Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-03-15
The Democratic State Convention.


State Convention as furnished to the Raleigh papers by
the Secretaries of the Convention It will be that
there were sxythree counties represented by 3l2 dele
gates.
We risk nothing in saying that a more intelligent
body of men never assembled in political Convention in
this State and for proof of assertion invite
animation of the list of delegates. To this will add
that more earnest body of men-men determined
to examine all things carefully and decide according to
their best judgment and highest convictions of duty we
have never SEEN Upon questions there may have
been derencesupon none were there divisions at the
Convention, nor will there be any during the canvass
If our opponents calculate upon such, they will reckon
without their host. We know what we say, when we
state that among their most prominent leaders the first
mutterngs of disafection which presage the coming
Storm are not unheard Their existence cannot long be
ignored, nor their voice stifed.
The decision of the Convention upon ad UalOrem,
the issue made by opponents has been rather mprop
ery called is such we looked for and desired 1t Is
in accordance with the genius of the Democratic party
It is regardul Of pghted faith and conservative of the
sectional compromises Of the Constitution. We remark
ed last week. that neither in State National affairs
can the Democratic party consent to array itself upon
sectional ISSUE for the abrogaton of constitutional
compromises of sectional difficulties" The result has
shown that our confidence was not misplaced.
Let us say another thing. We had last week another
instance of the nonsectiona character of the Democra
Cyl in the stand taken by prominent gentlemen from the
West, as Hon. w. W. Avery, Gov. Reid, and others,
in defence of the Constitution and its guarantees.
Our opponents will make attempt to create the i'm
preston that they the peculiar friends of the poor
men, and that their movement is made for the benefit Of
poor men, while in fact nothing is farther from the truth
In the first instance the movement made for the bene
fit of the leaders who want to get back into power and
in the second instance their movement, if successful
would have the very opposite effect to that which they
attribute to it. tfNr,L/
- Our opponents mislead good many people, even
among Democrats by arguing that since the Democra
tic party goes for ad Vaorem as the basis of duties
levied imports by the general government, it is
bound to 60 for the doctrine which opponents have
recently discovered and to which they apply the
name in this State. Let US see -
I'D Ualorem in the sense in which it is attempted to
be applied to our State Constitution and system of
State revenue, never was advocated by any party in
national politics, and reduced to practice under
any system of government earth. The advocates of
ad UatOrem in this State, go for uniform rate of per
centage upon all property alike, and only upon property
To carry out their idea, they would tax the stock
and the implements used by the sturdy yOeman to raise
food for the subsistence of his wife and family Just as
much per cent as they would the superfutes of the
wealthy the uxuries of the selEndugent. No Demo-
cratic Tariff has done that The tariff of 1916
framed by Gen. j. J. Mckay did not do The Tariff
of 1847 does not do So Coffee and Tea are admitted
free All classes Of spirituous liquors taxed thirty
per cent upon their value-ad UaLore the phrase is
In fact these schedules and classes of goods taxed at
nearly all rates from to 80 per cent. There is not any
such thing this horizontal uniformity OF rate that
wOud-be reformers seek to introduce into State,
at the cost of disturbing those constitutional
promises under which the different sections Of the State
were progressing tremendously.
But we have not now time to go fully into the mer-
its of this question. We will hereafter discuss it in all
its bearings and, while doing So will have the satsac
ton of knowing that party, in its PLATFORM has met
all the issues before it, plainly and unequivocay with
out hiding its meaning under of verbage, or in
dulging in a bill of Indictment against opponents
who ought to be laborng in the same cause neither
have been afraid to denounce sectional enemies in
so many Words stutfed ourselves as our opponents
have done, by selecting as candidate gentleman
whose record opposed to all the most important panks
of the platform upon which they have placed him. y
They have shown their sincerity by putting forth as
the advocate of what they call ad vaZorem John Pool
of Pasquotank gentleman whose votes in the last
Legislature are recorded against it. They themselves
in favor of protecting aggression the rights of native
and adopted citizens, and appoint the guardian of
these latter good Known othing. They charge the
Democrats with having annuled long established COM
promises between the conflicting interests of different
sections and yet base their hopes of success upon
doing the very thing they denounce They go to the
West as its particular friends yet placing their standard
in the hands of gentleman whose uniform record is
against any work for the development of that section
They are opposed to ocehuntng and spoils while at
the same time they offer for the Presidency gentleman
who has held more offices than any man in North Car
ona D
In what proud contrast to this inconsistency does the
Democratic party stand and what different position
does its tried able and faithful sandardbearer occupy
Let every Democrat, every conservative man do his
duty and glorious triumph awaits us.
baS@ Having been constantly occupied in the bust
ness Of the Convention during its whole session. we
were unable to correspond with the Journal" which
we trust will be accepted by readers as full ex
PLANTATION of our failure to do So Of our pleasant asso
citation with Democratic brethren from all parts OF
the State we need say no more than that it will long
dwell in our memory.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The following gentlemen constitute the Democratic
Executive Committee for this State
E. G. Haywood of Wake,
Hon. ID. NJ. BarriIger