Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-03-02
For the Standard.
LARGE AND ENTHUSIASTIC UNION MEET
ING IN CRAVEN.


In pursuance to 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
22d The meeting was organised by calling Alex.
Justice ESQ.,, TO the Chair who in an able dignifed
and telling speech explained the object of the meet
ing, dwelt upon the alarming and distracted state of
the country, and in the language of true patriot
called upon his fellow-citizens TO aid him in sup
porting the Constitution and their rights in the
Union. .-E- ..t
On, motion of Mr. John d. Flanner. Mr.. A. G.
Eubanks, was requested to act as Secretary
On motion of Mr.. John H. Haughson the Chair
appointed a committee of five to nominate candi-
dates for the approaching State Convention, con-
sisting of the following gentlemen: e i
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, eloquence and sound logi-
cal reasoning; reminding US by his burning and
earnest eloquence of the days Of a classic Republic
Of DID, when as now, patriots spoke and pleaded in
behalf of a torn and distracted country. He gave
them most interesting account of our Revolution;
the trials and sufferngs of revolutionary ances-
tors alluded to the fact that this was the birth day
of Washington, who, if now alive, would have been
129 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
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 was such doctrine recog
missed by the laws of nations as secession unless it
were but another name for revolution; that as yet
there was no ground for revolution against the
Government of the United States; that the Con-
stitution of the United States 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 and of which 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 previously wronged the South, in that
they had violated by their acts and legislatures the
Constitution of the United States and nufeG an
act of Congress, by passing their Personal Liberty
bills and that if they thus persisted in such acts of
aggression, and would not agree with to give such
additional guarantees by way of an amendment of
the Constitution friends have proposed in the
Crittenden resolutions other guarantees of an
equivalent nature, that these northern States must
leave the Union it would be good ground for drv-
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
further recognition of independence by the ma
tons of the world; that the South 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
0f-lo, L.
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 no hope and
assurance of 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, far such a change could
be effected by reputation and rejection of the adj
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
ident that all this could be peaceaby effected by
convention of all of the southern States the Capitol
retained at Washington and all would be well again.
But before this dread alternative should DC adopted
all honorable means ought to be used to effect set
Element and compromise of our difficulties and he
doubted not it could be done. The Democrats of
the North 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 were now 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
md
we will give you every assurance you may desire.
That there is wisdom sometimes in a mastery in
activity, and ruin always in precipitate rashneSs
BY the former 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 a chance even permission, to
vote on the subject that all such governments
forced upon free people without their consent,
would and ought to fail; that with such state of
things, there must necessarily if continued be civil
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
compromised matters for it buta provisional gov
ernment that too only for year that there were
already indications of dissatisfaction with the provi-
siona government on the part of S. Carolina and ma
ny were looking forward to see her secede from the
new Confederacy that there is safety in the Union,
and that out oft we knew what would become of
US that great and good men expressed the opinion
that the dissolution of the Union was the kneU of
siaUery, and it might turn out the remedy of
sion would be worse than the disease and our South
ern friends might find to their sorrow that cotton
nothing, for that very dissensions had induced
England, the great purchaser of cotton to turn
her attention to other and places best for pro-
ducing and purchasing it The great question
before the people was Union or Disunion. He was
a Union man, and would hold on to the Union until
hope babe the Union farewel-six States profess to
have left the Union of these six States five are
young members of the United States, and two of
them, Florida and Louisiana, were purchased with
the monies of all of the other States-eght of the
Southern States prefer to hold on to the Union,