The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-08-02

| DEFINING THEIR PosITIoNs.-Several prominent
men who have. for the past year or two, been co
operating with Mr. Holden and secured offices by
his aid, defining their positions on the Gu
bernatorial contest They have alp declared in ia
vor of Gov. Vance. They have been willing to CO.
operate with Mr. Holden heretofore, but unwill>
ing to help to make him Governor. A review OF
their past ustifes us in saying that they are
as much to blame for divisions and whatever dis
loyal feeling may exist in this State, Mr. Holden.
| The whole concern was warned more than year
ago Of the evil tendency of their course, but they
persisted in it and seemed willing to .eopardize the
of the South in order to the offices for
themselves and peculiar friends. The point we
make is this: if Mr. Holden deserves censure so do
those who co-operated with him up to the day that
he announced himself q candidate for Governor.
1t is well known that we condemn Mr. Holden's
course, but we cannot conscientiousy censure one
without censuring ALL We believe that most
Of those who have published cards in favor of V ance
would to-day have been Holden if they had
thought there any chance for Hoden's election.
We allude particularly to such men Nat. Boy
den, Josiah Turner, E Warren, Judge Reade, &c.
They have seen that Gov. Vance would be re-elect-
ed and hence they want to hang to his skirts They
responsible to great extent for the bad feeling
engendered in this State against the Confederate
Government, and we intend that they shall receive
their share of the blame. If these and others
had taken bold stand for the Confederate Govern
ment and abstaned from growing and lt-hnding,
as did Gov. Morehead John A. Gilmer, Thomas S.
Ashe, E. j. Hale. and Others there would have been
disloyal feeling in North Carolina.
Among those who have recently defined .their
position is DR.. j. G.. Ramsay the Representative in
Congress from this District. He publishes a letter
in the Raleigh Conservative saying that he supports
Gov Vances reelection. We raise no objection
to Dr. Ramsay account of this expression of pre-
ference, but will take the occasion to say that
every man in this District knows that DR.. Ramsay
secured his election to Congress last Fall by walk
ing in the footsteps and using the Identical ar,u-
ments that Mr. Holden used. He used the peace
talk humbug denounced all the important laws of
Congress and found fault with the administration
of public affairs generally.
We learn that DR.. Ramsay has boosted that he
elected Notwithstanding every newspaper in the
District opposed him. If he means that all the
newspapers of the District took an active part
against him he is mistaken We voted against him
but did not alude to him editorially in our paper
but once, and that was to report outline of his
speech at this place and to show that he had mis-
quoted Lincoln's letter in regard to peace PROPOSE
tons We were indisposed them as now, to engage
in political discussions and divide the people when
all should be united in a common cause. IF we live
to see the end of the war we expect to take hand
in discussions, and ventilate the public record of
each as he has made it by word or act. As to
all the other papers of the District, cannot speak
positively, but do not think that any of them said
much during the canvass for Congress last Fall We
know that the Salisbury Watchman took no part
and said nothing against DR.. Ramsay. We alluded
to his speech last Fall and allude to his
merely for the purpose of keeping the record fixed
up and straight. " Let not him that girdeth on his
harness boast himself as he that putteth it off,