined to vote for it He is
now seeking to make capital out of his own neglect
If DUTY; and, in order to get into Congress, he is
holding up the old State as burdened with an enor-
because as he says, the Democratic party incurred
the debt
Now let us see if there is any truth in this deca-
r,t;on of Mr.. Smith. 1t is well known that the
Vbic party was in power in this State from 1887 to
1851, period Of fourteen years. The total bonded
debt of the State in November last according to the
message of Gov. Bragg, was s6,s79.5O5. Of this
A.. .,,x, Of SSOO OOO u.as inc,,rrod IN 1924
and in 1910, for the Raleigh and CASTOR Railroad,
when the Wings, Mr.. Smith being one Of them, had
complete control of the State government in all its
departments. This is the debt which is noso falling
due. and which Mr.. Smith, though his own party
contracted it. refused at the late session to make
provision to meet 1t must all be paid by the end
Of this year, the interest it having been regularly
The interest, $4S 900 per annum, amounted for the
twenty years, to 10000; making with the debt
of ssOo,O0O contracted by the Wing party, Mr..
Smith being one of that party, the sum of $780,
OoO In addition to this the record will show that
between 1887 and 1851, other debts were incurred,
besides the debt for the Central Railroad, which
amount to from $500, 900 to 81 900, 0OO But in
1913 the appropriation of g 600 for the Central
Railroad was made This appropriation was the re-
suit of joint Wing and Democratic action; yet it is
nevertheless true-and the Wings, Mr.. Smith no
doubt included among them, boosted at that day Of
the fact before the taxes began to be felt-that a
large majority of the votes cast forthe measure in
the Senate and Commons, seere Wing rotes The
record will show this to be so.
lis, therefore, clear that at least onehalf of the
bonded debt of the State, reaching nearly to seven
millions of dollars, was contracted by Wing votes
and under Wing auspices. No one knows this bet
ter than Mr. Smith. He not only refuses now to
make provision to meet any portion of this debt,
but his party, during the whole of the fourteen
years referred to, piled debt upon debt without
looking to the means of payment, and without max.
ing the least attempt, by taxes sinking funds, to
provide for the interest and principal they fell
due. Instead of marching up like men to Their
duty, and laying taxes to pay the debt which they
themselves had incurred they resorted to the policy
Of borrowing from the Literary Fund; and we have
no hesitation in expressing the opinion, that if Mr.
Smith and his friends had remained in power up Il
this time as they were in power from 1887 to 1851
onehalf or three-fourths of this fund would hav
been borrowed and used to pay State debts. As i
was, they had used over one hundred thousand dol
ers Of this fund for this purpose, on which the.
had paid no interest from 1916 to 1851; and it wa
not until Gov. Reid came into Office and looked int
the matter carefully, that the interest was paid.
Werepeat, we are surprised at Mr.. Smiths courss
We thought him above anything Of this sort W
thought he would be one of the last men who woul
use the Indebtedness of the State as q means fd
getting votes. But stad and sober as he is, he
ambitious and very anxious to get to Congress.
But, after all what has State Indebtedness to d
with the campaign for Congress? What will NJ
Smith have to do, if by possibility he should I
elected, with the State debt of North arolina
Will he tell his brother members of the House tn
he obtained his seat by clamoring against the ho
est Indebtedness of his own State, and by refnsir
to vote to pay the debt?
The truth is, the course of Mr.. Smith in this ma
ter shows how hard run he is for capital. TT
smallest favors thankfully received" in the way
Charges against the Democratic party, is Mr. Smith
motto. Let the Democrats of the District do the
outy, as Dr.: Shaw is doing his, and all win be we
Fifth Congressional District.
We are requested to give notice that Stephen
Williams, ESQ.,, the Democratic candidate for Co
sfess in the FIFTH District will address his fello
QUEENS at the following times and places:
koxborough, Person, Tuesday, June 21st
Prospect Hill, Caswell, Wednesday, June 22d.
fatterson's Store, Alamance, Friday, June 24tf
ASHFORD, Randolph, Saturday, June 25th.
Troy, Montgomery, Tuesday, June 2sth.
1anceyville Caswell, Tuesday, July 9Th.
lHE FEDERAL CoURr.-This tribunal, which Y
III session here last week. his Honor Judge Biz
presiding, adjourned on Saturday evening Amo
o.ner cases was that of The United States o. Geo
williams, Of Elizabeth City, charged with detain
""o opening letter. Mr.. Dick appeared for
government and H. W. Miller and J. Parker Jord
lS4ulres for the defendant The case was ably
saed on both sides, and the jury returned vert
guilty. Before the verdict was rendered, b,