Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-03-06
3 s.- 'tt s.:. For the Standard
LARGE AND ENTHUSIASTIC UNION MEET
ING IN CRAVEN.

ANV IN OhhVEN.
s NEwBERS, Feb Oath, 1861.
In pursuance to a call issued On Thursday Feb
2lst one of the largest, most intelligent, and most
enthusiastic Union meetings ever held in this place.
assembled at the Theatre the night of Friday the
2Sd. The meeting was organised by calling Alex.
Justice ESQ.,, to the Chair who in an able, dgnified
and telling speech explained the object of the meet
the country, and in the language of true patriot
called upon his felloH-citzens to aid him in sup
porting the Constitution and their rights in the
Union. .rt ,.
On motion Of Mr.. John D. Flanner, Mr. A. G.
Eubanks, was requested to act as Secretary.
On motion of Mr.. John H. Haughton, the Chair
appointed committee of five to nominate candi-
dates for the approaching State Convention, con-
sisting of the following gentlemen:
Messrs. John H. Haughton, DIR. O. Hooker, j. D.
Flanner Thos Williams and Rigdon Wilson,
Having retired for = few minutes they returned,
and through their chairman, Mr. Haughton, proposed
the names Of Messrs. Charles G. Clark and w. B.
Wadsworth, which nomination was unanimously
confirmed by the meeting Calls were then made
upon Messrs. j. W. Bryan and j. H. Haughton, for
addresses.
Mr.. Bryan led off in speech, whose every word
was that of patriotism, cloquence and sound logi-
cal reasoning; reminding US by his burning and
earnest eloquence of the days Of classic Republic
of old when as now patriots spoke, and pleaded in
them most interesting account of our Revolution;
the trials and sufferings of revolutionary
tors alluded to the fact that this the birth day
OF Washington, who, if now alive, would have been
l29 years of age and who had now been dead sixty
one years; reminded the meeting of his tolls, and
sacrifices and warning voice as it had come down to
us in his farewell address. Spoke of the war of the
revolution of seven long years continuance to effect
our Independence, and that all this was to be
thrown away by the present generation in the
madness of an hour. He argued with great force
and ability, that there such doctrine recog
missed by the laws of nations secession unless it
were but another name for revolution; that as yet
there ground for revolution against the
Government of the United States; that the Con-
sttution of the United States was good enough for
us all, and in fact so good was it. that the new
Southern Confederacy of the South had adopted
it as the basis of their fundamental law; that
no aggressions had been made on the South by
the government of the United States and therefore
We had no cause of quarrel even with that govern
ment or the Constitution that the aggressions of
which We complained, an6 of which we had Just
cause to complain were committed by the northern
States, and that the northern States of themselves
| were not the United States. The northern States
| had most grieviously wronged the South, in that
they had violated by their acts and legislatures the
Constitution of the United States. and nullifieG
act of Congress- by passing their Personal Liberty
bs and that if they thus persisted in such acts Of
aggression and would not agree with us to give such
additional guarantees by way of an amendment of
the Constitution friends have proposed in the
| Crttcnden resolutions or other guarantees Of an
equivalent nature that these northern States must
leave the Union it would be good ground for driv-
ing those States out of the Union, and it would be
our duty to hold on to the government continuing
to be the United States of America and needing no
further recognition of independence by the ma
tions Of the world that the South was rightfuy in
possession Of the government, never having violated
the Constitution of the United States: the Capitol
of the United States situated in the very midst
of slave territory and We were rghtfully in posses
sion of every department Of the government; that
the true policy of the South was to hold on, until
Mr.. Lincoln had indicated his policy, and advised us
of the same; that We had had agitation enough al
ready, and that this question must be settled
never, and if his administration gave hope and
assurance of a satisfactory adjustment of this whole
matter then the South should propose her ultimat-
um and if that be refused. that there would be good
ground for revolution so far as such change could
be effected by reputation and rejection of the ad-
ministration Of Abraham Lincoln and the northern
States; that Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet must re-
move from off slave territory, and hold his Capitol
and Court in Philadelphia, New York. Boston, or
Cincinnati, and become what he is, sectional Pres
dent; that all this could be peaceably effected by
convention of all of the southern States the Capitol
|
But before this dread alternative should be adopted,
all honorable ought to be used to effect set
tlcment and compromise of our difficulties, and he
doubted not it could be done. The Democrats of
the North were crying to their political friends
Of the South to wait and come to their help,
and all would soon be right. Lincoln had been
elected on false issues, and thousands and tens of
thousands mad been induced to vote for him upon
false grounds and assurances merely to break down
the Democratic party, and had no idea that they
were to be deceived into breaking up of the Union,
and appalled, at the ruin and deception that
stared them in the face. The cry of thousands and
hundreds of thousands of the Northern people is
wait and give us chance to vote once more, and
We will give you every assurance you may desire.
That there is wisdom sometimes in mastery in.
activity, and ruin always in precipitatc rashness
by the former we have all to calmly the latter all
to lose That the Southern Confederacy would be
failure the people of these States had been rush
ed out of the Union without their consent by the
politicians, they the people, had no voice in the
matter and in fact the politicians had positively
fused to give them chance or even permission, te
vote on the subject; that all such governments
; forced upon free people without their consent
would and ought to fail that with such state o
things there must necessarily, if continued be civi
war in these States that government thus formed
: indicated the views of the politicians; that they
looked to coming back into the Union in case W,
compromised matters for it was buta provisional gov
ernment; that too only for year that there wer
already indications Of dissatisfaction with the provi
sional government the part of S. Carolina, and ma
ny were looking forward to see her secede from tn
new Confederacy that there is safety in the Union
and that out oft we knew not what would become O
us; that great and good men expressed the opinion
that the dissolution of the Union the knell o
slaoery, and it might turn out the remedy Of seees
sion would be than the disease, and South
tn thp,rso hat
nothing, for that our very dissensions had induces
England, the great purchaser of cotton, to tur
her attention other and places best for pro
s ducing and purchasing it. The great question nov
t before the people was Union or Disunion. He wa
Union man, and would hold on to the Union unit
hope bade the Union farewell-six States profess
s have left the Union of these six States five ar