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THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL. YVILMtMUTOBf. If. C. FRIDAY, MARCH SO. 183T. One or the Re-Vamped Issue The Question of the Publlo Lands Impartially considered. Among the old, dead, buried and resurrected political issues which, like Monsieur Tonson, are sure to " come again," we may now refer mere partic ularly to the question of the public lands. We heard an tsnthusiastio hater of nutt-grass, swear the oiher day that you might take it all up, burn it make ley out of the ashes, and that the ley poured out on land would raise a crop of nutt-grass. There is something of the same kind of perverse vitality about the explod ed but plausible theories of distribution, whether of the public lands themselves or of the proceeds of their sales. Tim and again, on the stump and through the press have all these theories and the plausible sophistries by which they are supported, been met and exposed, and the decision of the people at the polls marked their condemnation of the whole scheme; yet, spile of this, it is evident that the next rally, the rally now shortly to be made against the Demo cracy of the South, will be upon this issue. And when that rally is made, as made it will be, or all the signs of the times are deceptive, we ask of our Democratic friends to bear in mind that the troubles and difficulties of Mr. Pierce's administration were chargeable to the factious course of summer friends, disappointed of office, far more than to any strength inherent in the opposition itself. Let none he de ceived this time by specious professions of fidelity to Democracy on the part of those who ignore its prin ciples. Every compromise of principle from consid eraiions of expediency, is a positive loss to the Demo cratic party, and the man who counsels any such compromise is a secret enemy, or an unsafe friend. Let us look this thin onco more fairly in the face as we have done many a time before ; meet it fairly and squarely, ami defeat it in good old Democratic fashion. Much is talked about the cession made by certain States to the General Government for the good of the whole, and the strengthening tl.e bonds of Union. Virginia a.id North Carolina ceded territories to the Confederacy. Thoy gave to that Confederacy the control over, and the disposal of, the property in the ublio lands in these ceded territories, the reve nues so arming, to be applied to the geneial puipcses of the w Ik ! Union. But whs this all that these and other Sta es mrrei'dered to the Confederacy for the general purposes of the confederated government ? The srill more import antjimJ valuable right of impo sinc a tax upon imports was a'so surrendered by the St.ite, and the revenues from this source constitute the groat fund by hich the federal treasury is fill ed, and the federal expenses are paid. The control of ihe public land is just as constitutionally and as fully vested in the G. neral Government, and just as fully surrendered by the States, as is the power of raising revenue by a duty upon imports ; and the distribution of the lands, or their proceeds, among the indivilual States, wou d, in fact, constitute ai di rect a change of the constitution of the United States as would the claim of the individidual States to take back iiito their own hands, and exercise by their own authoiity, ai y other power vxclusively vested by the constitution in the General Government. Like other express powers conferred, and duties imposed, upon the Federal Government, that relating to ihe public lands is to be xercied for and in behalf of the Uni ted St:.;es, and r ot of sf parnte and distinct partners ; nnd as web might the individual States reclaim any or all the rights and interests of sovereignty ceded by them to the General Government for the purpose of forming a Union, as this right and interest in the pub lic lands which constitute a federal fund, under fed eral control, for federal purposes. That abuses may have crept into the mode and manner in which the General Government exercises the power conferred, and discharges the duties imposed upon it in this re ppect, does not alter the fact that these are its exclu sive powers and duties, which it cannot give up, nor the States reclaim without a violation of the consti tution of the United States. Establish this precedent, and carry it out to its full consequences, and one by one, the bonds of Union are dropped or fall asunder a tacit nullification is initiated the rights of the States, and of the United States are confounded, and their distinctions lost ; and time alone can determine whether we will become agiin a disunited jumble of isolated communities, or a consolidated government hefd together, not by a constitution which has lost all efficacy, but by somefancisd "higher ia-7," which has " risen upon its ruinB, and in spite of its opposition." But after all that has been said about the matter, the cessions made by North Carolina and Virginia, can no longer be regarded as forming any living and practical element entitled to be brought into the dis cussion of this question at the present time. The lands in these cessions were, and are spoken of by the Supreme Court as having been the property of the United States, but they no longer exist as such, from the simple fact that they have become the prop erty of private owners. The United States owns some twelve or thirteen hundred millions of acres, of which all but an incon siderable trifle has been acquired, not by the Stalesin their individual capacity, but by the United States as Buch. No talk about cession will apply to these lands, they are federal property, as mueh as the ships belonging to the navy, the forts and equipments of the army, or anything else which is known as belong ing to the general fund. The title to these landa, acquired