Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-03-29

WARE VI party Ihat POSSESSES Only the power Vi uoS
harm.
In conjunction and in unison with the operations Of
the Joint Stock Company at Washington were the
transactions of the late Opposition Convention 10 this
State The Opposition Convention 1t called, and sure
ly it richly merits the name. l. presents collection
Oppositcs contrarcties aiagonsns and contradictions,
not to be fOuud elsewhere, in all the uncertain annals of
politics and politicians. They resolve i'll favor OF sys
TEN OF I'D Uat0yem taxation, and select gentleman to
advocate the before the people, who but few
months since in bis solemn and sworn capacity leg
lSiatOr recorded the convictions OF his judgment against
it. They propose a Convention to alter the organic
law, and nominate candidate to go before the people
and say that it is who but few short months
Since said, under oath, that it is 1cTOng They place
Mr.. Pool of $50, in direct opposition ard hostility to
Mr.. Pool of 1859. They resolve warmly in favor OF
works OF internal improvement and to prove their sin
cerlty to the Western peot e select gentleman to ad
vocate them before the people, who's first political
| cess triumph a Democrat because he had
supported and given existence and life to these very
measures,-a gentleman who has voted against every
Railroad, in some form, in of constr uctoE,
and who never voted for talked for, worked for any
Railroad that has been built in North Carolina, Or
in my opinion, that ever will be builr.
Conduct SO extraordinary this mag seem ineXpl-
cable The first glance but it has its explanation and
feel bound Ill justice to my Opposition friends, who
now absent to give it. You will recOect that they
passed similar resolution in 1854 in favor of Railroads.
and the distinguished General who led their forces in that
he would bore hole" through that mountain, should
it cost ten millions of dolLa1S." Now it 50 happened
10 the tuness OF time that that redoubtabe General
placed in situation to bore that long promised
hole" The augur placed in his hands, and he
requested to bore, according to contract bat bore he
would not--no, not one inch. From that day to this
those shrewd mOuntaneers have somewhat diStrused
platforms and politicians upon this subject And now,
in order to them to satisfy them fully and
tirey that they are in earnest and mean to carry out
without fail and without doubt, their promises to
struct Railroads, our opponents have selected gentle
to execute these works whose whole life has been at
with them, and whose whole political course has
been of unmtgated and undermining opposition to
them But, despair not, ye long suffering men beyond
the mountains. This paradox is explained upon the
principle that the Opposition party Oh North Carolina,
like dreams go by contrarlts"
10 the fourth resolution of the series adopted by this
Convention, they magnanmOusy admit that the adopt
ed citizen is entitled to protection like the nave ard
they take the poor ore ner into their especial and
keeping and, strangely enough select his guardian
and protector IA third DEGREE Know Nothing. Verify,
gentlemen this is as the lawyers would say, quasi az
nun, CommiHere LupO 0d deU0rdnd,tm."
Really, Mr.. President the Opposition seem to be more
opposed to the political of their candidate than
those of the Democrats 1t is certain that upon
OF the four planks in their platform referred to. the Dem
ocrats have always stood and it sequay certain that
upon neither OF them has their candidate
stood. No. lot for solitary moment OF his whole
life up to the time OF the meeting of their convention
Again in their most important resolution our op-
pOnents term Themselves with selfsasfed air of
perior excellence the Conservative party and in
self moment lay hands upon the very pillars of Our
Constitution and would shake that venerated fabric to
its basis. They charge the Democrats with having,
their language, dnnuied long established COM
promises bcwcen the ccnftcpg interests of different sec
tos, broken dorm the great landmarks of policy erected
by our fathers" &c. And in the face of tn broad
charge, without blush and without shame they them
selves propose to annul most solemn compromise
here at home, and to break down the landmarks OF
policy erected by fathers, to reconcile conflicting
interests of different sections, and to bring peace and
contentment to people They propose to abrogate
solemn covenant between the East and the West, made
entered into by the most usrious names that adorn
history the part and IN behalf OF the whole people
of Orh-C Carolina and ratified aud confirmed by that
people. TO this covenant Macon CASTOR, Toomer,
Fisher, Owen, Spaight Wilson and MeareS among the
dead, and Branch, Morehead, Swain Rayner Barrnger
Edwards, Outlaw, Biggs Gather, Graves and Others of
the living, were the high contracting parties.
The author and advocate of this proposition to vo-
late solemn covenant, (Mr Badger says =" would
have opposed before the compromise of the amended
| Constitution of 1885 had been violated by the Demo
cratic party, in passing the bill for tree suffrage in the
Senate of the State. We all bound by that com
promise but when violated on the part it became
invalid on the other &c. So the gentleman seems 70
have thought his position required explanation. Most
certainly it did, and nothing loath to say much
| better one than he has given Without admitting his
facts the conclusion to which he arrived is neither good
law sound morals. The violation of one stipulation
in covenant is not an abrogation OF all others. If
bind himself in bond perform certain labor,
and to pay, aso sum of money, his failure to perform
the labor no release OF his obligation to pay the money
If the free suffrage Act wrong, which do not ad-
nit, 1t Is no justification for the preparation of another
wrong. Sir, from the day that the Creator himself made
covenant with Moses and Israel the wilderness of
Sinai covenants have been most Sacredy revered by all
Christian people; and surely none can be of more
solemn character and more binding force than made
among the members OF great political community to
prevent internal discord ard to domestic peace
L view this compromise in Gu" Constitution from a
stand point higher than any party ground. The
owners Of slave property have the right to claim
that it be observed to ask that those in the Consttu
ton OF the United States in their favor be not broken.
The same reasoning sustans both. If the falls up
on what ground shall we uphold the other? By my
voice. at least, it shall not fall Come what WILL shall
stand by it and If, predicted by my opponents, 90
down in the contest WILL at all events have the con
ISOLATION of knowing that fall in the defence of the Con
Stiution OF my country-tha Temple Of Liberty under
whose protecting arches three generations of cOnteded
and happy have lived and prospered and enjoyed
civil liberty without parallel in the annals of free
peoples. honorable political grave | could not
| expect, and certainly do not desire.
But, sir, let me return to the contradictions of our
opponents the catalogue is not yet exhausted They
highly commend and justly too, their members in Con
gress for voting for Democrat to beat Black Repub-
can yet they refuse to do the thing themselves
out of Congress. They say to their members, you did
right to vote for Democrat to defeat an AbOtOnlst
it noble, selfsacrfcng act, offering of patriot
ism the altar of country, induced by love of the
Constitution and the Union, but for the life of
can't do the thing ourselves We can't march up
that point of patriotic sacrifice for the country, al
| though we do " march to the music OF the Union"
The proposition is plain One and admits OF no alter
| inn Mt tn H.
can Speaker it is still important to defeat black
Republican President If the Opposition members of
Congress did right then the Opposition members of this
Convention did wrong-a conclusion from which there
loI An Int