Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-10-09
Fur the Standard.


Mr.. EDITOR Perhaps you would like to hear
from this remote section of North Carolina and al
though my communication may not possess any real
interest or merit still am led to believe, from the
uniform courtesy and kindness you extend 10 citi-
zens and correspondents, that you may not object
to hear from me.
1t is needless to remark, Mr.. Editor, that the all
absorbing question of the day away up here, is the
war the war and although we are comparatively
remote from its stirring scenes we hear great
deal about it and feela very deep interest in our
countrys welfare. In this county, as elsewhere, we
have some who seem to desire nothing but relentless
war, whose teachings, If acted upon and carried out
would immediate our once fair country in uniVer
sal scene of carnage and blood, and what to many,
is the srangeSt of ALL of this class of persons some
preachers of the gospel To these reverend gen.
tlelnen l would like to address few thoughts.
In the first place, desire to ask these ministers
of the gospel, and all other persons who entertain
similar sentiments with them, by what theory in
moral ethics, rule of human charity it is by which
they arrive at the fact which they so confidently and
often assert that you Mr.. Editor, and others, who
think with you are enemies to the South and trail
tors to your section? You have told the people in
your paper that you are native of the South born
and reared on the soil of the commonwealth of North
Carolina and the writer has been told Through 9TH
er channels that you have very considerable in
terest in the peculiar and pecuniary institutions of
Southern, like the rest of Southern people. | ask
all these reverend gentlemen if your neighbors fate
is not your fate, and if the common rule of cause
and effect prove you traitor to yourself and fami-
ly? If then a mans personal and pecuniary inter-
est by the laws of preservation orbds your be-
ing a traitor, by what rule of reasoning they
found such an allegation? Is it because you have
published and sanctioned meetings held by the SOW
ereisn people looking to and desiring if possible,
termination of the war now raging within our bor-
derS, on terms honorable and advantageous to the
people of the whole country? If so, such conclu-
sion is equally faIlacious and unjust, for hold that
it is the duty of public Journal in country claim
ing the sembance of freedom of speech to pub
lish the sentiments of any respectable portion of the
people, when respectfully set forth in relation to
their government and their welfare as people Are
not the people of the Northern governments gov.
eminent these reverend gentlemen affect so much to
abhor and despise, on account of the TYRANNY of
their laws and the despotism that there prevails al
lowed this poor privilege? Or is the true cause of
their objection to yourself and these meetings, to
oe found in the fact that your able journal repre-
sents the sentiments of the people, people who feel
they have interest at stake both in the character of
and the execution Of the laws that govern them, a
right to be heard in defence of civil liberty-their
personal and pecuniary rights-that they are not
the passive tools of The agents of government
created by themselves
1t is not unusual that persons differ as to the
means by which a certain object is attained and
that cause party or person, who shuns fair discus
Sion and assas reason with vituperation and abuse
impartial history will pronounce unworthy of con.
fdence and traitors both to truth and religion.
1t is not uncommon nova days to hear from the
sacred desk, reverend gentlemen preach that it is
the duty of every man IN the South to sacrifice lis
life and last dollar rather than this war should stop
short of their own terms and after the men are all
slain, ministers of the gospel of course excepted)
advise the women and children to retreat to the fast
nesses of the Black mountain dig pits and garrison
them, We may reasonably suppose to protect the
persons of these clerical gentlemen Others whose
fanatca zeal and furious war ferVor for the "Pal-
metto and Pine" and to prove the divinity of slave
nv say you are and of conrse the writer of this ar
ticle will be pronounced traitor and abolitionst
To all such persons will just say they are simply
mistaken. Because men do not abuse and swear that
Abraham Lincoln and the Yankees to q man, are
incarnate devils, and of course the worst men the
Almighty ever permitted to live, does not prove a
man is not true man and loyal citizen
These gentlemen it strikes me- have forgotten
the great truth that the true status of slavery is
founded upon the idea of peace, and the tact con-
sent of mankintoutside of the ownership of slaves
The time has probably come when those most deep
ly concerned will have to deal with this momen-
tous question on its true merits viewed and COM
pared with the great predoninatng race of the hu-
man family, and not simply as we would have it
ourselves. % long as the South, Il ought probably
to say those in the South, who have had the con-
troll of this most difficult subject) treated the opin-
ions and prejudces of the civilized world with de-
cent respect they were willing to permit its con-
tinuance, leaving it to time and other means than
force to arrest it that time might have never come
So soon, however, as its fate was placed upon the
arbitrament of the sword, then indeed was its ex-
istence become extremely doubtful and its s1dden
and violent extinction rendered vastly more nroi,q
BILE, attended with all the evils incident to war and
malignant hatred "~A ""N
Mr.. Editor, the foregoing are some of the re.,on,
why the writer of this article and thopsandS oIii
similarly interested in slavery have thong5t thae
an early peace would be more likely to secHra f ta
time at least, the institution of slavery than onT
other.
But, before close, will say to the minister's of
the Gospel and all others of similar views with tboU
on this subject, do not desire to do them anU IN
justice or to question the dogma of the divine rht
of sayery-for do not pretend to know anv tSiuo,
about it, more than that God has permitted i IS
exist and he may intend to perpetuate it: if 90
shall be pleased, if not, must be coutent-bpt ;II
warn men that there may be possibility that IN
fighting for the perpetuation of slavery the nearn
may be liberated and the white man become sIaSo
at least to arbitrary laws and onerous taxes, and