by "treaty, is in the United Slates, as the common trustee, to hold, manage and dispose of them for the common purposes for which its trusteeship was created ; these purposes certainly do not include the carrying on of State woiks, or the support of State Govern ments, out of, or by means of, this fund, any more than by means of any other federal fund or property, as the duty on imports, lor instance, and the cry' of taxation being heavy in the States, and that it ought to be lightened by appropriating the public lands to State puiposes, is about as sensible as a similar crv would be to have State taxe reduced by making a call upon the revenues of the General Government collected at the Custom Houses. But turning from the question of princijle, which ehouli always first be considered, let us look a little to the practical considerations connected with, and beanng upon, the Bubject. f The Federal Government, which is simply the trus tee and agent of the States in their united capacity, endowed by the States with certain powers and rev enues to enable it to carry out the objects for which its trusteeship was created, has no funds of its own no privy purse. Every cent taken out of its treasury must be replaced by the same amount taken out of the pockets of the people, increased, however, by the expenses of collection and disbursement. It is exceedingly questionable whether, if the whole his tory of the public lands, from the first, was carefully reviewed, any nett profits would be shown ; and the distribution of these lands, or their products, would be on a par with the act of a corporation, in declar ing a dividend upon money borrowed for the purpose. Let us look at the tedious and expensive process through which the territories containing the lards, end the lands themselves must pass before theyshow returns. The raainlainance of military posts the car rying on of Indian wars, as in Oregon and elsewhere the cost of surveys and land agenciesthe salaries of Governors and other territorial officers the extin guishment of Indian titles the sums paid by treaty to France and Mexico, will, ii. the aegrcgate, show an annual charge fully equal to any amount which could reasonably be expected to arise from the sale of lands at the average rate of clearance and settle ment. Supposing the public lands to be distributed among the States, one of two things must be done ; either the States receiving directly a distributive share of the public lands, must directly assume their proportioual distributive shares in the management and defence of the lands and territories, or tbey must indirectly bear the burden in the shape of tixes, to be imposed by the General Government tor that pur pose. In either case, it would be found that the ar rangement was a loosing one. That the direct de fence and management of the lands and territories would cost the distributees more than they could re alize from their distributive quotas, and that the in direct cost through the taxes paid for a similar pur pose to the Genetal Government, would exhibit the same showing. S But it is contended that the management of the public lands by the General Government has tended to abuse and corruption. That by means of grants to aid in the construction of railroads in the new States and Territories, injustice has been done. That, apart from the unfairness of giving to one set of men what is no: given to another set, population has been diverted from the old States, especially of the South, to the new States, and Territories of the North West. Admitting for a moment all that is hero contended for admitting, for argument sake, the existence of these evils, let us look at the nature and adequacy of the remedy proposed. " Bennett's Bill" brought for ward a few years ago, enables us to see what that pro posed remedy was. It was the assignment to each specified State of a specified number of acres of the public lands, to be assigned and located under certain rules and regulations not very definitely understood. What sort of a land system, or, rather, what sort of absence of all system, would we then have, with thirty-one sellers all in the market, and all anxious to realize from their claims 1 What speculative schemes would we not then see to induce settlement and, of course, sale of land, and the return of money to the treasuries of each and every one of the States? If these lands and land-schemes produce corruption in Congress, would that corruption be lessened, or the tendency in that direction checked, by introducing this element of corruption into every State Legisla ture in the land 1 How would the Southern abettors of this scheme relish the organization of every free soil legislature at the North into a gigantic Emigrant Aid Society, voting day and daily grants of lands to abolition settlers, lor the purpose of excluding South ern settlement ? Aid yet this would be exactly the result of things. And what an engine this would be in the bands of Massachusetts, and Vermont, and Maine, and all that tier of States ! Instead of the public lands, if ceded to the States, ever becoming a source of revenue, they would all be squandered in a heated contest after sectional supremacy. The South, or, at least, the States of the South, would be compelled to enter the field with grants of land to Southern Eettlers, to counterbalance those made by Northern States to abolition settlers. The public mind would be excited, the sectional breach widened, pop ulation diverted from the old States at a terribly ac celerated pace, and when the wild excitement was over, and people returned to their senses, they would find the States poorer in their treasuries, poorer in their populations, more deeply exasperated against each other, and paying into the United States trea sury a largely increased tax to supply the deficiency caused by the diversion