Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-05-28
WASHINGTON CITY, May %, 1869

: WASHINGTON CITY, May %, 1869
Another old veteran is gone-a relic o
the ''better and brighter days of tn
Republic Commodore Charles Stewar
McCauley, at the ripe age of seventy-four
His experience was q varied one, ant
mournful enough, Heaven knows, to an,
man of rejecting sensibilities. He saw tn
first dawnings Of Constitutional liberty Il
the Republic of the United States !; he say
the last beams of the sun OF republication
: obscured, perhaps forever, by the darkes
and murkiest clouds that corrupt AND
tyrannous despotisnl could invoke as th'
shroud for foully assassinated freedom
He had carried the standard of the Repub
lie to victory when that standard was the
symbol of peace, prosperity and happiness
at home, the ensign Of hope and promis.
abroad. He lived to see it prostituted il
the dust beneath the polluting heel of {
fanaticism far unhoiier and fouler than hi:
I fathers had ever deemed the fanaticism o.
the North ministry to be. He saw the
vigorous infancy of the American republic
saw it's wonderful growth and unexampled
prosperity, saw its decadence and destruc
ton, like the willing Of Jonah's gourd
that rotted in the first beams of the morn
ing sunlight. 1t was we'll that he died
now. Perhaps but a few years of life
might have sutficed to show him the resto.
ration of the old glories of the Republic
under Democratic rule ; but he has escaped
witnessing the orgies that must attend the
dissolution OF the party existence Of those
! degraded and abandoned political courte-
| zans and debauchers who have their pol
luting grip now fastened upon the throat
of the nation. Ii the sturdy old Commo-
dore reverenced the principles of human
justice and equity Of which the flag he SO
gallautly fought for was once the symbol
and the standard, he must have suffered
bitter pangs during the past few years in
beholding the terrible prostitution of all
/ he had ever cared for.
McCauley was native of Philadelphia,
and it is probable that his remains will be
inferred in that CITY. He had won for
himself a host of warm and attached
friends by his genial and gentlemanly
character.
received a letter several days ago from
a gentleman of North Carolina, q journalist
of candor and experience, and one
thoroughly posted in the affairs of that
State, an extract from which may prove
interesting to your readers. give it with
out comment. The naked fact is eloquent
enough Ill its picture of utter distress and
woe wrought by the accursed teachings OF
that foul, vile, wicked and daunabie sys-
| tenn OF corruption and villainy known as
the Radical party. Whenever State gets
as thoroughly reconstructed as North
Carolina, prepare to behold Il like result
Federal, State and County taxes are
ru;uous, and the lands of our old citizens
and planters are being sold under the
hammer for little Or nothing.
There being no money here to pur-
chase with, capitalists from the North are
stepping in and buying up all they place
their hands upon, at from 50 cents to s.
per acre, lands that ought to bring $50 to
$40 per acre. A New York company has
just purchased, in Macon county, tract
OF 2, 800 acres Of land in one body at %
cents per acre, cash another smaller tract
was bought up at Il cents. This land is
rich in timber and minerals. A fine plan
tatioD, worth some $4,000 to $4,000, was
sold few days since for 500, cash.
These were bankrupt sales The Sheriff
OF Wake county, on the 1st instant, sold
three plantations, containing 1872 acres,
for S7,719, less than 81 per acre, some Of
the lands being worth over forty dollars
per acre IN gold. Nine other tracts, rang
ing from 100 TO 500 acres, containing to-
tai of ?, 191 acres, sold for one hundred and
sixty dollars
''This is the way We are having peace
Legislation has been shaped in such a
manner as to bear heavily upon our peo-
pie, break them up drive them away, SO
that their places can be filed with set of
strangers. Our Radical legislators have
run the State debt up to 40 or 80 million of
dollars, in wild appropriations to railroads
which will never be built, simply because
the rings are stealing all the money. The
State bonds will not bring to-day over forty
cents on the dollar in gold in the New
York market. The railroad rings are using
this money to their own private emoiu-
ment; the people have to pay ruinous
taxes in order to meet the interest on this
immense debt; finding that they cannot do
1t they are sacrificing their property and
going away. Capitalists ere buying up
everywhere, and as soon as they think they
have the State fairly in their hands, every
dollar of the State debt will be repudiated.
That is the Radical programme
Mrs. General Gaines, the heroine Of the
famous New Orleans case, left for that city
yesterday to attend to her vast interests
there located. For some reason not clear
ly accounted for, Judge Durell has refused
to obey the mandate of the Supreme Court
affirming Mrs. Gaines right to the great
estates recently adjudged hers, and Mr..
Justice Wayne proposes on She 1st of June
to enforce the mandate. The order to ex-
ecute this mandate being final, Mrs. Gaines
will then listen to overtures of compromise
which will undoubtedly be made, and the
lady come into possession of available
property worth many millions. She does
not look day older than she did ten years
ago-bright eyed, alert, and energetic as
ever. She is woman ofindomitable pluck
and perseverance, and belongs to that class
who know "no such word as fail"
Last night the Presidents proclamation on
the subject ofeight hours being alegalday's
work for all laborers, workmen and me-
chanics employed by the Government, was
telegraphed from this city. This proclaim
alton was determined upon three or four
laws ,or Gfo oil