Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-02-03
The Daily Confederate-Some Of its misstate.
=, ments Corrected.

The Daily Confederate-Some Of its mtsstate.
:. ments Corrected.
This is the name of q new paper in this City, by
A. M. Gorman Esq.,, established as the successor Of
the State Journal which, we are gratified TO say,
has ceased to exist
The Editor of the Confederate declares it to be
his purpose to avoid controversies of personal ma
ture and to discuss public questions and the con
duct of public men in fair and temperate manner.
We give him credit for this purpose, and trust he
may be able to adhere to It; and we can promise.
SO far as we are concerned, whether we shall con-.
troyert his views or not that we will say nothing
| intended to induce or tempt him to abandon the
| rule he has laid down. We have never been the
first to begin personalities with acotemporary, but
have uniformly acted on the defensive in this re:
spect - =
We copy from the Confederate to day an article
headed 1.-THE Peace Party" which does great injus.
tice to those with whom we act The Confederate,
says that those who are most anxious for peace in
this State are not in earnest but are actuated sole
" by desire to obtain power. This is grave
charge, aud if it applied to only few public men
it would be very injurious to them and Justly so r
it had even the semblance of truth; but it applies
to large majority of the people of the State, who
can have no motive for their advocacy OF peace mea
sures but their own good and the good Of the coun
try Wall it be believed that the great mass Of our
people, who favor a Convention, and desire that
some steps should be taken to end this cruel and
wasting war honorable terms, are actuated ny
the sordid idea Of putting a.. few men oet.ef and
few men in powerr Surely, surely not.
But the Confederate nsrepresents the Conserve
tives of the State in the grossest manner when it
says that "in 1862 the people we're led to believe
that if the so.called Conservative candidates were
elected the couscrpt law would be abrogated, skull
kers and deserters would go unmolested," &c. No
such ground was taken by any Conservative in that
campaign. 1t is true large majority of our peo-
pie were opposed to the conscrpt law, but they ac-
quesced in it as necessity which resulted FROM the
want Of foresight on the part of the Confederate ad
ministratlon; and though many of them thought,
and correctly thought that it would have been bet
ter for the cause if the law had not been passed,
aud the States had been relied upon to keep the
necessary number Of troops in the field, raised in
their own way, yet it was not proposed by any
Conservative so far as we know, to abrosa.e the
law. Nor is it true that the Conservatives led the
people to believe or believed themselves that in
the event of the election of Gov. Vance and Con-
servatve Legislature "skulkers and deserters would
90 unmolested" There was no such issue in tho
campaign On the contrary, it was taken for grant
ed that the laws would be enforced and that leser-
ters would be arrested and returned to their regi
ments. We admit that it has been found very diff
cult to deal with the skukers and nine tenths of
" them are Destructives original secessionists We
commend them to the specia! attention Of the Con-
tsderate. Perhaps q word FROM how
and then, addressed to those VIII
but who have not yet done SO,
ing in every conceivable way from HE
the Conservatives are in the ranks doing more than
they promised, may have good effect Talk to
them Mr.. Confederate, and if possible shame them
into sense of duty. They belong to your polt-
cal household and you have Alright to reprove them
for their bad faith in aiding to bring on war which
they refuse to fight in.
Nor is it true that an attempt was made to de-
ceve the people by the socalled peace movement of
1868. The movement began with the people, and
progressed until they had expressed theic sent
ments both in public meeting and at the polls
The result was brilliant Conservative triumph in
: the State, by which seyen out Of ten members of
Congress we're elected pledged to do all in their
power to secure an honorable peace.
Nor is it true, as charged by the Confederate,
that the proposition for Stats Convention was
made for selfish purposes or with the view of do.
ceiving the people, or that the people are "kept in
the dark" as to its objects Tae movement started
with the people 1t is their movement If they
are "kept in the dark" as to its objects it VIII be
because they shut their eyes and close their ears to
events around them, We have already stated
as one Of the people, why we favor Convention
Will the Confederate publish our remarks on the
subject and thus give that portion of the people
whom it serves with information an opportunity of
seeing for themselves some of the reasons why a
Convention should be called? We shall see But
if that paper gives but one side of the question and
meanwhile misrepresents the statements and views
OF those who differ with it willit not render itself
Justly arnenable to the charge of having keptts rel.
ders 81 in the dark p =.
We have been struck with the proneness Of cer
tain politicians to engage in the business of taxing
care OF the people "The people0 ere deceived l.
they ezclaim; OF "tbe people were misled, and
did so and so,"-or "there is plan on foot
to deceive the people, and they-will be humbusged
before they know-it" Such language not only con-
veys poor compliment to the people, but it ipd.
Gates on the part tof those who it want of con-
fdence in their capacity to govern themsevee. The
people Of North Carolina do not need guardians to
think for Sem, or to direct them what to do. Thev
can think and act for themselves. By the theory of
our government, as well as its practice, all politi
cal power is vested in and derived from the peo.
pie only" There is 10 other source of power. That
power has generally been exercised in wise asd