The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-11-20
Chr WRstRrn Dfmutrat.
CHARLOTTE. n c..
THE VOICE OF THE PRESS.

THE VOICE OF THE PRESS.
We continue to quote articles and extracts from ar
,ce in our North Carolina exchanges of both parties
as some indication of public sentiment on the question
of secession:
How THE RESULT IS RECEIvED.-Our readers
need not now to be told, that our own opinion Is,
that the mere election to the Presidency OF any
man, however obnoxious he is, and justly, to one
great section of the Union, is not suthcient cause
for dissolution of the Union, or for resistance
IN the law or to the Inauguration of the new Ad
ministraton IF the South did not mean to abide
by the result it was bound in honor not to partcl
pate in the election. Having done so, and been
defeated it seems to us that it is now the part OF
wisdom as well as common fairness, that the South
shoud wait until the Administration shall as
sail its institutions attempt to violate It's rights
before it should raise the flag of revolution, and
dissolve this Union, upon which SO many hopes
are centered. : In opinion, sbesldes the fact
that both Houses of Congress and the Judiciary
are against him, and will be Il bulwark to the
South. another conclusive reason for the course OF
present forebearanee may be found in the conf
dent expectation that Lincoln cannot be lang an
office before he arW either break up the Union or
tie party ,cAich placed him an po'rer. And we
believe it will be the latter which will be destroy
ed. No matter what policy may be pursued by
him, whether conservative or destructive, he will
probably offend one half of his own partly
1t gives us great pleasure to find that 10 pres
ent policy of forbearance and calmness we and our
Wing friends generally in this part Of the State are
sustained by the more considerate and influential
of the Democrats Some of these have so express
sed themselves to US personally and we hear that
others have done so to other persons In this way
all parties here will be united when the time comes,
if ever it shall come, for acknowledgements
O6serUer, (rhig)
WHY?-With no prestige of high ability to
recommend him, with record of important ser
vices in the Legislative halls Of his cOuntry-with
no achievement on the battlefield his name
linked with no great measure-no forward move
ment, no scientific discovery, Abraham Lincoln is
the President elect of the United States, and why
Simply because he is put forth at this time as the
representative of the Northern sentiment of hostil
ity to the South and to her institutions. Abraham
Lincoln BY himself is nObody-the Rublcon was a
very small stream. Yet the election OF Lincoln
being test, and that test deciding virtually that
hereafter one section is to rule and the other to
submit, the measure of Importance to be attached
to it cannot be well over-estimated.
Hereafter, it is declared, this Federal agency of
oursis to be an anti-savery gorernmentin policy and
in principle, and this policy and principle is to be
permanent.
I
"a mere transient victory mere casualty. 1t
is the elimination of movement which has been
gaining strength for years. 1t is the expression of
the settled purpose Of the vast majority of the
Northern people, as is shown by the immense and
almost fabulous maiorities given to Lincoln in
nearly every Northern State. -
1t is not because we have been defeated in an
election that We feel differently from what we
did at any former time. This is not the first time
-, IL b,eI cd
in any event could We have expected it to be the
last TO those who care for offices, or who live
upon patronage, the mere success of party might
be thing of OvershadOwng importance. 10 US,
the principle underlying the whole matter-the
fact made manifest by the failure or success of
that principle, are matters of far more important
consideration. We feel that the step-the great
step has been taken which must end either in the
disruption of the government, or the humiliation
of The rights of the Southern States and the cit-
thereof This We most honestly believe, and
SO believing it, we feel it to be our duty as journal
lists to say SO, even at the risk of bringing down
holy obligations on our sinful head Wilmington
Journal (democratic.)
= "The position that North Carolina should assume
In this threatening aspect of affairs should be, in
our humble opinion, conservative one. Let US
look neither the right to the left but stand by
for no evil The Constitutions our only safeguard:
let cling toit with patriots fervor long as it
remains intact, and we are sheltered beneath its
protecting egis. In the meantime it is our duty
to prepare for the exigencies which may arise in
the future.
We should make ourselves Independent of the
North, and live within own resources Let
the LEGISLATURES of our States in the South see
to 1t that a TAX amounting to a prohibition of
commerce aciM the Black Republican Suites lie at
once 'ecied upon al purchases made IN the North
or coming into the State from the North. Let
every facility be offered to build up our own
seaport towns and establish direct trade with
Europe. This will be a step in the right direc-
ton. X In the meantime let our militia
be fully organized and each State literally supplied
with arms and means of defence Winston SEN
tinel, (democratic)'
The election of Lincoln does not change the
Yf,,kYO, - 1. 4 -.