Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-04-24
1RAuAM Dawes, Pripak Secretary.

The Border States must Unite and Act!
The proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, which we
publish to-day, has completed the standardization
of the country. The two extremes are now arrayed
against each other with warlike purposes, and the
only hope for peace is in the border States. They
may interpose and stay the hand Of brother uplted
against brother w -.
We shall not discuss the past. We have no re-
grets to express and nothing to ret.fact. We glory
in our course as Constitutional Union man. The
Union are, least, "gutless of their countrys
blood" They have !abored long and faithfully, un-
der opprobriu.n and insults to save the government
and the Union, and at the same time their own ma
tive land. But revolution and war are now upon
US. The time for watching and waiting" has gone
by-we must now UNITE and ACT. The Union
cannot be maintained by force. Men cannot be
whipped into freedom. Freemen cannot be COM
\pelled to send members of Congress to Washington
The proclamation Of Lincoln is gross usurpation.
He has broken the Constitution. He has assumed
! and is now exercising undelegated power. He has
deceived, and would now ruin his country. The
Confederate States have grievously erred, they
fired the first gun at Charleston,-they provoked
the war; admit all this, and still there is usti6
cation for attempt on the part Of Mr.. Lincoln to
involve the whole country in war and bloodshed.-
| He looks to devastation" That is war. He says
it shall be as light possible. Unchan the tornado
and then bid it become a zephyr!-command Ma
CARA to freeze as it falls! Civil is the worst Of
all wars. 1t is worse than devastation ut is
spoliation, anarchy, arson murder, rape annihlla-
| ton
We have read the late Northern papers carefully
and sadly. The Northern people appear to be uni
ting by large majorties against us. The attack on
Fort Sumter reused and banded them-the procla-
nation of the President fred and cemented them in
one common purpose, and that purpose is ,0ar to
the knys We cannot become parties to the suhju-
CATION of our Southern brethren. The federal
government cannot be maintained by force applied
to sorereign States. Local combinations and insur.
rections may be put down by force, and should be
but to attempt to drive and subdue sovereign States
by armies is to exercise unjust undelegated, arb
trary power. They people Of North Carolina would
not call for this, in any event, towards Massachu
sets or Maine; and they will not submit to it when
attempted towards the Confederate States. We
must unite and command the peace, if possible; il
we fail in that, zoe must yght This is the duty o.
the border States. They will prove equal to the
crisis. They can muster five hundred thousani
fighting men. They will take Washington City, i
necessary, and hold it and they will continue thu
conflict if it be forced upon them, until the presen
federal government is demolished and new on'
established on its ruins. ... . G., %. ...- F., D..
W- If Mr. Lincoln had only insisted on holding
the federal property, and had called in good faitl
for troops to defend Washington City, the Uniol
men of the border States could have sustained him
But he "crossed the Rubicon" when he called 70
troops to subdue the Confederate States. That wa
proclamation of war, and as such will be resisted
# The Hornets Nest Rifemen, Of Charlotte
pad ID through this City on Friday morning last 70
! Fort Macon. The Hillsborough and Salisbury com
panies will pass down this morning, and ID Cabar
rus company on Monday morning. s i.r,.s. las l.
The forts in the eastern part of this State will 500
4 be thoroughly manned. rr tgt. !. e5stataa
T We are authorized 70 state that Col. Geo1
r;ttIe of this nlaca has declined the Office of g