Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-01-23
Capt. John Walker.

The Senator from Mecklenburg delivered in the
Senate yesterday an eloquent and vehement speech
on the state Of the country. Hespoke for an hour,
and was listened to with much attention. -:
We shall not attempt to report Capt Walker,
lest we should do him injustice. We agree with
him in some things, and disagree with him in 9TH
ers. We believe in remaining in the Union and
demanding our rights, and We plant ourselves on
the Crittenden resolutions. We do not look to
Congress to settle the question, but we look to the
States Let the people of the free States be heard
at the ballot-box on the Crittend.n propositions;
let them say, once for ALL whether they win do us
justice. If they respond favorably, as we believe
they will, the Union will be saved-the Constitu.
ton will be restored and Mr. Lincoln and his party
will be hurled from power in 1884 but If they de.
beratey refuse to give US in substance the propo.
sitions of the Senator from Kentucky, then we will
call upon the Southern people to stand to their arms
That is what we mean by Preparing, and Watching
and Wditiny<|We went for the bill to arm the
State,-that was preparation, but we got no credit
for it. We urged the Governor to convene the
Legislature a year ago. that the State might be
armed, when arms could have been procured With
out heavy sacrifice Of our State bonds. We re-
ceived no thanks for that but, on the contrary,
censures and lectures to be quiet We are opposed
to secession separate State action Separate State
action, at this crisis especially, and account of
Lincolns election, would end in civil war; in militia
ry despotsm, and in the destruction of slave prop
erty. Lot US gire the Northern people time. They
are not determined to oppress, coerce degrade
US. They know better, and we believe large ma.
jorty Of them feel better towards u.s. 1t took four
teen years to establish the present Union-seven
years Of fire and blood, and seven Of anxious and
solemn thought; and shall we dissolve it in a few
weeks or months, God forbidl LIE. US save it.
if we can and let us use the means and give the
time to save it. We do not believe that the best
plan to save the Union, to reconstruct the Union
is to break it up, as South Carolina, Alabama, and
other Southern States are doing.
But we will not pursue the subject further to-day
Col Brown, in reply to Capt Walker by way Of
personal explanation declared-what every Just man
must have felt to be true-that he knew nothing,
and thought Of nothing at this crisis but the good
Of his country that if he could obtain position in
no other way than by rising the ruins of his coun
try, he would infinitely prefer to be unnoticed and
unknown; and that he would scorn the highest post
in the world if its acceptance should depend on the
sacrifice on his part to the slightest extent of bis
principles or his sense of duty.
Far be it from US to asssail Capt John Walker
Werespect and esteem him, and we know him to be
honest The friendship Of other days, and the gal
liant and manly manner in which he stood by US or
a former occasion, alike forbid that zoe should
assail him under any circumstances. But We mus
tell our friend that We are just as far from being
| submissionst as he is and that-as we expect tc
answer at the great day o. iudgment-we are gov
erned solely in our conduct in this crisis by sin
cere desire to do all We can, in our humble sphere
| to shield and save our beloved country. We art
not thinking Of parties or Of Office, of what tn.
future may reveal SO far as VIC are personally
| concerned. The old parties are extinct. If new
ones should be formed under written Constitutions
our creed will be, as it now is-A strict construc
tion Of the Cdnstitution the reserred rights Of tn
States; opposition TO olgarchiss and aristoeracies
and the greatest good of tile greatest number. Tha
! is what We call Democracy.