Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-07-04
The sfapeato.
nuE HoRsE.LBECH STORY.
GARD FROM GOV. ELLIS.

In the last issue Of the Raleigh Register Is 60 oe
found card from Mr., Z. Ii. Foster, onc % Ne NC
porters Of the discussion between Mr. ro's eSo Wy
self ut Gatssville, from which wske etSc feso~,aS
EXTRACT n
.-oy , nor.r that do not eXoA &tse With, pronoun-
cling my stscu,ent that Gov +lifsSsd a. Hatcsviile,
that the East paid her faR Isasaco OF taxation to
the State Treasury, pressed uo~e anu running over;
snd that the West like IKE horseecch, still crie
,norcI more, an inaccuyate account. | have heard
Furthermore, that Gov Ellis has himself publicly
denied on several occasions, that he ever made any
such remark.
"Reeardins. as do, the vlndication of mans
personal honor aid trutbtulnesS as consideration
HIGHER than any demands Of partizan 'expediency,
and ,kRo~Say most positively, that Gov. Ellis did
make the 'fcmark imputed to him in my report,
Sseeh Il my duty to re-atrm my statement in that
eSsssrd," &c, = ~ regret that | am
now compelled to take issue with the Governor upon
matter of veracity.
Now If that gentleman had been correctly inform
ed as to nv explanation of the matter referred t."
which was made at Smthfield, near two months
since cannot conceive that he couii have written
the card which appears IN the feg'steT: III 'ilal
explanation, no question was maze OF MS """
tulness" and no reflection cast upon hs personal
honor" Tor did | deny using certain figures oil
sneech found in the reports. What did say was,
that the reporters had enormously represented me
as nDDlv,ng these figures of speech to the West,
when an entirely different application OF them was
designed and made by me. That instead of apply
ing them to the people of the West majority OF
whom believed then and believe now to Ue op-
posed to this new scheme of TAXATION they were
applied to the politicians of the Opposition party,
who had proposed and were advocating system of
taxation, the necessary results Of which would be
to increase the inequalities of taxation now exist
ing between the two sections Of the State, and to
revive sectional jealousies and controversies.
Than fln /
"truthfuness" of any one | have no doubt but
that the reporters presented my meaning to the
public upon this point as they understood 1t. At
the same time, it is not claiming too much for my
SELF that having prepared my argument upon an
important question with some care, should nave
some knowledge and recollection of what l did
mean on the occasion referred to, and OF what
said.
It would be strange indeed, had | applied offrn-
siye epthets to a large portion of the voters of the
State, the support of majority of whom expect
ed to obtain-and that ton, in the presence OF two
reporters of the Opposition party.
A reference to my notes used at that time, ena-
hes me to give the precise words employed, with
their proper connection.
1 laid down the proposition that the plan of taxa
ton proposed by the Opposition, would have the
effect to increase the burthen Of taxes upon the
Eastern part of the State as compared with the
West; and as a necessary consequence, tie West
would lose portion of her representatives in the
Senate as taxation there was the basis OF represen
taton; a result not to be desired by either section,
and one that would work detrment to the general
welfare of the State, by exciting sectional contro
versies and retardins all useful improvements.
In the argument used to prove this proposition,
that part of Constitution proposed to be changed
was referred to as compromise between the two
sections. when the following language was used:
"Such fellow-ctizcns, was the orgin of this COM
promise Let US look for moment at its practical
working Like the covenant made between Abra-
ham and Abmelech, it broug hit instantaneous peace
to distracted people, and from that day forth
went forward as one united people in the march of
prosperity and greatness. Now, gentlemen, you
will mark carefully one feature of this compromise
1t was not intended merely for day. The taxes
of North Carolina were then only some $50, 900,
and it would have been a matter of great conse-
quence had slave property paid the whole of them.
1t made for the future-for this our time, when
railroads to be constructed through the noun
tains and when public debt must be contracted for
that purpose and public taxes increased to pay the
interest on that debt-a period and condition Of
affairs then clearly forescen. Nor was it on the
other hand intended to prevent the construction of
such works. The people of the East of that day
knew them to be useful, and knew that they ought
and would be built and that increased taxes that
account would and must follow, OF which they were
willing cheerfully, to pay their just part. They
only desired to be protected against the payment
of more than their just proportion And now, gen.
tlemen, does not the East pay her just proportion
of the public burtheDs? Let how the &C.
count stands. The LIST Congressional district pays
into the public Treasury, annually. 500, 64S-whle
the 9Th district where these expenditures main-
ly to be made, pays s43.240.
The small county of Gates, for instance, where
there is expenditure of consequence for public
works pays at this time s., 49l, while the county
of Burke, larger and more populous, where some
$50 1000 are to be expended on public works, pays
$4,472. Now submit to you, aye to all candid
men East and West whether this is not the full
measure of your proportion of the public taxes?
Yet, there is memorable demand for more
Though you pay your just measure,-full, heaped
up and running over, yet the cry is like the horse
leech, give! give!-like the grave, morel moreI"
The argument then goes on to show that this cry
for more is to be found in this proposition to change
the Constitution and the adoption of the al ralorem
system which would necessarily result in increas-
ing the dspropOrtion of taxes paid by the two sec
tions and thereby disturb the balance of rcpresen
taton in the Senate. That the East have more pro-
perty than the West-a consequence of her supe-
rior market facilities and being an older settled
country-and must necessarily, under the ad ca
loren system, pay more taxes. In which argument
the following language was used:
But why this proposed changer Do the people
ask it? No! Why SIR out of 80 Senator'S only
some 10 voted for the proposition at the last Legis-
tature Who asks it them and for what purposeP
Mr.. Badger asks il, Mr.. Pool asks it, the Opposi-
ton Convention ask it, they say that system of
equal taxation may be adopted but as I say, and
expect to prove, that an Opposition Senator, and
Governor, and Opposition Judges may be made"
The foregoing extracts are the precise words used
by me in the discussion referred to. They were
written down among my notes Just they are given
here, and was particular to follow my notes very
closely, rs that was the first discussion in the can
vass. They were written out at length because of
the figures appearing in them, about which wished
to be accurate, and because of the figure of speech
quoted, which was not clearly remembered by me,
and which desired to present correctly
In these extracts, although an inequality Of taxes
PAID by the two sections is shown and it is repre-.
scented there was a cry for more, yet, no where is
the WeaE renreSnntcd tnnlci Il.