The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-02-04

to care town.
While the excitement over prcfssror
He6rsck Was at its hight. another
event stfrscied the attention az the
public This was the yislt - Cover
nor Wise. Of Virginia. ar Governor
. ADAMS. Of South Carolina q Raleigh
on october -. Governor Jenkins. II
] Georgia. was expected but did not
come. The aim al this meeting af
governors WAS officially 4.
sc a Nisit - the Stat. Fan. bat tn,
gentlemen left Raleigh before thcNait
opened. According 20 weii-e~tablLsh-a
tradition. they were invited TO North
Carolina 10 consult with Governor
Bragg about plans for action Ia caAs
Fremont Was elected. What agree
ment. 4 any. WAS reached - not
Known. The irony el history is that
Fremont. the persona non gra:a In all
this excitement. had been mentioned
~ a presidential possibility for tn.
Democracy IN 1s5, by l.. T.. l:eeir.
who suggested thEt j Fremont boon,
be launched in North Carolina.
Three years later the radical spirit
made still greater Roadway among
the people. The John Brown rad
at Harper's Ferry aroused u f.elias
OF resistance. The existing military
organizations offered their services to
: Governor Wise. az Virginia. and new
ones We're formed. Inc council NJ
state. the advisor body III The GOV
erncr, adopted resolutions wheel.
2 tnrea tenci secession unless slave prop
. eFty was better protected. The radi-
! al spirit Was active for months atl"r
Z the death OF Brown in the arrest OF
| suspected aooiitionisIs. and the inspec-
zion IF the mails To detect antisiaver.
/: literature. The use ~ Helpers I'm
4 pending criSis' III the ca napaisn It
1860 made the book ubiquitous IN
: .\orth t'aroiira and 1, own a copf
n was virtually u political crime.
e But slavery and stat rights vera
Il not the only questions before the
n Democratic party from 1850 - 1850.
4 and NC discussion Of secession ~outd
Y he complete without ncstinn Of two
issues. primarily domestic. Hhich Iii
l. verified attention from H.. national
slavery controversy. .irSt Of thes-
n Wa that 81 public lands II the Vest.
"a ~ 49, Henry Benn.tt Of New York,
. introduced into Congress . bill which
70 proposed to distribute ne remaining
d public lands among the States to De
a. used Tor internal improvements aud
A. other loca! needs. Ia!G VAS i Wing
n measure. !'ut il appealed 70 he south
"a etp democrats for two r.asonS. First.
il allowed the slave States - profit
n ny TIE western expansion OF the IA
70 ton. and. second. the proceeds fro"i
in the lands might -. used 10 reduce
80 he State debts incurred by the on
ne Structioa Of railways aud other works
~ Of progress. Consequently, IN the CON
gressiorai election OF 1873. the dis
tribution issue VAS raised III NORTH
- Carolina !,y three Democrat ~ who bolt
nf cd party lines. In the third distriti
no Duncan Mc!,ae, who announced asri-
Oh self AS an independent candidate faZ-
of ain the measure, MAS eliminated ~
an appointment az consu. 20 Paris
immediately His place was taken T.,
he w. +. Leak, who opposed Wiilian <
is- Ashe, the regular democratic rclni
,r+ nee. In the second district N. {
;fy I.oftin adopted distribution aud op
posed Thomas Ruffin. regular Demo
III crat. In both these districts The regu
IN lar candidates were elected. but N 81,
nd seventh district. where a large "hi'
cal constituency existed. the division o
=, Democrats "a. N. Ecnahlc tavorin,
Ass and A. NJ. Lewis opposing distrini,
lea tion). enabled the Wings to elect aio
II. Rogers. Later. in 1883. diStrihn
ort ton became q Statewide problem
Mr.. McRae. who had returned fro,
cd Paris, announced himself AS iade
pendent candidate for governor on II
- issue. The hig who had aban
tho doned their party Organization /
bts 1856. made no nomination. and in
1T Raleigh Register. their principal OF
ean, advised all Wings 10 support II,
tic Rae in preference TO Ellis. tAe Iiemt
cratic candidate. Mr.. McRae. hoa
i, ever, failed To swing the Wing vol
the anu n HIS u'oa.ca 80 =" -
way W
oeIeaseu ny q iaiE. 80.
,,r- No sooner was distribution or pul
lie lands disposed OF than anott'
hig inestlon - -
in the 1Fni"c.aer paitS. ~ -
To iiequaif'F 4 II 'i0
80 taxed az polls only, with TIA" "vrmi
ton of all under IL and over 20. r.
unit OF the poll tax Was tn" lsnn =
OIL oV' n|i.'
suiteu. 80. . 500
- erty in 1852 Was valued st lesa tia
the slave property, but yielded q =
80 ger revanue. Thus the men OF gsna
TED. .'eaiS ~