of a federal fund from its proper and legitimate channel. The Stockholders' Meeting. On Tuesday last the stockholders in the Wil? mington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad Compa ny met at Commissioners' Hall, in this place, and organized at 12 o'clock on that day the 17th by calling T. A. Norment. Esq., to the Chair, and ap pointing 0. H. Dockery, Esq., of Richmond county, and General S. H. Walkup, of Union county, Secre taries. The Secretaries, with A. H. VanBokkelen, Esq., of Wilmington, were appointed a committee to take account of stock and verify proxies. The com mittee having discharged its duty, reported ,1,300 shares of stock as being represented in person, and 7,507 shares by proxy. This being a majority of the stock, the meeting was declared ready for busi ness. The Chair stated that the first business before the stockholders was to take into consideration the amendments to the charter of the company, passed by the last Legislature. The reading of these amend ments was called for, and after the bill had been read by Mr. Dockery, one of the Secretaries, the vote was taken upon the amended charter, which was unani mously accepted. Communications were received from the official authorities and different citizens of the town of Fay etteville, in regard to the location of the temporary Eastern terminus of the road, bringing to ihe atten tion of the stockholders certain considerations in fa vor of that location being at Fayetteville. As the terms proposed were rather suggestive than formal, we omit further reference to them now. We under stood the pi oposi lions to be in effect the same as those to which we made allusions eome time since in the Journal. On motion, this subject was referred to the Presi dent and Directors, to whom all other matters per taining to terminus, location, etc., had been entrusted by the previous action of the stockholders. The Convention having disposed of all the business before it, adjourned sine die. The Board of Directors was in session during the afternoon, and, we learn, after considering all the propositions berore it, finally decided in favor of Walker's Ferry as the temporary eastern terminus of the road. The feeling in favor of the road, and the desire for its speedy and energetic prosecution, weuld ap pear to be gaining ground along the line, and there is reason to believe that the coun'ies through which it is to pass will pretty generally avail themselves of the powers conferred by the amended charter, and come forward with county subscriptions. We un derstand that the Grand Jury, at the Superior Court of Anson county, held a week or two since, made a unanimous recommendation to this effect. Of course, the power of submitting the question, is vested in County Court, who, before making any subscription, must derive the authority to do so from a vote of the citizens of the county upon the question, when sub mitted to them. We mention this recommendation made by the Superior Court Grand Jury simply as an indication of feeling and opinion. We notice that Hon. Stephen R. Mallory, one of the Senators from Florida, passed through this place on Tuesday last on his way from Washington City to his home at Key West. Mr. M. has just taken his seat for another term of six years. Florida has gotten to sending mighty good Democratic Senators, and Mr. Mallory is one cf them. - Death or Bon. D. T. Disney. Washington, March 14. Hon. David T. Disney, ex-member of Congress from Ohio, died to-day. - South and the " Administration. Political r Strength In the next Congress. , . Nearly a week sine we tok a brief nnd rapid survey of the political events of the four years com mencing .with the inauguration of General Pierce and ending with the inauguration of Mr. Buchanan. As we saw, Mr. Pierce entered upon the discharge of bis public duties under a political sky apparently without a cloud he retired from his high position with all the leading measures of his policy approved by the country and sanctioned by the courts. Yet, in the interval, what fierce opposition did he have to encounter, to what unlimited denunciation was he subjected. We dislike to use the word crisis, since it has been perverted to mean anything or nothing j but if ever, in peaceful tiroes, there has been a crisis in the affairs of this country, there was one during the closing half of Mr. Pierce's administration. That crisis is past for a time, at least yet those who dream that it is past forever, read the sigbs of the times but unskillfully. Neither the law of the land, as announced by the courts, nor the distinct settlement of vexed questions upen constitutional f principles by Congress, can secure the country against the disturbing agencies to be set at work by those who preach a " higher law " than th constitution, who pretend to recognize obligations paramount to those which that instrument imposes. Is it not, under these circumstunres. a duty which the people of the South owe to their country, to avoid, as far as possible, all unnecessary causes of division among themselves ? Must they not feel that Mr. Buchanan's administration will have to stand the brunt of attack and opposition from the concentrated force of the abolition power of the North that the blows thus aimed at Mr. Buchanan's administration will be, in fact, blows aimed at the rights and inter ests of the South ? Surely these things are so. Surely the fact that they are so ought to impress upon the people of the Southern States the necessity- nay, the duty of sustaining the administration against the attacks of sectional fanaticism. How is the adminisliation to be sustained, now that it has been placed in power by the almost unan imous vote of the Southern States ? Certainly not by the election of its opponents to Congress, but by sending to both Houses such men as will give to it a