Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-09-26

! WILL You ANSWER, GENTLEMEN ?9Will the Stan
dard, Press, Journal and other Breckenridge papers
m North-Carolna answer this question? Do you
think it would be dishon0ra6k in citizens Of North
Carolina and Of other Southern States to hold Office
under Lincoln in the event of his election-and do
you think that the election and Inauguration of Lin
coin according to the provisions of the Constitution
will afford sufficient cause for dissolution of the
Union by the Southern States Withdrawing their
representatives from Congress and rebelng against
Federal authority ?-NeWbern Progress.
is not for us to say that it would be dishonora-
BILE in citizen of North Carolina to accept office
under President who had been elected according
to the forms of the Constitution. We can answer
only for ourself in this respect; and we say we
would not, in any event. under any circumstances
accept or hold Office under Mr. Lincoln But while
say this we do not think that the mere election
of black Republican according to the forms of the
Constitution, especially under present circumstan-
ces, would be sufficient cause for dissolving the
Union. We of the South believe in and intend to
maintain the Constitution. With us the words the
Constitution are SYNONYMOUS with the words the
Union. They are one and the same. Let us, then,
exhaust all the pooers Of the Constitution in SELF
defence, or cfensirely If necessary, before pro
ceed to destroy the eristng federal government and
set up ne~ gorernments The federal government is
government not of numbers, not of discordant and
warning sovereigntes but of Constitutional MAORI
ties. When that government becomes destructive
Of the great ends for which it established it will
be the right and the duty of the people to abol-
ish it.
Are you answered, Mr.. Pennington? If not, we
will define position in different language In
speech /" Grafton" which we had the honor to de-
liver before the citizens of Raleigh on the 4th of
July, 1856, we said:
"Who can estimate in dollars and cents, the
worth of this Constitution, or the value of the uni
ted American name? Can the North do it? Let
her attempt it, and she will start back in dsmay
from the gulf that yawns before her. Can the
South? In defence of her honor and of her Consti-
tutona rights she will not calculate but she will
dare and do if the hour should come which NAV
Providence evermore forbid! If this Union should
ever be destroyed, it will be done by such tri-
umph and such predominance of sectional power
as to leave no hope to the minority; or by palpa-
BILE violation disregard by all the departments of
the government, of the Constitution, which is the
bond of the Union. Either would, in ITSELF be dis
solution. The South would deplore, and would feel
the catastrophe; but no man could say that her
folly or her madness did it. If not entirely blame
less in all this sectional strife yet part of the
sponsibilty for the Crime Of DisunlOR could be
placed upon her.
These were our sentiments then, and they are our
sentiments now We are for BRECKENRIDGE, the
CONSTITUTION and the UNION. We are neither a
submssionist nor a disunionist