Wilmington journal., 1868-02-28
The Issue In North Carolina

effect uDon the issue in this State. During
the session Of the Conservative Convention
in Raleigh, before the result Of the Ala
bama election was known, the policy best
to be pursued in this State was fully dis
cussed, and it was decided that we should
make q direct issue with the Radicals and
attempt to defeat the iniquitous Constitu-
ton they were "tixing up" by voting it
down rather than to do SO Indirectly by not
voting. Whatever may have been the error
in not adopting the non-action policy at
the first election, there could be no doubtin
regard to the manner of meeting the issues
at stake in the next.
Even had there been u disposition to
have adopted the same policy which has
proved so successful in Alabama, bill had
already passed tho lower House of Con
gress, and was pending in the Senate, re-
quiring only a majority of the votes cast to
adopt the Constitutions to be proposed to
the Southern States, and it was thought
that it would pass. And we have no doubt,
even if Alabama is not forced into the
Union uHuef tu6 AdOlCAA OOAot1CutAOA LA
direct violation of the Reconstruction Acts,
which now seems highly probably, that the
Acts viii be SO amended before any other
of the * unreconstructed States vote that
this modo of defeating the Radical plan of
Reconstruction will be denied.
IT was, therefore, decided that the Con
servative people Of this State should meet
the issue directly, and the party now ap-
peals to every white man in the State to do
his whole duty. With thirty thousand
white majority, which will probably be in
creased to forty thousand, the white men
of North Carolina will indeed be recroant
to their race and inimioal to their best in
terests if they do not defeat the base
schemes for negro equality, political and
civil, which the emissaries Of Radicalism
are attempting to force upon us. Men can
not and must not excuse themselves from
indifference to interfere in the politics of
the country; certainly they must not be
frightened by Radical threats. Something s
more than mere political principles are in
yolved-it is life and death struggle for
every interest and feeling we hold doar-a
contest for the future glory and prosperity
OF the South on the one hand, and its GER
tain ruin and impoverisnment on the other.
''TO this complexion has 1t come" and
when we hear men still express their de-
termination to withhold their aid to their
fellow men in this vital contest, we suspect
either their patriotism Or their courage, or
have but little respect for their discretion.
Again we tell the people ece cannot afford TO
be defeated
What RadicaH.nn has Done for the South
and the Country.
Hon. A. G.. G. THURMAN, Senator elect
from Ohio, in a recent speech at Mansfield,
in that State, stated some facts which are
we'll calculated to impress the people of the
North with the direct interest which they
| have in restoring the peace and prosperity
of the South. Speaking of the taxes de
| rived from internal revenue alone, Mr.
| THURMAN says that the amount paid by the
whole ten of the Southern States for the
last fiscal year was B19, ,663, TAO in the same
year Ohio paid $25, ,O81, 400, SO that the
| Southern States, which formerly paid theil
| full share, II not more, of the taxation Q.
| the country, are now so reduced that, il
the last fiscal year, Ohio paid s., ,3S7, ,O0(
more than them ALL Senator THURMAN
then undertakes to demonstrate that the
taxation of the people Of this country is fa1
| greater than ever was imposed upon any
people. In the last fiscal year five hundred
millions were collected in taxes by the gen
eral government alone. The taxes collected
| by the States amount to not quite two hun
| dred millions more, making the entire tax
| alton, in round numbers, seven hundred
millions of dollars. The gross annual pro
duction of the industry of the United
States, according to the census of 1860, Wa;
two thousand millions Of dollars. Allowing
| for the diminished production of the South
| and for increased prices it is not supposed
to be greater now. Thus moro than one
third of the whole annual product Of the
industry of the country is absorbed by tax
alton. Mr. THURMAN then proceeds to in
quire what is the net profit of the produc
ton OF this country. and taking as stand
ard the average rate at which money il
loaned and borrowed, that being a rule laiG
down by every writer on political economy
to obtain an approximate of the net profits
of the production OF a country, and assum
ing ten per cent. as the average rate O.
interest in the United States, which is Ger
tainly high enough, the not profits O.
the industry of the United States, a.
the productions of agriculture and man
ufactures of all kinds, would be TIVE
| hundred millions of dollars. Thus tax
, alton draws from the people five hun
dred millions year more than the net pro
fits of all the producing industry of tn,
} United States-a great portion of the tax
alton, however, being upon non-produc
. tive employments, those engaged in buying