Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-07-27

Of Rutherford, Folk and Cieaveland.
FELLOW CITIZENS AND SoLDIERs IN THE SEsvlcR.-
At the earnest solicitations of numerous friends,
am candidate for re election to represent you in
the Senate of the next General Assembly of said
State 1t was my intention to canvass the dstrics
and 6y speeches, mako the people acquainted with
my views on the most important questions before
them, but l shall now be denied that pleasure,
having been ordered with q portion of my COM
mand to Asheville. Therefore it has become ne
cessary that | should appear before you in Gard,
g"'hg you my views in q condensed form: am
not only well known PERSONALLY to most ii.
the district, but am also politically known a
Conservative after the straitest sect By which
you will understand me to be champion of the
rights, liberties ane freedom Of the people, and to
opp iession tyranny, or despotis,n in any form, O
"feli opposer' l am in favor Of using all legal
and honorable means to maintain the former and
prevent the latter,-I am opposed tn everything
fereshadowng a Dieta.orship In the language Of
Hon A. X. Stephens, ~ would not turn upon my
heel to choose between masters. was not born to
have master from either the North or the South"
we are now waglng war against pow erfu and
relentless TOE, and in which it Is necessary that all
our means and energies should be steadily and prop
efiy USED out am sorry to heieve that military
necessity has been made excuse to oppress our
own people, by the passage of unconstitutional
laws, among which are the Conscript law, the
1.-THE law, the Impressment laws and Others inclu.
ding the act to suspend the privilege Of the writ
OF ha6eas eorpus which last in its general features,
has been pronounced unconstitutional by the ablest
lawyers in the Confederacy. I voted in the Gen.
eral Assembly condemning this act, and asked it's
repeal BY this law the rights of freemen ars not
only wrested from them and trampled under foot,
but it was passed for the cypress puspose Of pre-
osntang the freemsn Of North Carolina from er.
ercising their privilege at the 6allot6or nussEing
the pres, stopping public discussion, in short to
hNcnk 6noan flo AZ
and cripple it elsewhere. Remember this North
Carolinians
The policy of the administration in the repnda-
ton OF lis own currency, is another measure which
shows the wan: of foresight; and capacity to admin
ter the 81 tvernment in that satesmsnhke manner,
which the the exigeDcy of the tines requires. 1t
seems to me an ordinary foresight could have pre-
vented these evils, and kept invioable the rights,
Liberties and freedom of the people, and the sover-
e'gnty OF the States; but they are upon us, and
what is the remedy to remove the evils and save
ourselvesr The answer is easy and sinpe-re-
move the men from Office who have assisted in the
passage OF these laws, as fast the power Of the
people can get at them, and prevent those rom get
ting into power VINO have advocated these measures.
Thus being done it is to he hoped our country will
be free from oppression. have ever been opposed
to the principles in each Of these measures. The
policy OF the Confederate government in these
measures, has had powerful influence upon our
State government, and forced upon it heavy and
unnecessary baItbens. Again, the tendency Of
some of these measures has made tha civil subser.
Went to the military law, thereby weakening the
sovereignty of the States, and tending to consoli-
dated government to which am bitterly oppesed.
Ny competitor, DR.. W. J. T. Miller, of Clesve.
land, may alm"s; o: quite say, is life long poll
tiean, and has represented the people Of this dis
trict in both branches Of the General Assembly :;
hence his political acts public property, and It
iS obi lint h. o,h,,
what his political career has been
The first l knew Of my competitor he was an
! CID line Ehil, the next heard cf him he was
I'aehannn democrat, the next he was a Bell and
Everett Union man, and | understand be used the
expression that he "gored IN having an opportu-
nifty to vote for Bell and Everett, the Union cand-
dates for the Presidency, in order to break down
Brecklnridge and Lane, who were the secession
candIda,es Ito use his own snguage) to dissolve
our glorious old un,on." Next he was making
stump speeches in favor of secession to dissog ge
that GLORIOUS old Union" Leopard like, he las
many spots, or like the Irishmans Fea, put your
finger on MIN and he's not there Secession took
place, the "gorous old Union " was dissolved, and
suppose since that time he has kept the faith toll
eraby WELL having voted for Johnston against Gov.
Vance, be also voted for Lander against Hon. J. G.
Ramsay, ASST gniDg for that the latter was
Lincoln dbotttionist I do not know whether the
Doctor intended to brand the men of his own coun.
ty who supported the Hon. J g. Ramsay as Lin.
coLa GboSitioaists not. this he answer better
himself Bring All original secessioust, presume
he has been warm supporter cf the policy of the
adrnistrssion of Mr. Davis; if this be so, he was
in favor of the conscript law, which never existed
before in q republican government and by which
the military power Of the sovereign States was
trampled under foot. | also suppose he favored
the passage oI the tithe law by wh,c!, portion Of
the hard earnings Of the wives of soldiers in the
- c-~x A..
children and wasted at almost every depot in the
State. suppose likewise he is in favor of the i'm.
prsssment law, which has given rise o species o
highway robbery all over the country. | gucss,
= too, he favors what is known the currency act
of the first permanent Congress, by which the gov
eminent Has authorized to repudiate third o.
: the money in circulation and which no doubt ha,
f j prevented many poor woman from buying bush
el of to hush the cries of hungry children
Last though not least he favored the act suspend
ing the privilege of the writ Of habeas corpus which
deprives every freeman in the Confederate States o.
his rights and liberties, some Of whom have been
arrested plunged into prison, there to angush, ig
norsnt Of the charges against them and denied the
right of tria--and they may have been arrested by
the mere declaration OF akidney footed neg-o-te
make negro evidence valid being Of the reason,
assigned for the suspension of the privilege Of th.
writ. | have brought these things before the peo
p,e not for the purpose Of doing my competitor any
Injustice, hat for the purpose Of giving him an op
I portunity Of showing how he has Stood, and how
. he noo stands upon these various and grave ques
| items.
In conclusion there is another subject respecting
orr difficulties with our enemies of which l woult
!, speak. To use the language Of Gov. Brown Q
Georgia, In view of these difficulties it may b,
/ asked cAen and hoso is this to be settled It u
j. impossible to say When it may terminate, but it il
easy to say hoao it will end. We do not seek Il
conquer the Northern people-and If we are tru
9 to ourselves they nerer conquer U.s. and We d
J., not seek to wrest from them the right Of self
Z government and they have not force enough t
:. govern us without consent. or to deprive Us o
l. tie right to govern ourselves; the blood Of hun
e dre,ls of thousands may yet be split, and the wa
II. NAV not still he ended by force of arms Neeot