cordial and hearty support who will rejoice in Us successes or mourn over its defeats who will not simply go with it in some matters, but with it in all essential measures of policy. The anti-Administration Congressmen of the North are a unit. There may have been talk once of "Re publicans" and " Americans," and all sorts of dis tinction?, without any appreciable sort of difference, but now all that is merged in opposition to the South; and, of the men elected from the North to seats in the next House, the South has not a friend that we know of outside of the Democratic party. Does it, or does it not appear that, as a mere matter of policy, it would be best for the South to send a delegation to Congress that can fully affiliate with the only friends we have from the North, who can etneert measures with them and of course co-operate mora effectually to hold abolitionism in check than could men divided from ibem by political jealousies and antagonisms. Is this a proper time for dividing the Southern people by exhuming from the graves to which they have been consigned, schemes which have been repu diated by the country time and again, and which can now only share the same fate, after having been the occasion of possible excitement and division ? The battle at the North is mainly over for the present. At any rate, all, or nearly all, of the Con gressional elections in the Northern States have been held. Supposing the Southern States yei to elect, to send precisely the same character of delegations to the next Congress, that they sent to the last, then the Democratic party will still want seven votes of a majority in the House. The strict Democratic vote in the last Congress was some seventy-five or seventy-six. In the event of no change being made in the States yet to eleoi, the Democratic vote in the next House will be one hundred and eleven. One hundred and eighteen is a majority. It will he seen frcm this, that there is already a very great gain from the state of things at the open ing of the Congress whose term expired by limitation on the fourth of this month This change has main ly been brought about at tbe North by the reaction of the constitutional feeling of the country against the isms of the day. If the North has already gone so far to sustain this conservative administration, may we not reasonably expect that the small balanoe of gain necessary to bring the House, the Senate and the Executive into a position of harmony, can easily be given by the South ? It is our purpose to exam ine into the issues to which we have referred, as be ing brought forward to distract the Scuth to expose again their ofi exposed fallacies, and show how and why the South should reject all these attempts made to divide her, and come up as one man to sustain those who sustain ber; but the lateness of the hour, and the length to which this article Las already grown, admonishes us to close for the present. There used to be two old-world notions that perplexed our juvenility exceedingly, and we often fa tigued our childish legs in vain pursuit of the famous ' crock of go'd'' that was sure to be found under either abutment of a rain-bow when you could find out the precise spot upon which it stood and once, at least, we spent a day watching a lro3e flag stone that lay not very far from the dor r, iu constant expecta tion of seeing it turn over of i's own accord, in com pliance with the old saying, th:t on St. Patrick's Day the warm side of the stone was to turn upwards, by which saying was, no doubt, indicated that about the 17th of March, the spring ought to set in, and the surface of the earth become warmed by the sun's rays. Well, time has taught us the moral of tbe one, and tbe philosophy of the other. The rain-bow elu ded our search, and always moved away as we pur sued it, like many a hope and ambition since ; the crock of gold was unfound the bright colors of the falling rain were only bright when seen in the dis tance, like anticipated pleasure, clad in the hues of youthful imagination in the morning of life; or, and the point of view for that will soon be reached, like the irridescence cast by fond but melancholy retro spection over the scenes of our departed youth, gild ing the point from which we started, a6 the setting sun only makes rain-bows in that east from which he went forth on his daily circuit. To-morrow will be that very remarkable anniver sary, known as St. Patrick's Day, and the weather for a day or two past seems to indicate that tbe warm side of things will really be upwards, and the spring at last be upon us ; but whether it will stay so or not, we cannot pretend even to guess, any more than we can assign a reason for the 17th of March being call ed Patrick's Day t the morning, unless thereby we are to understand that the worthy Saint was a gen tleman of industrious habits, and an early riser ; or that Mrs. Patrick, senior, presented the world in gen eral, and old Mr. Patiick in particular, with a youth ful saint befcrt breakfast, and before night was " as well as could be expected." We trust that the worthy lady was better. We confess to some measure of unbelief in the le gend which represents St. Patrick an a Highlandman, who sailed over to Ireland on a paving-stone. No thing is impossible, but this strikes ais as being a lit tle improbable. " HighlajSl men, then and sicce, were more distinguished by pugnacity than piety of the or der of 8aintship, and Mlie power of using paving stones as sea-going vessels is among the lost arts. But these little matters had better he left for the researches of some future Prescott or Macauley, who may find important documents in the arcbives of Sleivegammon, or some other gammon, calculated to throw light upon the paving-stone theory of naviga tion, and perhaps render essential service to the na val defences of the country. Daily