Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-08-30
Mr.. Dicks NIanifasto.

The Opposition papers of the State are, of course re-
publishing with much gusto from the Standard three
column manifesto Of Robert P. Dick ESQ.,, said mani
esto being Osensiby addressed to the Democracy of
the fifth Congressional District Of North Carolina and
bearing date August 18th, 1860 The manifesto is
now before in the columns of the Raleigh Register
Of accompanied by the endorsement Of that good
Democratic paper. Mr.. Dick will find his endorsers
mainly among the organs Of the Opposition the great
disgruntled and disappointed among nominal Democrats
Let not be misunderstood. We do not assert that
at one time Mr. Douglas had not many and strong
friends-sOme of them among the best Democrats in
North Carolina but we do assert that noav the effort
to get up opposition to the regular Electoral ticket
to divide the State by new issue and fresh agitation
after its Democracy has wheeled into line for Breckin
ridge and Lane, is device of the enemy-one at least
aided and abetted by the enemy, and calculated, ii
not intended, to play into the hands of that enemy
We well understand why the bittere8t Opposition
lists should applaud Mr.. Dick and rat him on the back
good boy why the Register should think his
letter bold manly and welwrtten." Is there billing
and cooling in this State between the mild followers of
Bell and Everett and the rugged squatters Of Douglas
and the fierce disuniOnists Of Hershe '. johnson,
whose antecedents those Of the most redmouthed
disunonist in Georgia. Or in the country? Why, COM
pared with Hershel v. the awful hot-coal devour-
ing Yancey is innocent babe gutess of saamander-
ism. Breckenridge and Lane true noble national men,
are called dsunionsts and Hershe V johnson is the
pet of the especial submissionists
Let this last device OF tie Opposition be, indeed, "a
weak device" Let the Democracy I" lay the unquiet
spirits that seek to disturb its harmony by png over
them such maorities will make their future attempts
at ghosy manifestations ridiculous if not impossible
Then, if Henry s. Foote and the other feet of the party
take to wandering to little pow in far away States
to contabulate with other defeated aspants people will
know to how much less than nothing they amount-
They will see that such do harm to any cause they
pouse and risk the defeat of any party which acknow-
lodges, in any way their connection with it But to
Mr.. Dicks manifesto
Mr.. Dick opens by the remark that when he went to
Charleston he did not apprehend any serious difficulty
in the establishment of platform, He thought the
Cincinnati platform pure and simple" with pledge
to abide by the decision of the Supreme Court in the
bred Scott case entirely sufficient and ought to be
satisfactory to the whole country He thinks, also,
that such platform could easily have been made but
for the unconpromsng demands Of some of the ultra
men of the " Cotton States.'
h
ness OF this assertion 1t may be necessary to refer to
lew facts anteceden and first to the second resolution
of the platform adopted by the North Carolina State
Convention which met at Raleigh on the 9Th day of
last March. That resolution is as follows -
90 RESOLVED, That neither Congress nor Territorial
Legislature whether by direct legislation legislation of
an indirect and unendy character possesses the mower
ahh or impair the constitutional rights of any citizen of the
states to take his slave property into the common
territories and there hold and enjoy the same while the
territorial condition remains"
Mr. Dick was member of the North Carolina State
Convention and, consequently, although not delegate
from the State at large, nor holding his commission as
delegate from that Convention, was yet bound by
us action. Now let him and all other democrats
contrast this with the position assumed by Mr..
Douglas on the stump in Illinois, that no matter
what the decision of the Supreme Court on the abstract
question might be, the people or Legislature of terri
tory could by unrendy legislation exclude slave proper
" While the territorial condition remains Let # not
be forgotten that this position of Mr. Douglas was opep
~ taken and avowed since the decision of the
Court IN the bred Scott case-in omen deforoo f +b+
decision and in direct cOnravention Of tho ,rio1o,
therein enunciated. We do not wish to do M MI
any Injustice, and will therefore state though WE lror
that in so stating we are acting somewhat irreunlar
out we will state that in caucus Mr. Dick was opposed
10 tne resolution in question as nexpedient Its advo
Gates asked If it was not correct in principle and we do
not recoect single negative answer. It passed bv an
overwhelming majority.
But further, the advocates of Mr. Douglas from the
North denied that the bred Scott decision toncbod Tho
point at ISSUE That point they commended did not
directly before the Court for adjudication Thew furtb.
contended that all that portion of the decision which
did touch the point at issue was mere ober ,,n, of
no binding authority To that decision, as to the Gin.