Year: 1860

The gubernatorial candidates, agreeable to ap.
pointment, visited our town Wednesday, the 18th
instant Both Of the gentlemen were in good health
and looking well. Both seemed enthusiastic, and
to all appearances, hopeful Of success. Mr.. Pool
opened the discussion. He said that it the first
time he had been permitted to visit this portion of
the State. He was comparatively stranger He
appeared candidate, to fill the highest Office in
the State. 1t had been the custom of himself and
the Governor to discuss the question of taxation in
connection with the Charleston Convention; but
as that Convention had failed to nominate a candi-
date for the Presidency, and as he had no idea that
the Baltimore Convention would do so between this
and August next he would leave out entirely that
idea He said he differed with the Governor upon
the great principle of equal taxation. He was in
favor Of taxing all property Of every species accord
ing to its value. That had been the position he had
taken in the East and he would maintain it IN the
West He said that there was an odious and unjust
restriction embraced in the Constitution of the
State prohibiting the Legislature from taxing ne
groes in the same proportion as Bank Stock, Divi-
dends, Merchandise, and other sources of revenue
This restriction he proposed to remove by calling
together Convention Of the people to alter the
Constitution. He argued in support Of his PROPOSE
ton that the slave interest of the State Pc
culiary favored; and that.it was outrageously un-
just for this system to be continued. The whole
burden of his speech amounted to an effort to array





slaveholding portion Of the community. lie said
that the time might come when the hordes of the
Abotionists and fanatics of the North would stand
in battle array against the South; when Southern
men might be called to defend their hearth-stones
and their property; when fraternal blood would be
shed and the country precipitated into desperate
war. In this hour, he told the people, that the
shareholders of the State would not be able to
ter above twenty thousand men to protect their
property; that it would have to be done by the
poor-the nonslaveholding portion of the commu-
nty who could raise at least eighty thousand SOL
ders 1t was about slave property that the country
was disturbed so much, and it unjust that this
species Of property should not bear its equal pro-
portion Of the burdens of taxation He said that
the Democratic party had ever made the negro
question subservent to their ends. That when Mr..
Fillmore was before the people, four years ago.
candidate for the Presidency man who he re-
garded as being pure and spoess as the riven snow
the Democrats said to vote for him was to aid the
black Republicans That when the old Whig party
wanted to establish a, protective tariff, the Demo
Gratis said that 1T would work to the injury of the
institution Of slavery He attempted to defend him.
self for having sat as responsible member of the
Assembly for two successive sessions, when the
question of the revenue was mooted, and when pro-
positions to adopt the ad oalorem system made
and discussed, and never once opened his mouth in
favor of it; but when the question was put, delib-
erately in every instance recorded his vote against
it He wound up his speech by telling the people
that he was as good Whig as ever lived. That no
man need vote for him, supposing that he was any
thing else but Whig He sFas an American; he
belonged to the Know Nothing party, and he was
proud Of and gloried ir th0C Constitutional Union
party, that had nominated Bell and Everett, and
that had for its platform, 1.-The Constitution and
the Union of the States"


Gov Ellis, in reply, arose and said, that he most
cordially united in the sentiment which his COM
petitor had expressed of gratitude to the people for
ent countless to hear them discuss the issues in
volved in the campaign. He appeared also as can
didate to fill the office another term of Chief Exec
utve of the State. To the people who had so nobly
supported him two years ago, he felt under sense
of the deepest gratitude But it was satisfaction
to him, in coming again before the people to feel
that he did so with consciousness that he had dis
charged the responsible duties that they had COM
mitted to his care with faithful and an honest
heart Unlike his competitor. he came the advocate
of no new or visionary scheme. He came to talk
about Democratic principles and policy-to talk
about the interests Of the people of the State-the
whole people, from the seaboards of the East to the
| mountains of the West His competitor boasted of
new ISSUE To one unaccustomed to listen to the
speeches of the Opposition candidates, it would ap-
| pear that his was special mission of mercy and
protection to the poor man, against the imposition
and oppression Of the rich. The Governor had
never seen the time when the Opposition had not
special mission to perform and new issue to pre-
sent The paramount principles" of the Ameri-
| can party was once q new ISSUE 1t was q new
issue that Americans should rule America" It
was new issue that the Constitution of the United
States should be changed, and that the flying, op
pressed and perishing few, who had escaped from
the heel Of tyranny and the yoke Of oppression in
other lands should not be permitted to take shelter
from the storm under the spreading oaks of our
forests. 1t was new issue and special mission,
which his friends few years ago had to perform, to