Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-05-09
THE NORTH CAROLINA STANDARD:

wonder if one of US was to 60 to South Carolina,
carrying with US negro, and should say in the
hearing Of large crowd, pointing to our negro,
"that person is slave, would the Palmetto men
tar and FEATHER us? Mr.. Pool strongly intimates as
much. Negroes are persons, Mr. Pool to the con-
trary; slaves are persons bound to service, in the
Language of the Constitution of the United States.
This argument necessarily leads Mr.. Pool to desire
an amendment of the Constitution of the United
States.-a labor in which he will be cheerfully as
sisted by the black Republicans, and they will will
lngly receive his alliance in such work, notwith-
standing his expressions of dislike to them.
Mr.. Pool could not say whether the tax upon
slaves would be increased diminished by the adop-
ton of a strict ad palorem taxation. Gov Ellis
said his belief was that the tax would not be mate
rally altered, if all property was fairly taxed ac
cordng to this principle Mr.. Pool would not ex-
press his opinion. He was either uncertain as to
the effect, or he was unwilling to be bound by an
expression of opinion if he should during the can
vass wish to make an argument upon either suppo-
sition. Now let me ask question here. II the tax
upon negroes is not to be increased by this scheme
why seek to apply it, since it is very evident that
this scheme must depend, and does depend, for pop
ularity upon the idea that by its operation the fac
ity of taxing negroes Is increased, and that they
form source of revenue which is looked to to re-
leve all other property from its burdens? Ii no
more revenue is to be raised than at present, and il
the tax upon this species of property is not increas
ed, what in the name of simplicity is the use of stir
ring up the State to its lowest depths to accomplish
an object which, in practice and result leaves us
where VIC We're, grooming under the same burdens
we have borne all along? Can Mr.. Pool have any
respect for his own intelligence and the intelligence
of the people, when he seeks to commit them to this
scheme, holding it up as full of every grace, and
fraught with every benefit and then, after all his
oratJry, and argument, and labor, tell them either
that they are no better off than at first or that he
can't tell whether they are or not After the COM
motion produced in the sea by the storm, things
which were at the bottom are apt to be cast upon
the shore; in this matter it may be that the OPP
position party think that, by exciting the people to
the highest pitch, some of them may be lifted out of
their lowly beds, and washed to higher elevation.
One other point Mr.. Pool made in his speech
which was that he disavowed being in favor of an
open Convention. He wanted convention for the
purpose only of introducing ad valorem taxation
lie stated that in convention called upon the fede-
raj basis the eastern part of the State would have
large majority and be able to control its action.
If this be so, think there is great danger to the
west in convention, for he answered that the cas-
tern people very restless under the taxation they
now pay, and if they get into a convention with
power to govern its action not one cent more will
the west ever get for any Improvement at least until
the present State debt is all paid off, hope the
Standard will warn the west of the dangerous trap
Mr.. Pool is setting to ensnare it.
believe have given the points of Mr.. Pools
speech. His arguments are any thing but satisfi c.
tory to me, and cannot think that ad valorem tax
alton gain anything by his mode of handling it.
If the subject is to be commended by such argyll
ments its dcfences are very weak against correct
reasoning; any subject which cannot be defended by
sound argument cannot stand the test of that
tiny which the intelligence of the people will subject
it to. The masses in country do understand
any argument advanced to them, and no amount of
mysticism or defamation can mislead them from the
broad way to truth
Gov. Ellis, in his reply, very happily met Mr..
Pools complaints, in regard to his Convention
speech. He showed from the records of the Legis-
lature, that Mr.. Pool voted against the principle of
ad ralorem taxation, in various FORMS and that his
explanation of his vote was but quibbling. Every
body understood the bills introduced into the last
Legislature, to contain the principle of aid palorem
taxation, and every body knew Mr. Pool voted
against these bills, and amount of explanation on
his part alter the belief, that at that time he
was opposed to his present platform this subject
Every one knows Mr. Pool to be decided opponent to
the construction of Railroads requiring aid from the
State, and his attempt to show himself friend to
these works by the fact of his voting for empty
charters too transparent attempt to trade up
no capital to deceive the intelligence of the peo-
pie.
The Governor then replied to Mr.. Pools sneers
upon the cross road politicians and the bush wback-
ers of the Democracy. Why, said the Governor, Mr..
Pool has himself been in the bushes already, al
though the canvass is only three days old, for he
told Mr. Pool that he had been telling several gen.
temen that under the operation of ad calorem taxa
ton, the man who now pays one hundred dollars Of
tax upon his land and negroes would only pay some
twenty-five Or thirty dollars-this for the bush.
es,-on the stump, Mr.. Pool, was unable to say
whether his plan would raise or lower taxes.
The Governor thought this was more bush-whack.
ing on Mr.. Pools part than any Democrat could
possibly accomplish Gov. Ellis then spoke of the
compromises of our Constitution, and the injustice
that would result from their overthrow. He show
ed, to the satisfaction of every ore here, that unit
Mr.. POOLS party would settle what they meant by
their platform, that nothing but danger was really
their object. Unless they said how much property
they would exempt from taxation, no one could tel
anything about their plan; that if Mr.. Pool would
not here in the east speak out when he arrived ir
the west he could then go for exempting the mair
part of western property, and then impose mon
strous injustice on the east. He said the western
people did not want any such injustice perpetratet
in their names: That they were satisfied with thu
taxes now paid by the east and would not seek fo
more, unless the east signifed by its vote that i
was ready for such result That if the east want
ed convention it could readily get it with all it
consequences, land that it would have no right t,
complain of those consequences. have so full,
indicated Gov. Ellis arguments in my statements o
Mr.. Pools, that it is unnecessary to again stat
them. Suffice it that he made one of the strongest
most logical and clearest speeches ever heard, an,
ran Mr.. Pool into every kind Of contradiction an,
evasion. We are proud of our candidate, and ex
pect for him as large majority as he achieved tw
years ago. A HEARER.
Mr.. EDITOR AS the. Cumberland and Harnet
| Democratic Convention will soon assemble in Fay
etteville for the purpose of nominating candidate
for the next Legislature, the many warm friends q
Maj. Jno. L. Gilmore would be gratiied to see hi
name again placed upon the Senatora! ticket Il