Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-08-25

for nothing? If we had gained some great victory,
or series of Victories if our Nationality had peer
recognized abroad or il the Yankees had gotten %
fighting among themselves over their copscrlPS'o:'
there would be some sense in proposing 20 negou5
ate. And ifthe Standard and its friends VIII Wa,t
till some of these things eccllr-and we oon 'ninN
they will need to wait long-We will join them In
the hone that the Confederate administration tine
= only power that can lawfully or properly do SOL
shall dgtiH propose terms of peace and lndePeh'
dsnce or nesbtiations or an arnstics to lead TO
| them notwithstanding the refusal even to listen 10
| the formal proposition, carried to them by oop'
I missioner no less eminent than Vice President Ste
phens, as they had previously refused to listen to
the proposition of President Davis:
The Standard may not possibly be aware OF some
of the Influences that have led TO and controlled
some of these meetings. We have reason to believe
that in at least one meeting was IN great part
composed Of the immediate relations and friends OF
| number of deSerteTs who are providing about the
| woods in that neghb0rhood, and that its main OBJ.
Iect was 70 countenance the dastardly conduct OF
those deserters. Again we have heard that the
| prime movers of some OF the meetings are men be-
| tween 40 and 40, who are thus nuddying the wa
tiers for the purpose ofdevsing mode OF screen
| ing themselves from obedience to their eountry's
| call. They held no peace meetings when their
| younger neighbors were carried off to the army;
but are suddenly great peace men now that they
themselves are called to the field And still again,
friend has stated to the argument OF one OF the
called peace men, which to this effect That
peace and reconstruction would only result IN the
! abolition of slavery and as he and many others own
cd slaves they need not care their property would
be safe To say nothing of the baseness of such >
motive of action it is false in fact The yankee con-
fscation law embraces every kind of property, ne
groeS, lands furniture, goods, everything Therei
no exception whatever, and he is simply fool who
imagnes that the law will be varied to SUIT his own
case. The Court at Washington City has already
v tharuv in tv
before it, and all the property, none of which
consisted Of slaves, condemned. Besides, the
express promises to the Northern soldiers has been,
that they shall have the plantations of the Southern
people after conQueriRg them. And while the yam;
kee officers took the large possessions of the veal
thy planters, the small plantations of the non slave
holders would be the very thing to allot to the bru-
tai yankee soldiers who have been guilty of every
sort Of outrage from stealing to murder Let no
man dcude himself with an idea, which the Stan
dard is too sensible to entertain for moment that
the nonLsaveholders would be exempted if they
should be so unwise as 70 make any peace short oil
independence. -. .,-
But suppose they should be so favored as to es
cape cOnhScation, ask them how they would
manage to live in such state OF society would be
forced npon them, in which they would be the infe
rior race, kept down by yankee bayonets?
But perhaps they might purchase temporary ex-
emPtion by doing what Kentucky and Missouri and
Maryland are doing, that is by allowing themselves
to be conScribed in the yankee army. That is the
fate of those three States They undertook to stand
neutral and the consequence is they have thousands
ofunwilling soldiers IN the yankee army. But what
advantage would that be to our peace menl If OBJ
ged to fight ALL is it not far better to fight on the
side of their neghborS and friends their section and
their country, their honor and their property than
on the side of the and base and malignant and
thieVsh yankees? They must fight on one side or
the other: which shall it bel Can any sensible man.
to say nothing abont patriotism hesitate to take his
stand against the internal yankees?
Such are some of the views which we take of the
present condition of things There are others Of
more delicacy to which We refrain to allude They
presented not in the usual style of denunciation
now too common, but calmly, appealingly, even be-
seemingly Some may think it beneath their dlgni-
ty to appeal to the StGRdGLd We do not The peace .
of the State and the independence of our country
are objects of incalculable value. They would have
been far more likely to be if We had had less
of denunciation and more Of reason and persuasion
The only hope we have Of their preservation is in
the restoration of that feeling in which the whole
State, as one man, entered upon this great contest
of resistance to su6ugation. That unity can never
be restored by violence. 1t is possible that it may
be by reason, relnonstrance, fOrbearance and JUS
tce. We make an appeal, the most earnest that
we know how to frame, to the good sense and pat
riotSm Of the Standard, to .discOuntenance those
meetings. to forego the qualification of their endorse
ment OI us course ana InereOy prove that II IS IN
the highest sense worthy of respect and praise to
disceuntenance their assaults upon our common Ad-
ministration aud their worse than idle talk of peace
which the Standard knows they have no prospect Of
obtaining by such illegtmate and insufficient means
These meetings are powerless for good, aud only
productive Off blood at home and of encouragement
to our common enemy. So far as the Confederate
Administration is concerned, it is understood that
North Carolina will have no further reason to CON-
pain-that the late conference between Gov. Vance
and the President led to the most cordial good feel
iDgs, producing results perfectly satisfactory to Gov.
Vance.
The Standard has for years past treated the o.
ser1er with uniform and marked courtesy. The o.
appeals to it imporeS it not to pass unheed-
ingly by this opportunity to the State, which
think Its Editor loves, from q bitter personal
and party contest. and possibly from anarchy or
civil war, and thereby to make for itself and him
reputation above the value Of ten thousand resolu
tOns. 1t IS possible that such course will show
even to those who own and those who control the
party presses which seem to have other food than
abuse of the Standard that they may be better
poyed. But if it should fail of sensible an
effect, the Standard if pursue sensible and pa
triotic course may well afford to treat them with
/ scorn and cOntempt-Fdyetteuilte Observer.
" For the Standard.
! PUBLIC MEETING IN ORANGE COUNTY.