Journal of the tk inst. Mr. Dobbin at Home. On the 12th inst. a public meeting of citizens of Fayetteville was held at the Town Hall, in that place, pursuant to the call of tbe Mayor, tbe objeot being t" give expression to the feelings of affection and re spect with which Mr. Dobbin is regarded by his friends and neighbors, without distinction of party, and to extend to him a welcome home in accordance with those feelings. At the meeting suitable resolu tions were passed, and a committee appointed to make arrangements for a public reception, but, on its being understood that the state of Mr. Dobbin's health would render it unadvisable for him to parti cipate in any public demonstration, it was subse quently resolved to spate him the excitement and fa tigue necessarily attendant upon such an occasiont and at a meeting of the committee of arrangements, held on Friday, it was ordered simply that a salute of thirteen guns be fired at the river, that the Marshall Major O'Hanlon and E. J. Hale, Esq., meet Mr. Dobbin on the boat, present him an address in writing, and furnish a fuitablo conveyance for himself and suite to his residence. On Saturday, Mr. Dobbin arrived, materially bet tered by a most comfortable night on the boat. He was accompanied by Dr. Wheelan, chief of the Med ical and Surgical Bureau of the Navy. Hon. War ren Winslow was also a passenger on the Magnolia, having accompanied Mr. Dobbin from Washington City. On his arrival, the programme arranged was car ried out. The following are the resolutions adopted at a meeting of the citizens of Fayetteville, held on the 12th inst.: Vhereas, We have learned that our distinguished and esteemed fellow-citizen, the Honorable James C. Dobbin, will arrive in this place on Saturday next: and whereas wo are desirous to bid him welcome home with some marks of our high respect (or him as a statesman, who has reflected honor upon him self, upon the country, and upon his native State and ! town, 3y his admirable administration of the Navy Department for the last four years : and whereas we feel peculiar pride in him as our friend and townsman, who in all his high positions has cherished for this ! community an unchanged feeling of affection andj lively interest : Therefore Resolved, That for the purpose of ex- pressing to him our sense of the honor he has reflect ed especially upca his native town, and of awarding to him that approval which is alike dm- to unbending integrity and unswerving fidelity in the discharge of duty, we tender to him, upon his arrival, a publio reception. Resolved, That a committee of thirteen be appoint ed to make all necessary arrangements for carrying into effect the desire of this meeting. As already stated, the public reception was dispens ed with in consequence of the feeble s ate of Mr. Dobbin's health . The following is the address of the Citizens, together with Mr. Dobbin's reply : To the Hon. Jas. C. Dobbin : Sir! The duty assigned us, by the citizens of Fayetteville, of tendering to you a cordial welcome to your home in their midst, would indeed be a most agreeable one, if we could adequately express their feelings and our own, of respect for the public ser vant, and of affection for the private individual, whom we are proud to call our fellow citizen. j It is meet that the people should honor those who have faithfully discharged public duties, who have! used power without abusing it, who have sought to attain no mere private ends at the public expense. You, 6ir, have done more than this. You have so tempered authority with kindness, so blended moder ation with firmness, as to have secured universal re spect among the gallant spirits whom you have com manded during the past four years. You have not only maintained your good name at home, in your beloved North Carolina, but have established an en viable reputation throughout this broad Union, and even in that patt ol Europe wheie American superi ority is most unwillingingly acknowledged. It becomes us, therefore, 'o welcome the faithful and efficient and self-sacrificing public servant, who surrenders the seals of office with integrity as unsul lied as his fame is briiliaut and enduring. But you stand in a nearer; relation to us. ft we honor you as a public man, we love you as a friend. Those among ua whose heads have been touched by the frosts of 1 ime, remember your early years, so abounding in all that is exemplary, so rich in prom ise of a noble career of honor and usefulness. "The Boy was Father to the Man." You have blighted no hope then formed by your friends, discarded no right principle then nurtured in your young mind. Political life, that rock on which so many reputations have foundered, has but illuminated an integrity which, however rare among political men in other sections of the country, is characteristic of those of North Carolina, and warmly cherished by her peo ple. With Buch recollections of your boyhood, your manhood, and your maturer years, your fellow citi zens of Fayetteville with one heart welcome you to Home ! And with one voice implore the Disposer of all events thai it may bo to you, for many, many years, a Home of Health and Happiness! We have the honor to be, Your frienJs and fellow citizens, E. J. HALE, JOHN McRAE, T. S. LUTTERLOH, JOHN H. COOK, J. W. PEARCE, SAM'L. W. TILLING HAST, CHARLES T. HAIGH, W. DRAUGHON, A. A. McKETHAN, A. J. O'HANLON, C. B. MALLETT, J. W. SANDFORD, EDWARD LEE WINSLOW, A. McLEAN. Fayetteville, March 14, 1857. Saturday Evening, March 14, 1857. Gentlemen: Your letter of "welcome home again," ju6t handed to me, is so cordial, clothed so richly in the glowing language, not of mere kindness, but of a regard approachiog enthusiasm so touching in its allusion to my humble personal career from the days of my boyhood to the present time, t.iat I am too full of emotion to reply to it. Although