Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-07-05

Greensboro. May I'd. 1872.
l am somewhat surprised, Mr.. Chairman,
ladies and gentlemen, at my temerity, in
attempting, without preparation, to address
this large, and evid' at.y refined and intel
hgent audience; t". must respond as best
l can to the fatS.sring call which has been
made upon me. s..
If allowed a reference to myself, may
be permitted to say, that, whilst / cannot
be called a politician, have worked for the
Democrat: party from the day was u
years of age until this day, and have never
yet bolted regular nomination, shirked a
duty, or lodged vote. How long have
been thus enlisted, have no anxiety to
make known, and do not care to be asked.
l have never held but one public position,
and was elected to that after a contest
which satisfies nle, that he who canvasses
the State with formidable competitor, or
even with the present Radical nominee for
Governor Of North Carolinr, need not be
envied The fruits of victory, should victory
be his. a..y
The greatest Of English poets tells Ills
" Some men are born great ; some achieve
greatness, and some have greatness thrust
upon them" This may, in certain sense,
apply to the office holding in England,
where some of the first offices are here
ditary, and men are born to them. But in
the New World not even such as Prince
Fred, though he may have for foster father
the General-in- Chief OF the army, can be
said to be born to office. If l may be
allowed an expression, he who attains
Office i'll the United States, must achieve
it. In this matter, as in things spiritual,
the admOnitiOn applies, g Seek and you
shall find" Office, rs much in North Caro-
lima as elsewhere, like the Kingdom of
Heaven, is taken by violence. No
man will have it thrust upon him.
Perhaps no better illustration of the truth
of what | have said can be found than an
instance iii our own State, to which l beg
to refer. A man who, through good and
evil report, in war as we'll as III peace, has
been the able and Jealous defender Of civil
liberty, of unimpeachable integrity him
self, his heart siCkens in contemplating
the corruption and prohigacy Of the gene
raj ard State governments; man gifted
with the highest intellectual endOWlnents
whose abilities would grace the Senate of
the United States, with all the grace of q
Clay, Webster, or Calhoun, yet who
has passed to advanced life almost without
public recognition. | refer to 3. F. Moore,
Of Raleigh. | cannot forget what he said
to Inc, n good many years ago, when jour
ueyin1 with him to Court ''Do not" said
he, ''gO into politics, for If 4 man goes into
politics at twenty-one, and remains till
forty-five, the chances are ten TO one that
he will come out a rascal" Now, at this
time, he was deeply engaged III politics
himself, and, l suppose, taking heed of his
own theory, he deemed it better to quit in
time. 1t must be confessed that there was,
and is, much ground for the remark. But
scanning the history of the two great par
ties which divided North Carolina in the
past, rs we'll as Of that great party into
which they have merged in the present,
it is gratifying to know that we can refer
to many among them who have held and
now hold public position, rs presenting i'll
stances of the highest sense of honor and
integrity. May L speak of the Macons, the
1tuffinS, the GiastOnS, the MOreheads and
the Gilmers, and other illustrious men,
now sleeping with their fathers, but whose
| examples seem to have been given as
| guides to be followed in these days Of po-
| litical profligacy.
[ can't permit the occasion to pass, with
cut bearing my humble testimony TO the
exalted character of one whose worth de-
served public mention by Our Convention
just adjourned. / can judge him by the
| severest Of all tests, the close contact and
| observation of more than twenty-five
| years. He was called on to fill many
| numerous and delicate private trusts he
was hOnored by his State with the first
offices she had to bestoW, and it is con-
| soling thought, as wei! as the highest eu-
| logy, to be able to say of him, that he pas
sed unscathed through the ordeal of cor
| rIlpt times, and went down to his rest with
an unspOtted name. l revere his memory
because in all things he was faithful, De
cause his aims were high in the true sense,
| because he was a patriot who loved his
SCOT ion most Whan the pa1ICn for which ifC
| people had struggled, went down i'll dark
ness and in sorrow. lie was not only a
| great lawyer, who would have ranked
among the first OF his profession even in
| Westminster Hall, but he was all honest
one, and over his grave may be fifty in-
| scribcd
THOMAS BRAGG.
| ''The grave OF a Great and Honest Law
yer"
| CtJus est SOtl0D ejuS uSque al cult0t.
Perhaps our State has furnished 10 bet
| ter representatives of the two great parties
of which l have spoken, and no happier in
stance OF the virtuous and the good, forget
| ting past differences and joining in their
country's cause, than the deceased friend
| to whom | have referred, and one who is
| yet spared to animate lis by his example,
and to guide us by his wisdom and coun-
| sell; man of any man the peer, whose
public life has illustrated the history of his
| State, and has earned for himself the char
acter Of patriot as we'll as statesman. How
can that administration ask our support
! which eXiles such man as William 4
! Graham from all share i'll the government
whose councils he has adorned ?
When, from the body OF the convention
l looked OH the platform to-day, my heart
swelled with pride over so many of North
! Cardinals ablest anG most worthy sons
| there asSembled-nlen who have been true
to her amid all her trials and who, with
| Gods help, will yet rescue her from the
| brood of harpies who have been preyine
upon her very vitals. Whilst it may moi
be allowable to pass judgment upon the
motives Of individuals, yet the acts and
conduct of public men are legitimate sub
jects of comment. 1t may be that those
who deserted their life long principles, and
threw their influence with the oppressor>
of their people, when profit and public po.
sition could &c gained only by such j
course, are among the pure in heart. But
nothing less than an extraordinary iHumi-
patton of the spirit can make us believe
tliat they have not sold their bnthright fol
"A mess of pOtta6e. Christian charity fol-
bids us to pray upon their heads the i'm
precatiOn of the poet upon those mercenf
ries who betray their people i'll the hour Ol
their greatest need.
| s.Tust Prophet let tho damned one dwel,
Full in the sight of Paradise
| Behoiding heaven and feeling he'll
On the contrary we are required to hee
! for their reform in this world, and THEN
happiness in the next. Doubtless they al
| loudly protest their patriotism, but were
they assembled here before me, and | had
twisted up in paper pellet, the curse ol
the poet to be thrown at, and visited upon
the most guilty, We would find a repetition
| of the scene related OF the French Priest