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

.f Tvhor m Ionoer he doubted or denied that ther
is division in public sentiment IN North Oarohn
a --ou the one hand determination to resist sn0)t
CATION by the Yankee government and to achleV
he INDEPENDENCE of the Confederacy; on the othe
.peaee party" as it is falsely called, that woul
be willing to have independence, but clanors 10
a. peace with OF without independence. Those hrs
mentioned are Enthusiastically headed by Gov. Vance
2fhe other by the Raleigh Standard, though ina
paper does not itself go the length OF some OF IL
followers for it has very recently declared ltSen op
posed to a reconstruction Of the Union
Before addressing respectful appeal to the Stdn
d1rd to consider well the character and tendency
the so-caed Peace Party, we feel it right and JUS
to say, that we do not hold that paper primarily re-
sponsible for the most unfortunate condition In
which the State is involved The real authors Of
the mischief are those who refused to recognize the
u,lnable fact that after Lincon's Proclamation Of
Auril 1861 North. Carolina was thoroughly united
I'm the dissemination to resist the su6ugaton OF the
South under the policy foreshadowed by that pro-
cIamation. We say thoroughly united, and know
what we say. With more sorrow than We ever did
any public act this paper promptly and unheSlta-
tiagly resolved to resist su6jugation. Without
rting to see what the members of the great party
with which we had been identified would do, and
fearing indeed that many Of them would adhere to
their love of the Union and come different con-
cusion from that at which we had arrived, we felt
that the existence of the South as people and the
security of their liberty and property demanded
instant and effective resistance. Within SIX hours
alter the receipt of that proclamation, without con-
sultng with a human being for there was no need
of consultation about SO selfeyident proposition,
VIC united in the determination unanimously made by
great meeting in this town, to take all proper steps
to maintain secure and defend the rights OF North Car
DINA as one of the Southern States" and to support
the authorities of the State in asserting our rights
and defending our soil" We had the indispensable
qualification to find that this action met with cor
did and unanimous response from all parts OF the
Safe, and from none more cordial or unanimous
than from our old political friends The Standard
of that day, with equal promptitude, took the same
stand. And five weeka afterwards, as q member OF
tn, State Convention, its Editor voted for and de-
iheratey put his name to the ordinance which for
ever separated North Carolina from the Federal
Union and identified her, in interest and honor, as
size was already identified in location and hOmoge-
.ty of institutions, with the Southern Contedera
cy. We have no doubt now, and never had, that
tie Editor of the Standard perfectly sincere in
this course and In the pledge he then gave of the
lat dollar and the last mar" of North Carolina TO
mt intain the declaration then made by him and his
associates in the Convention, and approved by her
whole people, as was abundantly testified by the
pr0mptness with which her best and brageSt rush
ed to arms"
But unfortunately the State administration of
thEt day and its organs and advisers were incapable
Of compromising the amazing spectacle of divided
pcople united in one moment by common impulse
os selfpreserVation. The condition of things de-
IN Inded that party administration should as in
stlntly throw off every Shackle of party, see moth
ins but united people and tolerate no prescription
OF deEunciation-nO war but war upon the COM
MN enemy. There was not soul enough in the
whole set that then controlled the State to realize
the importance of this line of policy. Every man
Who had 6sen a Union man was sedulousl.- uro-
scri5ed. Certain malignant organs of the powers
that were, talked of putting mark upon The fore
lcads" of those who had been their political oppo-
lcnts but had become their CO aborerS in the work
If defence against Lincoln. The most emminent
uen of the old Wing party, such as Messrs Badger,
iraham, Vance, and Gilmer, falsely and foully
announced along with the Editor of the Standard as
aithless to the South opposed to the war, and in
.LVor of reconstruction Even we, only about q
Iear ago, were plainly charged by of these con-
cmptible organs with tavoring the North because
We favored the election of Col. Vance as Governor
We treated the imputation with scorn, and so did
Ill of those whom we have named except the Editor
Df the Standard who unfortunately did not choose
10 suffer the inceSsant abuse heaped upon him above
Ill others.
The result of all this, to say nothing of the aid
and comfort given to the malignant partisans by
the unfortunate course of the Confederate admins
tration towards North Carolina course evident
~
have been avoided if the President himself had so
far realized the unity of the country as to call into
his councils even one man that had the ear Of his
old political opponents-was to infuse into the
minds of many people in and out of the State the
false idea that there was party in North Carolina
opposed to the war and to a dissolution Of the
Union And when the people looked at the alleged
leaders of that pretended party and found them to
be men eminent for their ability as well as for per-
sonal integrity and purity, what more natural than
that they should conclude that there was reason
for hostility to the and to dissolution else sure
ly such wise and good men, who had SO great a
stake in the community, would not entertain such
opinions. As we have said, it was not true that
they did entertain such opinions. But the inces
SAINT DINING it into the ears of the people persua-
ded many man that it was true. And so men
have been educated by certain bad papers and bad
men in North Carolina into the belief that there
were Weighty reasons for opposing the war and de-
string re construction.
With indispensable regret we have seen the
Standard giving way before the assaults of its
miles, which it could so well have afforded to disre-
gard and lending its admitted ability and influence
to the rnalcontents thus created by the teachings
of those enemies We have not however, de-
pounced the STANDARD, as many have done and do,
because we still hoped that some remains Of COM
mon sense and patriotism would come to the aid of
our suffering country and preserve it from the evils
of division, aud from the even possible horrors of
civil war. We do not denounce it now. We rath-
er appeal to it to its good sense, its love of coun-
try, its every feeling of humanity, to its inu-
enee to diseountenance the meetings which its
friends are holding 10 ya H Parts Of tb ts meet
ings was the appointment of Virgnian to an i'm
pertant civil Office in this State. That cause has
been removed by the removal of the Virginian
Another cause was the vindication of the Editor of
the S1aaddrd from those assaults which he and
they would have been wise to have treated with
contempt The third and last avowed cause of
these meetings is desire for peace Every body
in the, Confederacy desires peace. The questions
are, what sort of peace, and how is it to be OBJ
tainedl ...'-. 'n. ~ OF. '. rr... '---.-..
The STANDARD has very recently denied, with
emphasis, that it favors a reconstruction of the
Union. OF course it does not What it said, on
the goth of May, 1861, 1t still wisely holds to- viz
that North Carolina then "6cled FINALLY" and
WISELY" But some of its friends, not SO discreet
IS the StGndtrd have gone beyond it on this ques-