Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-02-25

Then pledged we the wine cup and fondly fswore
Ny little ones kissd me thousand times o as,sf -
and my wife sobbd aloud In her fuiness OF heart.
Stay. stay with us.rest thou art weary and worn;
But sorrow return'd with the dawniug Of morn
And the voice in my dreaming ear melted away"
), REMARKS OF HON. D. s. GATHER,
Or NORTH. CAROLINA, .a-,.
Delicercd IN the House Of Representatives Of tho
Coyederate Congress- February II, 1858.
Mr.. Gather of North Carolina, by leave intro. r
duced series Of joint resolutions Of the State of
North Carolina indicating the loyalty of the State
and its General Assembly. After the reading of
the resolutions Mr. Gather said the State had been
greatly slandered and misrepresented, both in and
out of the State where the true sentiments of her
people were unknown. He had been greatly NOR
titled at the question frequently asked him, and
even by members of this House, 1.-THE State was not
in favor of a reconstruction of the old Union He
said he felt no hesitation in expressing the opinion,
that the resolutions just read reflect truly and fairly
the sentiments Of all parties in the State. 1t was,
unfortunately true that the State was divided into
two parties at this eventful and important crisis;
but the great and vital principles involved in the
present revolution, her people were q unit all op-
posed to q reconstruction of the old government;
all 10 favor of vigorous prosecution Of the war, and
all disposed to give the administration cordial SIP.
necessary
achieve our independence Two parties sprang up
early in the revolution, and have oeen continued
up to the present moment 1t was matter of his
tory that North-C Carolina had never sanctioned the
doctrine of constitutional secession and large ma
jority of her people believed 1t to be peace
full remedy, but upon the contrary, thought that
secession and civil war were synonymous terms,
and upon more than one occasion, her Legislature
had repudiated the doctrine. But in the winter Of
1861, after the States Of South Carolina Florida,
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana had
seeded and formed the Provisional government at
Montgomery, the Legislature of my State passed
an act, called Convention of the people to be as
selnbled in February to take into consideration the
question of secession, providing that at the election
Of delegates that the voters should cast their yces
for or against Convention. The result was, that
some eighty delegates were elected pledged against
secession and forty in its favor. On the question
of calling the Convention, a small majority of the
people decided that it should not he called. This
was the origin of the Conservative and Secession
parties in Carolina. But after the result Of
the Peace Congress at Washington, and the attack
upon Fort Sumter, and the issuing of Encolns pro-
clamation naugurating this bloody resolution call
ing upon North Carolina for her quota of troops to
suppress the Provisional government at Montgome-
~, and coefce our sister States of the South into
submission and subdue the rebellion, there was but
one voice in North. Carolina from the mountains to
SS"ooosA
A Convention was Immediately called, and the re-
suit, unanimous vote, for separation and dissou-
ton Of the bonds Of the OLD Union, and from that
day to this there his been but one sentiment Ny
State may have been SLOW but she is as 6rm IS the
rock Of ages in the position she now occupies. She
was among the last to into this Confederation
and will be one Of the last to go out of it. l might
here remark and express the opinion, that her prn-
cpal objection to it its want of nationality and
the fear entertained that it does not possess
cohesive power to bind sufficiently firm its COM
ponent parts. l may further express the opin-
ion, with propriety that in this act of separation,
that my Slate did not repudiate its long cherished
and often expressed opinion on the constitutional
RICH. Of secession, but did act upon principle and
did but exercise that natural inalienable and ele-
waited right of revolution, which is paramount to all
constitutions and forms of government and re-
cognized as existing in all civil governments, where
civil liberty is appreciated. 1t has been alleged in
some quarters that the Conservative party in my
State led BY the gallant and distinguished Vance,
was not in favor Of prosecution Of the war; and
falsely and sanderousy termed, "the peace party"
| Who said Mr. G., is Governor Vance, and what has
been his position in this revolution.
! He was a member Of the old Congress, and was 4
candidate for reelection, without opposition up to
the date of Lincolns proclamation, and immediate
ly declined and raised company of infantry, ten
dered the same to the Governor of the State, and
accepted before the ordinance of secession was
passed; afterwards promoted to Colonelcy, and
distinguished himself in the battle of Newborn,
Malvern Hill, and other battles around this city.
lie remained in the isla until called BY the people
to fill the gubernatorial chair Of the State he hav
ing been elected over very highly respectable
competitor, without q canvass, while absent from
the State in the service, by q majority of some
thirty thousand, and now heads what is called the
Conservative party in my State; and the members
of the present Legislature were elected at the same
time A large majority of both Houses is COM
posed of the Conservative party, who unanimously
honor to submit 10 State in this Confederacy had
been more prousely liberal in their blood and treas
ure than North Carolina and he need but point to
the number of her troops in the field their heroic
and gallant deeds on every battlefield her immortal
dead and wounded in the hospitals IT. this city, to
furnish ample evidences of her loyalty. As . fur
Their evidence that my State is loyal and devoted
to the cause Of the South, need but refer to the
! manner in which the conscrpt law hes been exc
cuted in that State. That law is unpopular, and.
may say in truth odious to majority fher people
4 the constiutionality of which is questioned and
doubted BY many intelligent gentlemen Of the State
and the policy Of raising troops by this mode repu
dated BY large majority Of her citizens. Yet he,
citisens, knowing that the lar he been passed by
the constitutional authorities of the government
have bowed in submission to tho supremacy of the
lev, and have yielded cheerful ac4descence in its
execution, and although other States havS been "a
yors in delays in its execution North Carolina hat
responded promptly, aud by the energy and efforts
of Governor Vance, has now in the field more con
scripts in proportion to her population, than any
other State.
1t has been likewise SAID, that Gov Vance and
the party with which be acts desires to in
fict with the Confederate government by raising
troops in the State for local Defence which is know
to every North Carolinian not to be correct, ant
that there is no wish entertained by any party t,