Franklin Repository
Page covered by national and world stories.
Page largely covered by advertisements
Page covered by advertisements and miscellany
Gov. Packer's Annual Message
Excerpt:
Full Text of Article
Gov. Packer's Annual Message appeared in the Spirit last week without a solitary word of comment, pro or con, upon its merits, or without ever saying to the reader--"In this number of the Spirit will be found Gov. Packer's first annual Message." Had his Excellency denounced the sale of the Public Works, our neighbor would have thrown up his hat in ecstasy; had he favored the Free Trade policy of the English Merchants and Manufacturers--a policy that has been forced upon the Democratic party by its wild and reckless Southern leaders, and which has worked so disastrously to the great interests of our own county--a chuckling grin would and he would have and he would have [sic] clapped his hands with joy; had the Message contained an argument in behalf of the beauties of Slavery and of the Slave Trade, it would have been, doubtless, eulogized by our neighbor as one of notible [sic] merit, and its author, as a Democrat of the straightest sect; had the Governor advocated the extreme views of the Southern leaders of the Democratic party-views that germinate only in the hot-beds of nullification and disunion--the Spirit would have urged his claims upon the Charleston Convention as its favorite candidate for the Presidency in 1860.
But Mr. Packer has seen proper to take the reverse of the above positions, and the consequence is that a large number of the so-called Democratic papers of the State are denouncing him for the independent utterance of his views, and the Spirit is a mum as the grave, which is equivalent to an open opposition.