Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-10-26
The Meeting of the Governors.

We publish TO- day, from the Augusta Chronicle
and Sentinel, the resolutions adopted by the Gov
e-nors at their recent meeting in that City.
These resolutions breathe nothing but the most
ultra war spirit. We not disappointed in them
They are just what we expected. These Goserro's
cooperating as dependents or auxiliaries with tire
central government at Richmond, seem determined
to accept no compromise, but to prosecute the war
to annihiaton or at least to the lowest point of
haustion and ruin.
The third resolution, in relation to provost and
post guards, is we'll timed, and the country gener
allv will be pleased to see it carried into effect
And the fourth resolution, in relation to the arrest
of stragglers and Ieserters, will meet general appro
val, and is no doubt much needed, especially in the
States south Of North Carolina. But the second
resolution, which would place the militia or home
guards of North Carolina at the beck and call Of the
Governors of the other States is highly obectiona
bic. 1t is simply p:opostion-we will not call it
an insidous one-to place our State officers per-
manently in the tiaid not merely to defend own
State but to defend Alabama, South Carolina, or
even Missouri or Tennessee, if the fugitive Execu-
tves of the two latter States should call for them
And what claim can Alabama have, on grounds of
equality or reciprocity that our militia should 60
to her aid, when it is recollected that her Legsla-
ture has just refused to call out and arm her militia
to defend her own soil?
Our readers will be appalled, to observe that these
Governors of these civilized, Christian States have
endorsed the opposition to arm the male slaves Of
the South and put them in service. Sach course
would not only degrade the Southern people to a
level with their Northern enemies who have been
employing slaves soldiers but it would sow
broadcast the seeds of instruction and massacre in
very midst. TWAS the insane trihing Of France
the mother country, with the slaves of Hayti which
drenched that fertile island in the blood of the white
race. They we're first emancipated and then en-
ployed by portion Of the whites and mixed races
as soldiers, and in the end they turned their wea
pous against their former masters and perpetrated
atrocities the recital of which makes the blood run
cold
A proclamation by our own government that all
our arms bearing slave population should be free,
whatever condition, with the proclamations of the
federal government already in force as far as they
can be under the circumstances, would at once un-
settle our entire social system. But what is to be
offered to male slaves as the reward of military
service Nothing but their Own freedom. The
federal government Offers them not only their own
freedom, but the freedom of their wives and chill
dren 1t requires no spirit of prophecy to deter
mine which master they would serve. They wou'd
90 over to the enemy with in their hands,
probably leaving desoation in their track in every
unaeiehd,d neighboraood through winch they
might pass; and would thus, instead of adding to
our strength, actually increase the strength of our
enemies, while at the same time the Southern
States would be at once and finally deprived Of he
valuable labor of every hand thus escaping to tire
enemy We must bestow the precious boo If
freedom our male slaves, and then bid item
hight for our freedom as well as their own! IA tt
u this but abolition ITSELF? The Congress OF the
Confederate States has no power to interfere lii
the institution Of slavery, much less to abolish it,
under any pretext or for any cause. And the States
have go power to abolish the institution or even to
take incip,ent steps to abolish it. save in Conven.
Ton. Where then, is the constitutional power to
10 this thiEgr But, we are answered, the slaves
are to be purchased, and then set free. But where
The constitutional power to do that? In the Ian
guage Of the l. nehburg Repu6lican, "we caution
'ne people and the press in all solemnity against
.ouhtenancing this new and mad scheme Of abo
"uoh-this scheme to convert the Southern States
'u'o frce negro colonies-ao make the slave the