Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-07-27
g Tories and Deserters.o

Tories and Deserters."
We invita- attention TO the communication in our
paper to-day, signed "Western North Csrolina," in
relation to the correspondence between Gov. Vance
and the Secretary of War on the subject of susren
ding tho execution of the conscript law in our
mountain Counties Gov. Vance, judging him by
his letter to the Secretary, seems to have gone
to work to prevent the suspension of the law, for
be must have anticipated, if he thought at all on
the subject that the President would not yield any
thing to the "dsafectsl class represented by the
Governor to exist in that part of the State. As an
snducemsnt to the President to suspend the law ne
told him that the very region for which he asked this
favor was "fled with tories and deserters!" The
had demanded this favor as Gov Brown demanded
it and if he had done this in time and in manner
not calculated draw the attention Of the President
to the Western part of our State as hotbed OF
"tories and deserters" there is every probability
that the favor would have been granted, and the
people of the West would have been enabled not
only to defend themselves against any raids by re-
tanning portion Of their Sighting men, but they
wou.d have had enough labor left to prevent that
state of suffering for the necessaries of life which
now exists among them. But no, one Of their oson
sons turned State's scidencs against tem and adop
ted the very course Of all 9th ers to njure and de-
grade them "The mountain Counties are filled
with tories and desertersl" Was that so? Who
believes itp But If it was so, was Zebulon B. Vance,
himself mountain man-was he the person to tell
the President of it? Shame -shame!
Again, it appears from the Gard of Joshua Boner,
ESQ, which We publish to day, that the letter from
Gov Brown, portions of which Gov. Vance reads
from the stump leaves the clear inference on the
mind of the bearer that Gov. Vance must have
written to Gov Brown that there was much dlsaf
fection in this State. And Gov. Vance's letter to
President Davis, dated December 80, 1868, informs
the latter that there is "dscontent in this State,
and that the only way to remove it is to make an
"effort" for peace mere "effnrt'-peace itself
not being the "principal matter" This letter may
be found on page 124 of the Accompanying Docu.
ments referred to. And it is also known that Gov.
Vance affected tc be so much alarmed by the tales
about tories and deserters" in Western Carolina,
:hat recently, when at Rutherforton and having
made An appointment to speak at iiendersonville,
be ordered Col Harris of the Home Guard to detail
guard Tor him from Rutherlordton to Henderson
vile and back. Col Harris obeyed the order, and
the requtal he received for it was a statement in
the Conseruatius by order of Gov. Vance, that he
the Governor, was lucky in having as commander
of the squad on the occasion referred to, good
friend to tories and deserters' as Col Harris, for
to this circumstance he attributed the fact that no
made the journey to Hendersonville and back with.
out molestation. Of course this was vile SANDER
on Col Harris but it is part of the policy Of Gov.
Vance in treating his own mountain people as
"tories and deserters."
There can be no doubt that Gov Vance had
thoroughly possessed President Davis with the idea
that large portion Of people were disloyal be-
fore the President applied to Congress to suspend
the habeas corpus The suspension was intended
mainly for this State. The object to silence the
press and to put down "tories and deserters" ir
North Carolina. Gov Vance went to Wilkesbor
ough and made speech in which he told the peo
pie that the suspension was constitutional and tha
they ought to stand up" to it; but finding snbse
ouenty that this position was about to injure his
election, he changed his ground and attempted tt
produce the impression that he was opposed to tn
suspension.
The mountain Counties of Western North-Caro
lima have sent more men to the field than any othe
portion of the Confederate States of the pop
ulaton. They have been literally emptied Of thei
fighting men. And now it is hard that the remnsn
, of the population at home, the relations of thes
, fighting men, should be spoken Of by their Owl
Governor as an association of tories and deserters
Two years ago most o. the Virginia papers, an
such degraded sheets in this State as the State ou,
nal, branded the supporters of COL Vance and Col
Vance himself as Lncolnites and traitors and nov
Gov. Vance, who is supported by these same news
papers, himself takes up this cry against his oil
t friepds and against his own State.
Gov. Vance is emphatically the peace candidate
-Consercatire.
Gov. Vance having returned from the West, ant
finding by his canvass in that quarter that hi
only hope is in changing his tone he directs MI
Hyman in the Conservative of the 18th July t.