gladdened and comforted with the con viction that I have struggled arduously to serve well my country, 1 cannot but fear that you have done me more than justice, and applauded me beyond my merits. But, my friends, this is our own home affair, this is a family matter and instead of a formal " glad to see you home once more," the members of tbe family choose to obey the impulses of generous hearts and warmly embrace a returned brother after a four years' absence. This hearty greeting fnm home friends and neighbors, accompanied by an an proval and admiration of my conduct as a public servant, is, I assure you, to me above all price. The record of it shall be filed in my unpretending little family arcnives, 10 do reau ana prized hereafter by my cnuaren. "With profound sincerity I state, that I accented the tiust which President Pierce so unexpectedly tendered me, with unaffected d.ffidence, because I trembled lest I might not do justice to my State. which 1 well knew had within her limits eminent and experienced statesmen, who could not only do much more to sustain her reputation than myself, bat by their ability fling around her name additional halo. This feeling ot State pride animated me to redoubled energy. The approbation of the people of my own State, I felt, would gratify me above all else. Well therefore, can you imagine how keenly how' deeply, I feel these frequent manifestations of approval and satisfaction by the people of my own State. Joyously, and with a light heart indeed, have I surrendered tbe cares and responsibilities and piide of office. Gladly do I return once more to my native State, always dearer to her sons w ho ' hai e had op portunity to compare her, "in all her qualities," with others. Her soil is fertile, her mines inexhaustible, her water power abundant, her air balmy and health ful, her geographical position desirable, viewed in connection with either foreign or domestic trouble, and above all, her population (in my opinion) is the best in the world. In 6uch a State I am willing to live and to die. But my very great debility is warning me that 1 am attempting too much, and must close. I thank you, gentlemen, for the very kind and gratifying manner in which you have discharged your duty. I still love the old town. Born in sight of Cross Creek, and within hearing of the sound of the old Eccles Mill, I shall still love to linger near the se haunts ; to wander along the gay banks of that lovely stream, and eaze upon the wall of the old mill, which will yet be as lively and clatter as merrily as ever. This old town will vet look vounar and proud again. If God should allow a shattered constitution to be re paired, I shall he fo.ind in your midst, helping to do the work. I have the honor to subscribe myself, very sincere Iv and truly, your friend and obedient servant, J. C. DOBBIN. To Messrs. E. J. Hale, John McRae, T. S. Lut terloh. J. H. Cook. J. W. Pearce, S. VV. Til- linghast, C. T. Haigh, W. Draughon, A. A. Mc Kethan, A. J. O'Hanlon, C. B. Mallett, J. W. Sand ford, E. L. Winslow, A. McLean, Committoo State News. They had three inches of Snow at Hillsboro' in this State on Friday the 13th inst. It commenced snowing about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and contin ued until after dark. In the Wayne and Raleigh Districts--the 2nd and 4th now or lately represented by Messrs. Ruffin and Branch, movements appear to be on foot for calling Democratic conventions. With the local affairs of these districts we do not wish to interfere. Judging by the published expressions of opinion, it would ap pear certain that the old members in these dis tricts will be renominated. They are capital Dem ocrats and able and clever gentlemen. By the way, now that we are upon the subject, we may notice an assertion made in a late issue of the Raleigh Register, to the effect that Mr. Branch goes for tbe distribution of the public lands. Not more than two weeks before the adjournment of Congress, Mr. Branch stated freely to us in conversation, that he was not in favour of distribution, nor any other system of squandering. In regard to the district lately represented by Mr. Puryear.we are yet without definite information. It is not by any means certain that Mr. Puryear will be the candidate in August next. One thing is cer tain there will bo no clashing between Mr. Scales and Mr. Set.Ie, on the democratic side, as the Her ald of this place seemed to anticipate in some re marks, publislud, perhaps, two weeks ago. This we happen to know. Canal Tolls 011 Coal. The question of the ntes of toll on Coal, charged by Canal Companies at the North is a matter which has been talked of in connection with the Deep River work, and is a matter of more than curiosity to those who take an interest in that work. In looking over a Philadelphia paper last evening, our eye fell upon the following advertisement of the President of the Schuylkill Navigation Company. It will be seen that the charge includes use of cars. There are some short Roads connecting the different mining districts with the canal, and it is on these that the cars are employed the use of which is charged for. The pre cise length of tbe Navigation we are unable now to state. It is not far from ninety miles, as it ia protty nearly parallel with the Reading and Pottsville Rail road : Schuylkill Navigation Company. Offict of the Schuyl kill Navigation Co., March lith, 1S57. The charge for tbe use ot CARS and for TOLL on Anthracite C oal carried on the Schuylkill Navigation will bs as follows, until further notice : FROM Plymouth Dam. Bridgeport , Norristown Valley Forge. Rover's Ford Poitstown Landing. o 1 S -2 o X .s p-t S qj Cui Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. 