Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-01-23

WILMINGTON, N. c., THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1852
The RALEIGH Standard of Saturday publishes let
ter from John A. Maultsby, Esq, addressed to the
Editor of that paper also another from the same gen.
tIenau to the Editors of the Fayetteville Observer, in
reference to the noise made about an oath of allegiance
taken by parties in Columbus county, the Offering OF
such oath having been denounced in vehement terms as
an Outrage" The Standard also refers to letter
from COL Alfred Smith, published in this paper, and,
towards the conclusion of its article, the Standard asks
What will the Wilmington Journal say now
The Wilmington Journal will say as little as it
can, and nothing that it avoid. 1t will say, and
does say, that some time since it saw communication
in the Standard which was understood to charge
certain course Of procedure upon the collector OF the
Confederate tax for Columbus county, which course OF
procedure the Standard denounced IN strong terms,
characterizirg i as outrage" AT that time
we said nothing, since knew nothing Of the facts,
but that subsequently, finding version Of the commu-
nicaton in the Standard, compiled by the Fayetteville
Observer going the rounds of certain class OF papers
in this State and Col Smith, the collector referred to,
happening to be in our Office on some business we call
ed bis attention to the matter and he stated to US pre-
csey what we stated to the public, namely, that far
as be was concerned the story made up out OF the
whole cloth the version copied from the Faytte
ollie Observer distinctly charged the act to which OBJ
lection is made, upon the collector for Columbus county
1t charged it upon the collector Individuality The
Raleigh Standard says that the true intent and mean
ing Of the language Of its correspondent "O was not
that the collector applied the test oath but that he made
somebody else do it, However, critical analysis OF
81 SCI
ton it is evident that it was calculated if not designed
to convey the impression that it the collector, who
per &c. acted SO naughtiy. Certainly such was the un
Outstanding of the Fayetteville Observer, and such the
version "sensationized" throughout the State.
It is now apparent by the freely made statements
both of Mr. Smith and Mr.. Maultsby, that, by general
consent an oath Of allegiance rendered to such as
were willing to take it, We do not believe that any
person was required to take it, have their tax lists
refused There might have been moral pressure, but
there could have been no legal requirement. AS Mr.
Mautsby asks-Was &C" forced to take the oath? MIR
Maultsby says distinctly that Mr.. Smith did such
thing as is charged upon him in the "sensatiOnized'
version, quoted by u.s.
Finally, as no one objected at the time-as it met
general and apparently universal consent and approba
say that upon the WHOLE monies Paytu3it ct nasc1tu1
ridicutuS muS-the mountains have been in labor and
have brought forth ridiculous mouse, Only think
that the would-be mountains have made themselves
about as ridiculous as the mus they have tried to kick
up with which, having other things to think Of WE
do not care to mix up much farther &C" we rather
suppose, will in practice ADOPT the motto Of Junus
and stand "the shadow Of name, and the assessors
having got through with their work, cannot well be re-
moved now, neither the people of Columbus, who
have committed the voluntary offence Of taking the
oath to the COnederacy, be onSCorn by any process
known to the law, that, upon the WHOLE this fuss
"m@" comes not only one but two days after the fair
We believe that when people to be tried, it is
considered more than fair TO confront them witt
their accusers AS Messrs. Smith and Mau!tsby are
threatened with Indictment we think there is some rea
why they should know who it is by whom they arr
accused, and therefore the demand of Mr. Mausby or
the Standard does not really seem very unreasonable
The accused stand outover their own proper signatures
1t certainly does not appear strange that they should
expect the course to be pursued by their accusr
That however is a matter that does not particularly
concern us.
Since the above paragraphs were written, we hav
received the Iay6LlGVlAG OGSeiCef OF BtOnuay Wllc
devotes something over hall a column to Mr.. Mautsby
enlivened by dverting ausiOn to jesse Holmes Esq
whose name stands the head and forms the main por
ton of the caption of the article in question. We mus
confess to want Of intimacy with this gentleman, SAT-
to be the loolkiller-nOt perhaps that we do not dc
serve a few blows from him, but that we lay low an
keep dark, and have Raleigh Fayetteville, and othe
places between and danger, for jesse is said
have his seat of government somewhere about the ez
IRENE head waters Of the Cape Fear he must pas
through some OF these towns on his way to Wilmington
and know that he does his club and his strengt
will be both used up the hard heads of some of GU
contemporaries,
The Observer also makes stray wipe at the Journa
and says that the journal did it wrong in not copyn
Of its article of former date The Observer askeC
in a snoeriDg manner which did not entite it to an
peculiar courtesy, that should state that it receive
a certain letter from Maultsby We not only gave i
request rather lis polite assertion that it was alt
gether useless to make it, but we gave the letter ise
in fall. And yet the Observer is not satisfied W
give it up. We leave it to its favoure theme-Jess(
Holmes.
MALCOLM j. MCDUFFIE, ESQ, has been elected del
gate to the State Convention from Cumberland ar
Harnett, to Fill the vacancy occasioned by the resign