The weekly standard., 1870-06-22
Mr.. PhilIipS in Alamance.

Mr.. EDITOR: The writer was ut Graham
on Tuesday of the Superior Court. The
Republican County Convention reconvened
On the adjournment of the Court at 12
O'Clock. When the committee OH nOmina-
tions retired, Hon. Samuel F. Phillips, the
Republican candidate for Attorney General,
was called out and spoke for upwards Of
two hours To say his speech was able.
clear and convincing, is faint praise. He
dignifed the party and the occasion. He
bore himself like a statesman, and true
and ardent patriot. Hetold the people that
the Democratic party in February, 1868,
met at Raleigh and laid down platform
In which the main and great issue, 'the ALL
o5sOr6iEgn issus, was opposition to negro
suffrage and negro equality, y not Su-
prem0cy :" that they were unaltUrably and
snquaii6ediy opposed 70 'pOIitioat and social
equality" he stated that they had not met
from that time TO the prcsent in u State
convention, and have since laid down no
platform. He showed that they prolessed
to acquicsce, in their Legislative Address, in
the political and civil equality Of the negro
before the law, no one, rot even the col
ored men, desiring or asking for social
equality this main, and in fact only issue
being abandoned, whether sincerely or not
he would suppose sincerely, tor the sake of
argument-tiey had no principle upon
which to wage campaign before the peo-
pie of the State. at least none enuncia.ed;
that the Adde'S, before spoken Of, con,
tanned no principle, or set Of principles,
upon which to 90 before tine people; that 1t
Is silent, absolutely silent, as TO national
politics and the administration Of President
Grant. He con:ended that M disaster had
succeeded the reconstruction policy, the al-
lowing OF suffrage to every human being IN
the State, equal to that which would have
attended military condition; that now
the people, all of the people, white and col
Ored, have voice upon all questions which
can arise in the government and in the cleo
ton of their public servants; that there Is
no blessing like this ever youchsafed to the
citizen. lie admitted, which is sterling
honesty, that the Republican party bad
committed blunders, but not in settling this
great issue; that their conduct was In the
main wise and correct.
He inquired why the Democrats yielded
the question of negro suffrage, If they were
right in opposing it The old Whig and
Democratic parties fought over great and
important issues for twenty years and did
not give them up; and in this instance the
n.u0rel Democracy had given Up the issne
sitter two years struggle. Why did they !?
Que reason is the people will not go with
them, and another reason is every man must
have right to say who shall make laws
for him.
The only issue the Democratic party is
now making, the party before, as now, Of
loayes and fishes, the party that, before as
now, was and is held together by the cohe-
sive power of public plundcr, is public ex.
trayagauce and corruption. Mr. Phillips
showed that of the torty-siS Democratic
members, who sigued the Legislative Ad-
dress, fifteen were as deep in the corruption
and extravaganza, SO much to be deplored,
as anybody, who was in the last General
Assembly. That this charge cannot be fast
ened upon either party as party, any more
than charge of lewdness and dissipation
Of one member of church can be fastened
upon the eutire church membership-tliese
charges, these crimes, attach to the men, and
not to the parties. Judge Osborne, the
ablest and most influential member OF that
party, led 10 putting the per diem at seren
dollars, and he led, and, by his captivating
sloquenco, influenced many OF his own party
and many of the Republicans to support
the appropriations. now so much complained
of, in constructing new railroads. lie was
aided in this by Mason, Malone, Argu, Love,
Hicks and others, all Democrats, all sisners
of the Legislative Address. This ex.rav-
agaace, considering the financial condition
Of the State and tie Impoverished condition
Of the people, all caused by the war and
the men who brought it on and fought it
out ~ overwhelming deieat-is o stain upon
both parties in the General Assembly, who
supported it. The Republican party, in
mass convention, bias expressed its disap'
proyal of this course on the part of both
Democrats and Republicans. and its sorrow
that such men were TO be found in its ranks
The Democrats have not done so; but or
the other hand, fifteen as guilty men as wert
in the General Assembly have added insult
to injury by signing an Address, condemning
and charging against others what they il
in part did themselves.
He showed, further, that the investigation
into frauds and corruption and bribery fas
tened these crimes upon Democrats as wei
Republicans, upon nicH outside OF as vel
as in the Legislature; SAID he wished ever.
man in North Caroliua could read the evi
dence of the parties before tue Committee
composed of Gov. Bragg, Gen. Scott AM
himself, commonly called the Bragg Com
mittee that if they could they would fin'
that as many and as prominent Democrat
as Republicans, in and out of the Legisla
ture, participated in the swindlss and fraud
perpetrsted upon the people of the State
aye, more prominen' He expressed tn