The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-31
THE NORTH CAROLINA CONGRESSIONAL EEC
TONS.
From tho Wilmington Journal, March 2o.l

lfIVDl uo WUHihbbon youIihit ni'f'u ApI W-
In the first district appearances sanction the belief that
there will probably be conventions of both parties-dem-
ocratic and opposition. Who the opposition candidate
may be we are unable to say--perhaps Mr.. Smith, the
gentleman whom DR.. Shaw defeated two years ago. The
opposition has no better or stronger man in that district.
We think it more than likely that a denomination will be
rendered to DIR. Shaw by the democratic convention,
should one be held but, in any event, the district is
possessed of q large supply of talent among its democratic
politicians. Hill, Badham, and Person, among others,
either of whom would represent the district most ably and
satisfactorily.
In the second district it seems to be conceded that Col.
Rudin, democrat, will be allowed to walk over the track.
If there be any opposition from any party, we rather think
that it is very slight.
TO our own district we have already alluded. Mr..
WinsIow. is already in the field, so far as announcing
himself a candidate for reelection, subject to the action
Of a convention, should the democratic party think prop
sr to hold one. This is the proper ground, and It is due
to Mr.. Winslow that the democratic party in the differ
ent counties should speak out frankly and freely, and
indicate the course which it may desire TO see taken.
1t is better always that these things should be done open
iy and ut once. We stand ready to act in accordance
with the win Of our party fairly and properly expressed.
In the fourth district, that recently represented by
Hon. i. OBJ. Branch, we presume that the incumbent
will be q candidate for reelection. From all that we
can learn he will certainly be reelected.
In the fifth district Mr.. Gilmcr, the opposition mem
Der elected two years ago. will, we suppose, be ngain a
candidate. His majority, considering the district, SO
very largely a~nti-democratic, and the fuss made over
him, so very largely disproportioned to his talents or SER
vices, was small, humiliatingly small and, in truth,
had the democrats only known their own strength and
excrted it 10 the full, Mr.. Gilmer might have been elect
ed to stay at home, as he had been the year before when
he offered for governor he could hardly have been said
TO run. If the democrats work together with harmony
and spirit, Mr.. Gilmcr, a good man in his own way, will
have u chance to be so at home.
Tho 9th district was represented in the last Congress
by Hon. A. NJ. Scales, who beat Mr.. Puryear pretty bad
ly, although Puryear's whiskcy is hard to beat. We
take il that MIR. Scales will again be a candidate, and
xviII apain he elected Who will hp the opnositiOn ran.
didate we have not heard. 1t has been thought that
Col. Purycar, unwilling to &C give it up SO, " wants to try
another turn on the track, but his party will hardly give
him q chance.
The 7th district was represented by Hon. Burton Craige,
who will no doubt represent it again. The fcrocity of
the Wadcsboro' Argus is amusing as its energy is start
ling. 1t has already slain Craige, devoured the loco
focos. and revolutionized the district, oUer The LEI.
Mr.. Craige will, of course, be elected, and our worthy
friends of the Argus find that they have been firing away
all in vain.
We have already alluded incidentally to the mountain
district. We have only this to say If the democrats al
low local issues, with which Congress has nothing to do,
and which have nothing to do with the election of a rep
resentative to Congress, to divide them, then they will
act very imprudcntly, and will be justly rewarded by a
defeat.
We have d few words to add on the subject of conven-
tions. We look upon conventions or their equivalents
MS always affording the safest fundamentally for party
organization. General consent may, by usage, supply
the place of a nomination or denomination, but to do SO
fully there ought to be no doubt about the matter. We
think that il a respectable number of democrats in any
district call for a convention they have a right to have
their wishes respected, even although they may not APP
parently constitute a majority. Mere faction is, of course,
another thing. Such things do not necessarily, nor in
deed at all, imply hostility to any particular person or
persons. Conventions are meetings of friends, not of
enemies-they are held to prevent or adjust differences,
not to create them.
We do trust that care will be taken and the best means
adopted to make certain that tho persons put forward in
the several districts are really the strongest that can be
put forward they are really the choice of the dem
ocratic voters in their respective districts.