Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-03-28
For the Standard.

HE RALEIGH REGISTER EAPOUNDlNG AID
VALOREM.
Mr.. EDITOR: The Register in its leading editorial
the 14th inst, tries to conceal its alarm for Its
rrty, by indulging usual, in stale joking by
way, Mr.. Syme, between you and me this isl
v and be little more dignified and serious, when
gu attempt the discussion of great and important
uestion! The Register is terribly put out at the
ay in which the Democratic party did up their own
usness. Feeling the difficulty Of assailing our
rinciples enunciated in our PLATFORM it attempts
critcise the phraseology of the resolutions Ne
err mind the people of the State will understand
ZEN. These resolutions were not drawn up by
'rofessOr of elocution for class in rhetoric; but
ere intended for tie information of the great body
fplain, honest voters of NorthCarolna.
The Register seems to think, that in the word
premature" as used in the Democratic platform,
!. has made wonderful discovery of inconsistency
the Democratic party. That by characterizing
he dd rdlOrsRt taxation clause in the know-Nothing-
opposition platform as premature" the Democrat
Convention meant to say the time will come
when they will be ready to disturb the compromises
f the Constitution" &c, too In the name of COM
non sense who but the Register is ever likely to
raw such an absurd conclusion from plain and SIM
DE language? Now what was it that the Democrat
&c Convention pronounced as premature" Why,
the Opposition doctrine of n uniform at rdLOrem
taxation upon any and erery kind of property. For
the Wing platform said nothing about slave proper
ty-and the Democratic platform said nothing about
slave property. And yet in the article in the Re.
gister, it is "nigger" "ngger," Niger" over and
over again. played upon harp ola thousand strings
Now what did the Know-Nothing Wing resolution
mean? Was it intended to cover by taxation any
and erery kind of property testament as well as
bowie-knife poor mans coat, as well as rich
mans COACH as it reads on its face? Or is there
cat concealed in that seeming lump Of meal? Or is
it a Janus faced idol which they have set up to be
farnl nOE tn thp Fast
other to the West? | have all the time thought
it the latter; and the Register has let out the
secret rather sooner opine than will be Agreeable
to the oligarchS Of Whiggery in the State We thank
you, Mr. Register, for letting us so soon into the
plan of the Know Nothing Wing campaign. So Mr..
Pool is to advocate al rdiOrem in the East upon the
ground that every Western mans horses, cattle,
sheep, and hogS-cvery Western mans pillow and
hoe and axe-and every Western womans wheel
and cards, and ducks and chickens, and knives and
forks, all to he taxed, in order to tighten the
burdens of taxation the Eastern people! And
then, when Mr. Pool goes to the West, he is to raise
the cry of Niger Niger" which the Register has
already set to music for him-he is to appeal to the
Western people to go for ad rdLOrem on the ground
that will compel the arStocratic Shareholders of
the East to bear the burdens of TAXATION and thus
relieve the people of the West Of the taxes by which
they now oppressed. This is the game, is it?
Being forewarncd. | take it tor granted Gov. Ellis
No matter what they meant, whether they meant
to tax every thing that is property las they say in
their PLATFORM from silver plate and bank-Stock
down tC the farmers drawing knife and the house
wife's bed quilt-or whether it correctly aimed
at the "ngger," without their having the manlincss
to say So insist upon it, that the agitation of the
question waS premature even if it were not I'M
Just in itself II intended. las it says TO apply to
any and erery kind Of property, which any and
Crery body owns, it certainly is premature" be-
the present Indebtedness of the State nor her
present want of means, is such rs TO render such
oppressive and inquSitorial taxation necessary. If
the State were overwhelmingly IN debt, her faith
plighted, and her honor involved to such an extent
as to require taxation on any and every thing that
is property, in that event such sweeping taxation
on every thing and every body recommended in
the Wing Know Nothing platform, might not only
be not premature but necessary even; and in that
case, | believe the proverbal honesty and Justice
of the people of North Carolina, would cause them
to bear the burdens of such TAXATION rather than
allow her fair name to be furnished But no such
emergency is now upon u.s. We can provide for our
present Indebtedness and even still greater without
taxing every thing and every body-without send
ing round the taX-gaherer annually, to take an in
ventory of the contents Of every farmers crib and
smoke house, his pigs and hens, his pots and grid
irons And therefore it is that such taxation as
that proposed 10y the Wings, is not only unjust but
premature its prematurty IS one of the grounds
of It's injustice Yet, the Register affects to be so
stupid as not to be able to see how a measure may
be premature and unjust at the same time [
say the RegiSter AFFECTS to be so Stupd-for real
ly, if it is in earnest, | in charity easily
court for its sudden conversion from the most vio
lent opposition to dd raiorem taxation to the RAM
pant advocacy of the same.
On the other hand if the Wing Know-Nothing
platform intended as a cheat and 4 Snare-if in
advocating taxation any and every thing. and any
and every body, they meant only to get at the mig
ger; if their purpose was to make slave property
bear all the burdens of supporting the State; then
the very course pursued by the Register in the ed
torla referred to of the 14th ins affords the most
convincing evidence of its being premature" l
frankly confess | was surprised at the tone and
spirit of the Register in the editorial alluded to-
Latterly, the Register has affected the most uncom
promising devotion to the rights of the South, and
determination to maintain and defend at all hazards
the interests of the Save-owner in his slave proper
ty. The English language could hardly furnish
terms denunciatory enough for it to apply to H.
Winter Davis, because of his vote for Pennington
for Speaker. By the way, that vote of Davis for
Pennington was bad enough in all conscience but
yet Washington Hunts record, whom the piebald
Convention nominated for President, in company
with Gov. Graham has a record Jldcker even than
Pennington's. But all of a sudden, the Regis
ters excessive regard for the rights Of the slave
holder have vanished like a morning dream. 1t
can see nothing in dd rdI0rem but a covert blow
aimed at the negro. Let any one calmly read the
Registers article again; and ask himself the ques-
ton, whether if he had read it in newspaper with
out looking at the caption, he would not have sup
posed it strong anti-savery Journal The
burden of complaint is, that negro property is too
much protected, too much favored by the present
law, and that the Democratic party arc inclined to
continue this protection this favor to slave propertr,
and that Know Nothing Whiggery is disposed to do
it away. This is the very ground on which the Dem
ocratc party is assailed by black Republicans and
ground that ad UalOrem presents The issue between
Shareholders and the of other kind of proper
ty 1t seems to regard ad UaLOrem aimed at slave
property alone, and to advocate it as SUCH Is this
not Stewards irrepressble conflict" brought home
| to our varv doorcp What will ard yrbo bo