The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-01
Correspondence orthe Richmond Dlspatch.l
CHARInTTE. N C. Juy 90.


CHARLOTTE, N. c., July 20.
On the train from Greensboro to Charlotte,
last night, your correspondent met Judge
.Merrimon, the Conservative candidate for
governor OF North Carolina. The judge was
as radiant as May morning. and literally
slept on his arms In confidence of victory. AS
the opinion Of the Conservative standard
weight and be of interest at this stage of the
canvass, when any FAIR estimate OF the result
is eagerly received, we had short converse
ton with the Judge on the sub]ect. give In
brief the result In reply to questions: Judge
Merrimon stated that he had been two months
and half In the field, speaking on
an average three hours daily, and had visited
personally every county In the state. On
Wednesday evening the hottest campaign ever
known in the South will be brought TO close,
and it will remain with the people to do their
duty. OF the result he had no doubt whatever;
indeed, thought him almost too confident.
The western counties, about which there has
been 80 much apprehension, are, In his opi1-
lon, safe. To them he has devoted speclal az
tention, and he thinks he knows the senti-
ment and intention of the people we'll enough
to predict that the Conservatives will carry
nearly every county In the west, except
Rutherford, Polk and Cleveland, where the
United States deputy marshals have, en-
deavored to intimidate the young men by the
terrorism of indictment under the Ku.klu3
laws; but, said the Judge, our young men can
not be driven Into voting the Radical ticket.
We will rot lose more than hundred votes
In each OF these counties, and the young men
who would have polled them have fed their
homes to escape Federal persecution.
asked: HAS there been much of this sort
Of intimidation in the Stste?"
"Yes," was the reply, II think there mas
bten. They are using every means to carry
the election, including intimidation, bribery
and fraud.
"Caldwell, the Radical candidate for Gov
ernor, Is frightened, and as the election
approaches they are becoming desperate.
have been told there will be numerous arrests
made on the day preceding the election OF
men who are charged with sympathy with the
Ku-Klux, but whose real offence is that they
refuse to vote the Radical ticket or stay away
from the polls. We may thus lose good
many votes, but not enough to affect the re-
suit We will carry tho State In spite OF
them"
/ then ash I'd, "What do you think your ma.
jority VIII be ?" "Our majority In the State, y
tion, be 1000 or 5000. cannot believe /.
will be any l.ss. Our vote will be largely In
creased In the east and in tho middle OF the
State, and In the west the Radical white vote
Will not be Increased In the slightest degree.
They will not even pol! the convention To!e OF
last year. don't think the negro vote will
be as large as at any election before"
Your correspondent then intimated that the
Republicans also were sanguine. "Yes," was
the reply; shut the majorities are 30 ridicu.
lously large that they cannot mean what they
say. Senator Pool says they will carry
the STATE by twenty thousand and the Legisla.
ture BY thirty thousand on joint ballot. Now
that is all gas. Pool, through his spies, has
every doubtful man reported to him Then
they stuff him With documents, and q that falls
they ply him with money, and threats or
fraud Is brought into requisitlon. But 1t Is no
use; we Will elect six or seven OF the eight
Copgressmen. In the fifth district the vote
wRbe close, but we will elect Leach over
Judge Settle, who was president Of the Phila-
delphia Convention. We will carry the Legis.
lature by thirty, and we may have two-thirds
on joint ballot. In fact, the prospects are as
bright as possible"
Here our interview closed, as the judge got
off at Lexington to I'll an appointment in tnat
vicinity he was exceedingly atable.
could not but imbibe some of his enthusiasm,
but canGor compels me to temper bis predic
dlctions with the statement that many pruml
nentC Conservatives are not so hopeful OF .he
result
They are all sure of victory, but will be con.
tented with majority of from five thousand
to ten Thousand In the State. ALI, however,
claim majority In the Legislature sufficient
10 place Governor Vance IN the United States
Senate, and six out OF eight Congressman.