Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-10-27
From the Salem Press.

Mr. EDITOR Il had the pleasure Of hearing Mr..
Gilmers speech at Winston, on the 18th instant.
He spoke earnestly and with his usual ability, an
hour and half, to very large and attentive au-
dience, andI think made a favorable impression on
his hearers many conservatives, who at the COM.
mencement of his speech were preJldIced against
him. declared at its conclusion that they were salts
fled and that they would cordiIlly give him their
support
And to prove that he now occupied the position
which he had declared he would take, in his last
great speech made in the old Congress- on the 26th
of January, 1861, he read the following to wit:
"Now Mr.. Speaker, have presented these con-
sideratons hoping thereby to get US in proper frame
of mind and disposition to work for the peace of
this country, because desire to do my duty, and
nv whole duty, while am in the Union; and if 1
am forced to go out of it, may be also enabled to
do my duty then | tell gentlemen that if, in spite
of all the efforts of wise and good men, the State
from which l come decides to dissolve her connec-
ton with this Government, my deStinieS are, and
will be. with her. know that when that event &C.
ours peace cannot long continue. war, a terrible
war, will ensue. Whenever the people of the North
and South have once appealed to the God of battles,
for which look with most fearful apprehension,
civil war will follow that will end only in the deSruc
ton of all the great interests OF all sections of the
country. Whenever that event comes, know my
duty: ana whether have the nerve to be there my
self or not, l know that such will be my duty,
and that it will also be my duty to devote to the
service my means myself, and my children. When
ever that struggle comes you will find, North and
South, that the men who have sought most to pre-
serve the Union, who have been the last to give it
up, will be the first men to be found in the rank
and file on both sides of the bloody contest their
means most literally and freely be devoted to help
ing and maintaining the great, terrific, and bloody
struggle and they will enter it either side for
victory or death and if they fail in their efforts for
the first, they will be found with their back to the
field, and their feet to the foe"
That speech of Mr.. Gilmers was noble effort to
save the old Union, to preserve the peace and pros
perty of the country, and thereby prevent this ter
rible war in which we are engaged 1t is well
known that Mr.. Gilmer was one of the last among
our Southern statesmen to give up the old govern
ment, and his noble and manly efforts to preserve
it. have irrisistiby established his claim to conSer
yatism In the course of his remarks, Mr. Gilmer
took occasion to refer to the most inscriptions
manner in which he was denounced and Villifed by
the old secessionists for his eferts to the old
Union, and in this connection, he administered TO
them proper and we'll merited rebuke.
Mr.. Gilmer is in favor of free speech and the
right of the people assemble together to hold pub
lie meetings for he,common good, to instruct ther
representatives, and to apply to the authorities for
the redress of grievances he is in favor of the
freedom of the press for the reason, that it is one
oc the great bulwarks ofberty and therefore ought
nsuer to be restrained he is in favor of preserving
military subordinate to the civil authorities, and
above all is in favor of the great writ Of habeas
pUs New if Mr.. Gimer entertaus such conserva
tive notions and sentiments, as he most assuredly
does,-who can truthfully say he is not a conserva-
tive? Must the conservatives refuse to vote for him
because some of the destructiYes say they will sup
port hm-surely not They have no candidate of
their own in the field and for the very satisfactory
reason, that they we'll know, they could not elect
any one of their number; hence they make a virtue
of necessity and say they will vote for Mr. Gilmer
Will the conservatives repudiate him because he is
opposed to reconstruction, and speaks hopefully of
the prospects for the establishment of our ndepen-
dence? trust they will not, for the reason, that
the conservative party of this State is opposed to re-
construction, Will any one demand Of me the ev-
idence on which base this assertion ?? My answer
is that all the conservative candidates for Congress
Except perhaps) in all their public speeches and
discussions, declare they opposed to reconstruct:
ion 1t has been said that Mr.. Gilmer was a last
man and last dollar man. He most emphatically
denies that he ever entertaind any such ridiculous
notion, but the contrary, says he will seize upon
every opportunity to bring this most unhappy war
to close and to establish peace between the con-
tending sections. Mr.. Gilmer is by nature, educa-
ton and habit, a man of Cancellation and compro.
mise; such sentiments part of the man and in
eminently in all the public acts of his life. Then
my conservative friends, Mr.. Gilmer is our man,
and let all go to the polls and cheerfully give
him our votes and influence.
CONSERVATIVE.