Wilmington journal., 1876-08-11
UI IIIU
Political Prospects tn lsObeSGs,

Political Prospects an sobrsen
DEAR SIR: With your consent. |
propose to furnish the readers Of the
JOURNAL with occasional letters from
Robson showing the campaign or po-
.litical topics especially, ~ well as 9th
er items of interest that may fall under
my observation.
From a combination of circum>
stances, the county of Robeson has
attained q notoriety in the last few
years co-extensive with the Union.
First, the unparalleled career of the
outlaws, and their noted chieftain,
Henry Berry Lowery, whose high
handed deeds of murder. robbery and
assassination, connived at by radical of
ticlals high IN power, gave the county,
far aud wide, an unenyiable notoriety.
Following this, the contested election
case III our late Constitutional COnven
ton, carrie.i up from this county,
upon which the complexion
of the convention hinged, and
upon which decision Interests of
such magnitude we're involved. The
Herculean and unscrupulous efforts
made by the radical party through
their plant tool Norment to unseat
the democratic members, the howl of
~ out their desperate venture to stife
the voice of the people that emanated
from every radical sheet in the land,
followed by the malicious persecution
of our county comm .ssioners, by drag
ing them before the United States
commissioner and having them bound
| over before the federal courts, and lastly
the complete vindicatiOn of the aforesaid
| commissioners who were discharged
by the prosecution-all combined have
| given the staid Conservative county Of
| RObesOu Il wide spread prominence
that induces your correspondent to
| fiatter himself that the public will still
| be Interested in what we are doing III
| these stirring times.
| / have been close observer Of po-
| litical affairs for the past quarter of a
| century, and L can say without eXag
| geratlon that l have never on any pre- :
viOus occasion witnessed one half the
zeal and interest manifested by the
people as they are already exhibiting.
although the campaign ls just opening
upon us. This is peculiarly gratifying,
! rs in no former epoch i'll our history
as Il nation, have such mighty interests
| been involved to arOuse the hopes
and fears of the American people, as
those presented to them in our COM
| ing elections, And this Is exactly
what we want. Oace get the people
thoroughly Interested, investigation
] follows, AMI the result is certain; the
| Centennial anniversary of our nations
birth day will go out midst the Joyous
| shout of millions of freemen-and the
new year will be ushered in as polit-
| ical jubilee by people once more en-
| franchised. Therefore it is gratifying
| to he able to report that there is no
| apathy, or indifference in Robson on
the political issues of the day, and if
the same feeling pervades the other
counties in the State, the Democratic
majority in November will roll up
| 10000.
Your JOURNAL is doing noblo work
in stirring up the minds of the people
to the importance of the task before
them. Continue the good work. and
with truth and Justice and hearty
enthusiasm on our part, we will dis.
card from our political dictionary any
such word rs fail.
l cannot close this letter more ap-
rropriately than by giving you a short
extract from a speech delivered by one
of the greatest intellects that ever
adorned the Legislative assemblies of
this government, on this very subject.
[ refer to speech made by George
McDuffie, at that time United States
SENATOR from South Carolina.
"We have been frequently told that
the farmer should attend to his plow
and the mechanic to his handicraft
during the canYass for the Presidency.
Sir, more dangerous doctrine could
not be incuicated. If there is
any spectacle from the contemplation
of which would shrink with peculiar
horror; it would be that of the great
mass of the American people sunk into
a profound apathy on the subject of
their highest political interest"
''Such spectacle would be more
portentous to the eye of Intelligent
patriotism, than all the monsters of
the earth and fiery signs of the heav-
ems to the eye of trembling supersti-
ton. IF the people could be indiffer-
ent to the fate of contest for the
presidency, they would be unworthy
of freedom. If 1 were to perceive
them sinking into this apathy would
even apply the power of political gal
vanism, if such power could be
found, to rouse them from their fatal
lethargy."
heep Ine people quiet Peace
Peace ! Shch are the whispers by
which the people ale to be lulled to
sleep, in the very crisis of their high
est concerns. You make a solitude
and call it peGcer Peace 'Tis death /!
Take away ali interest from the people
in the election of their chief ruler, and
liberty is no more'
'What sir, is to be the consequence
Ii the people do not elect their Presi-
dent, some body must. There is no
special providence to decide the ques
tiOn. Who then, is to make the elec.
tion, and how will 1t operate? You
throw a general paralysis over the |
body polite, and excite morbid ac>
ton In particular members. The gen. |
eral patriotic excitement of the people !
in relation to the election of president !
is essential to the health and energy of |
the political system, as circulation of |
the blood is to the health and energy
of the natural body. Check that cir
culation, and you inevitably produce
local Inflammation, gangrene, and un-
timely death.
If the sentiments enuneiated by this
great statesman were true at the time
he uttered them, how much more so
are they now, when liberty and the
perpetuity of free gC vernment are the
prizes for which they are battling.