65 64 62 50 65 64 62 50 60 59 57 50 60 59 57 50 60 59 57 50 55 54 52 45 55 54 52 45 50 49 47 40 50 49 47 40 50 49 47 40 50 49 47 40 45 44 42 37 45 41 42 37 45 42 42 37 43 40 40 36 41 40 38 34 38 37 35 31 38 37 35 31 33 87 35 31 35 34 32 28 30 29 27 00 The charge will be per ton of 2210 lbs., less five per cent allowance for waste, as usual, and no charge less than twenty-five cents per ton will be made for any distance. &y order of the Managers, F. FRALEy, President. j8The elements were excited last night. The wind blew, and the rain rained, and tbe lightning lightened ; and the thunder thundered, and the shut ters banged, and the dogs barked, and there was tbe equinox, and ail other sort of knocks about, and the weather to day is cold, and feels like hail. These rapid changes are unpleasant ; they affect the physical system like a sudden contraciion of the cuirency does the bueiness system. They cut things off amazingly, especially if they happen to be at all green, and many a blossom that, if blessed with fa voring skies would be the forerunner of abundant fruits at the proper time, is nipped in the bud, and fruits and profits alike gone. Indeed, we feel like moralizing, because we don't feel good for much else, under the existing state of the thermometer. Let the mercury stand as it did for a few weeks in February, at say sixty or seventy, and the young shoots ami sprouts and buds and all that sort of thing venture forth in their verdant inno cence, so green that they don't know any better. Then let it get down to under thirty, and they are used up vegetables. Just so under a temporary ex pansion. All sorts of young adventures spring up and expand, but never mature, because the cbi'ling contraction comes and cuts them off, and all hands feel bad. Medical Graduates. The following gentlemen from North Carolina are among those whose names appear in the list of gradu ates at the Jefferson Medical College of Philadel phia, recently published : William S. Bryan, J. C. Jordan, J. G. Camp, John H. M'Ader, J. Madison Eail, George W. Parker Edwin F. Hollingsworth, R. L. Payne, ' William H. Howerton, John W. Sanford jr John T. Hunt, Edmund Strudwick, " A. Benning Johns, jr., Thomas J. Watlington. At the New York University were the following graduates, also from this State : Douglas P. Beatv, William L. Brown, James B. Clifton, John C. Dickens, Du ponceau Hooper, W. L. Jordan, Isaac W. Jones, James M'Guire, Henry B. Ross, Jao.es L. Teel, Frederick A. Toomer, Donald Williams. Indiana Contested Election. Washington, March 14.This election was not decided by the Senate to-day, consequently it goes over to the next session. Two "Week Later from California. The Steamer George Law arrived at New York on the 16th inst., with dales from San Francisco to the 20th nit., having sailed from Aspinwall on the 6th inst. She brings upwards of $1 ,000,000 in specie The George Law connected with the G. L Steven on the Pacific side. The latter passed the Go'den Gate, with the New York passengers of the 5th of February ; also, the fconora, w ith passengers f mm New York on the 20tb of February. All well. The George Law touched at Havana on the lith Spoke on the 10th, off Cape St. Antonio, the steamer Granada for Aspinwall. The United States frigate Independence was lying off Panama. Among the passengers are Gen. Wool, Col. Casey, and Lieut Bissell, of the United States army. The steamer Sierra Nevada left San Francisco on the 30th February, with several hundred recruit's for Gen. Walker. The general news from California is unimportant. Mining reports from the interior are rather favorable. There had been heavy rains in various parts of the State, causing ranch damage The markets wero extremely dull. Flour was quoted at with several arrivals from the Atlan tic ports during the fortnight. The Calif on ia legislature had impeached Dr. Bates the State treasurer, and G. W. Whiteman, comptrol' ler, for misappropriating Slate funds to the amount of $250,000. Bates resigned, and James English of Saciamento, succeeded him. ' Twelve of a band of robbers who recently murder cd Sheriff Barton have bcn hung by the people of San Diego. An affray had taken place at San Francisco be tween F. A. Cohen, the banker, and Thomas Kini editor of the Bulletin, and brother of the late James King. Cohen was the aggressor, and received his deserts by being shot ihrough the jaws. Both were arrested, but King was discharged. Several companies of filibusters are bein onran ized in the interior in aid of Walker. A bill to legalize the State debt had been introdu ced into the Senate, and will undoubtedly pass Two shocks of an earthquake occurred at San Fran cisco on the evening of the 5th. Great consternation prevailed, but no damage was done. The Indians had made an attack upon the Pitt Riv er valley settlements, in Shasta county, and murder ed all the inhabitants remaining there, besides burn ing all tho houses, and killing all the horses, cattle &c. The largest pait of the inhabitants had pre viously left the valley, with tbe intention of return ing in the spring. J. M. Rhodes, banker, of Sacramento, one of the bondsmen of Bates, the State treasurer, has rms. pended. A large body of filibusters had cone to Sonom. tn join Gandara. Advices from La Paz, on the Mexican coast, state that Gen. Blancarte had seized all the vessels in the harbor, nuttinff them under embargo, and he was tn a v- CJ ' leave in a few days, with 700 men, for the capital. iufiues irora me urrcai sail JaKe ci ine tn ol January inform us that Heber Kimball had been eiecieu presiueni oi ine council. Oregon dales of the 12th of February state that an Indian outbreak had occurred near Fort Sincoe. Four white men and a large number of cattle were carried off. There had been great mortality among the cattle in the neighborhood of the Dalles, one-fourth of which had perished. By advices from Washington Territory we learn that the State legislature adjourned on the 29th of