The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-06-26
"HE HAS CHANGED HIS POSITION"

CHE HAS CHANGED HIS POSITION
The last Greensboro Patriot has a strange para
graph under the above caption, which We think is
very strange when we recollect that the editor, Mr.
Long, is a man of parts, and was at first the ac-
knowledged defender of the faith and expounder
of the opposition platform. We give the points Of
the article, with few comments, and then leave
it for the people to decide upon. The Patriot
says:
CHOW that Mr. Pool has come Vest, we expect
as usual that the Democracy will raise the cry that
he has changed his position But we would i'm
press one thing upon our Eastern trlends-and
that is when Mr. Pool was in the East he did not
abuse the West and trucke to Eastern prejudices
Nto gain Eastern votes"
And further on, the Patriot says to the East:
"But when these false reports reach you, let his
firm, consistent, manly and Independent course,
while he was with you, rise up and stamp 1t with
the lie"
This strange article seems to have been intended
for the double purpose of admonishing MIR Pool
! that notwithstanding his anomalous and ticklish
position he must nevertheless face the music and
keep in the straight track, and at the time to
forestall the thing-a sort of I-told-you-so argu
ment-so that if the Pool were to change its course
and try to run up stream, the East wouldn't be-
lieve it. The Patriot seems to have had some pre-
monition that the ad yalorem plank too slip
perry for Mr. Pool to walk over the mountains WITH
and that he would slip off; hence this don't-you
believe-it-ifhe does article. But sure enough
he has slipped off, and fell slap on the Greensboro
Patriot besides.
In the beginning of the canvass, the editor of
the Patriot went to Raleigh, met Mr. Pool, con-
ad valorem and then went home and published an
article, from which we extract follows:
ave have stated what we understand to to be
the position of the West on ad valorem-that is
that ecery species 0f property is to be taxed accor
ding to value, not only land and negroes, but coacs
horses, Sheep, hOgS," DC. "This as precisely tile
position Of Mr. I3ol, the position which he has
taken in the East, and the position he will main
tain in the West"
Yes, that was his position in the East; and it is
the true meaning of opposition ad valorem. But
that is little too strong Mr. Pool thinks, for the
West; and now Mr. Patriot we'll hear what he says
about you. In the discussion at Oxford, in Gran
Vile county, the other day, Mr. Pool said:
at had been charged upon him through the
highways and hedges that he in favor of tax
ing horses, &C.; IT WAS AN INFAMOUS SANDER
Is this maintaining the same position in the
West that he did in the East, Mr. Patriot, and
have you slandered Mr. Pool ? Besides, how pat
Mr. Pool has the word ''infamcus." This Islander
was infamous; and just few days ago he said Mr.
Jordan intamouS liar dc. Amt he dread
full! The black republican candidate got the name
of spot Lincoln in pretty much the same way and
now suppose we'll have to dub our opposition
candidate infdmoUs POOL
->--~-
BIS" Nothing is more common now than to hear
opposition papers excaim that Gov. Ellis is not
match for his antagonist &c. Now, if they mean
by this that Mr. Pool is good at empty defamation
and in making fowery orations, we have no doubt
they are right, for that is the only stock in trade
he has to 90 upon in this campaign. But if they
mean that Gov. Ellis does not trumphantly sus
tain his position, and has not proven himself an
over-natch for MIR Pool in argument in every dis
cussion, then their assertions reckless and in
tended only for JuncomJe.
The questions to be debated before the people
too important and Of too momentous a charac
ter for Gov Ellis to waste time in fancy speeches,
and soaring out of sight of the questions at issue
lie pins his competitor down to the argument; but
his competitor squirms until he gets from under
the Governors thumb, then straddles the wings
of his imagination and reves among the flowers
to gather honey and fragrance to place the lips
and under the nose of his hearers in order to lead
them out Of sight of his own inconsistent position
and the poverty of his own arguments. If fine
oratorical powers, without just cause and sound
argument to back them, could elect a man, then
Mr. McRae would have been elected two Yeas
ago, for he is infinitely Mr. Pools superior. Gov.
Ellis however, possesses both these qualifications,
and hence we infer his election
ba5- As evidence that the Opposition
becoming hard run for something against Governor
Ellis, notice the silly and absurd charge that
the Governor said 'he did not want the votes of
laboring men," Now, we venture the assertion
that dcath-bed confession (aboat the only thing
that could wiring the truth from some of the
oppostion) would reveal the fact that not human