January, after having censured Gov. Stevens for his course in the Indian war and the martial law affair. Dates from Australia of December 2 say that the mines are yielding immensely. A fire had occurred at Adelaide, destroying property to the amount of half a million of dollars. The following from the Blue Ridge Republican, a paper published in Virginia, will apply , with equal force to North Carolina : Virginia's Q,uota of the Public Land. Among the most practical confutations of the ar guments and appeals of the opposition, in favor of claiming Virginia's share of the public lands, and particularly with reference to the repudiated forty Hiuua.inu uuuui uciuon, is lue i uiiowinr irom me Tl 1 ti i I n in ... tsiue litage ixepublican. which we commend tn thp consideration of all sceptics on the subject : The Virginia Land Qpota -What is it ? A large portion of ihe monev in the. Troaonrv r tv United States is raised bva taxnn artUanoor;! consumed by the mass of the people such as cotton aim wuumu uioma, Drown sugars, salt and iron. Of th ese articles about one-third is imported fiom abroad, anu me remamuer is manutacturea m this country, mostly in the Northern and Eastern States. When the importer pays the tariff tax into tha United Sn.toa r ... . kiivvj Treasury, he of course adds this to the prime cost of uia goouB, una geis it oacK irom tne consumer in the increased price. The home manufacturer raises his price also, just in the proportion in which the impor ter raises the price of the same article manufactured abroad. The tariff tax thus raises the price of the article manufactured at home, as well as of that man ufactured abroad. By the operation of this tariff sys tem the consumer is made to pay money not only "in to the United States Treasury, but also into the pock els of the manufacturers of the North. Consequent ly, the manufacturing interests at the North have always clamored for a high tariff tax while tbe con suming classes at the South have demanded a low tariff. The more money that can be thrown eut of the United States Treasury the greater is its demand for high tariff taxes. ' Heucethe Northern manufac turing interests are anxious to strip the United States Government of every source of revenue except what may be derived from a tax on imports. By distribu ting the proceeds of the public lands the necessity for high tariff duties is increased to the extent of the sum of money thus taken out of the Federal Treasury. "When the Whig party got into power in 1841, this policy prevailed. Although there was a deficit in the Treasury, and they had to borrow twenty mil lions to support ihe Government, the Whig Congress passed a law distributing among the States at large, after- donating 15 per cent, to the new States, the proceeds of the sales of the public lands that had been received for the year past. Under this law the quota payable to Virginia was some $40,000. In 1842 the Virginia Legislature, denouncing the distribution policy as a fraud, refused to touch one cent of the money. The question was tried repeatedly before tho people of Virginia, and the Legislature was sus tained by ihe popular verdict again and again. -For the last five or six years the question has been but little agitated, and it was generally supposed that all further effort to disturb the deliberate judgment pronounced by Virginia, fifteen years ago, wasaban tioned. In its utter destitution of issues, after all its humbugs have been exploded, poverty-stricken Know Nothingism rakes out of the ruins this forgotton ques tion, and proclaims the discovery of a rich treasure. With its wonted mistrust of the popular intelligence, and its accustomed confidence in its power to delude the public mind, it professes itself able and ready, with this land fund, to relieve the burden of the State taxes. It becomes our duty to expose this last hum bug of the enemy, and snatch even this last crumb fiom the eager hands of the poor starveling. If this whole $40,000 were at once received into the State Treasury, it would for one single year re duce the tax 3 of one cent on the hundred dol lars! Instead of 40 cents on the hundred dollars, the tax would be 39i cents. A man owing $1,000 worth of property would pay 6$ cents less than be now does, and a man owning 10,000 worth would pay 62 cents lest. The tax on a negro would be two cents less than it now is. It would consume the whole $40,000 to give us this much relief for one sin gle year. This is all that the poor Know-Nothing can promise to do for us. It is even less. For ihe proposition heretofore made has been to put this money into the literary fund and only apply the an nual interest to public uses. A tax of 1 24 part of a cent on the hundred dollars would raise as much as this annual interest. Or, in other words, a levy of 4 cents on every $10,000 worth of property would raise as much annual revenue as the interest on this land fund. Is there any Democrat worth $10,000 who will take 4 cents for his principles ? Would any Democrat worth $100 take 1 24 part of a cent lor the privilege of recording his vote against his parly ? " Such is the bald humbug with which the attempt is now made to deceive the people and allure them into the embrace of Know Nothingism. We thall, in future numbers, continue the consideration of the subject in its various aspects of unconstitutionality immorality and inexpediency, and if we- do not satis fy every dispassionate person of all three, we shall be more mistaken than we have ever been in any similar controversy. Eloped. Miss Mollie Massie Gibbs, the Virginia Jenny land, is said to have eloped with a British no bleman, per steamer for England. "
Wilmington Journal [1844-1895] (Wilmington, N.C.)
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March 20, 1857, edition 1
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