The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-03-08

demanding "green backs, and gold to assist in
carving on the war. Instead Of getting your sons
back to the pillow and freside they would be draft
Led and sent into the service of Uncle Sam, to fight
alongside of his negro troops IN extermlnatlng the
white men, womea and children OF the South. LIS
there anything very desirable about such peace
! as that? Extend your suggestions into the do
mains of absurdty, and conceive of the North
Carolina soldiers basely desertiog their comrades
In arms, In obedience to the proclamation Of your
Governor. Why, gentlemen, they would not come
home in peace to you. They would have to fight
with their rew friends, and would just cross from
the Southern to the Northern side of the Kappa
hammock, and their rifles would be polluted at the
bosoms of the brave men who have fought by their
sides through the fierce fire of three years war.
| Would that give you peace
To think of these glorious North Carolina regi-
neuts--you have seen them in the first flush Of
martial enthusiasm-you know them now unhnch-
ing, though sustained but by honor and duty; many
| of them filled with your sons-these regiments
that have followed the Southern Cross over so
many fields already made classic by their proves,
astonishing the world and raising the nations on
tiptoe in admiration Of their heroic achievements
shall they be asked to fraternize with the mlsera-
Bile scoundrels who have slaughtered our people,
devastated our homes, aud even Inflicted the crown
| ing outrage which demons from he'll pale at, on
| our mothers and sisters shall they be asked to
Join these wretches In desolating the homes OF the
very men by whose sides they have so long fought
and suffered? I know you would not think OF
the proposition | think can assure you to-day,
with all candor and all honesty-as a dying man to
dying men-in the presence OF God-that any step
of this kind you take will only involve you IN a
deeper and bloodier war. The calamities of war
affect our people to terrible degree, streams OF
tears are r1nuing down the checks of many poor
woman cries for bread come from many suffer-
| ing child. But let trust that the God of bat
ties who gave to our ancestors through seven long
years, cloud by day and pillar Of fire by night,
will yet lead US into the land where grows the
fruitage of liberty, richer than the clusters Of Is
chol, and through which flow the milk and honey
of independence and nationality. (Applause)
l have not fellow citizens, enumerated all the
consequences which would follow inconsiderae &C
ton on your part. What would become of the
currency should You abandon the cause of the
Southern Confederacy? 1t is bad enough already,
out every bank In the State is filed with it, and
would be broken and worthless to- morrow, in such
an event. Widows, soldiers families and orphan
children have no other kind. Commercial and f.
nancial ruin pared to which the present. sut-
ferirg on account of the depreciation of the cur
repey, would be insignificant itself, would over
whelm you. w hat would become of the gallant
soldiers who have been MANNED aud mutilated in
the service-these one-legged and one armed boys,
incap aciated for labor? Having once submitted
ourselves to the enemy, you might see one OF them
come up, his cheeks wan with suffering, his rags
futterng in the breeze, his wasted form supported
on crutches, and ask the government for support.
The reply would be: "You Infamous rebel, have
you the impudence to ask support from govern
ment you have been ghting to destroy? No; You
| will get pension but we will tax as heavily
your little potatoe patch to pension the
man who MANNED you for life, desolated your home,
burned your house, usulted your mother" Could
you endure such spectacle?
Let us not cease to remember that we all con-
scented to this war, Old Line Wings as we'll as Sc
cessionists. We consented after it appeared in
evitable, and we must all stand up to it-every
man, woman and child throughout the length and
breadth of the Southern Contederacy We must
forget, if possible, for awhile, the that led
| originally to this rupture, and each lake upon
his shoulder the full measure of burden and
sponsibihty, regardless of consequence: (Appause)
But suppose fellow citizens, we could forget all
these considerations of honor, glory, decency and
| resolve that We would see what terms could get
from the United States. What does the enemy
offer you You are well aware that when a man
sets out to make bargain he makes everything
just as auring as he possibly can he presents his
goods in the best possible light and says the most
fat'erlng things to induce you to accept his offer
Well, the same policy pertains to diplomacy
When ambassador dplomatist is trying to
get another to acquicsce in certain measures, he
clothes his proposition in the most plausible Ian
guage he can, aud presents the most advantageous
terms he possibly offer to induce negotiations.
Possibly some of you know who would do bet
ter by friend than they promised to do, but [
do not think the majority of you beard of
them Can any of you put your finger man
who has done more for you than he bargained
1t 1t is so hard to find one in the circle Of your
quaintance, who in the name of Heaven, can tell
me OF Yankee who ever gave you more than he
agreed to ? (Applause.) The difficulty is to make
b1m stand up to his bargain. (Voices-"thats sc"
Now what does MIR Lincoln promise the State
of North Carolina? In what language does he
clothe his gracious terms Of pardon and amnesty
He says, if one-tenth of the people Of any State
will take an oath to support-what? The Consti-
tuition Nay; take an oath to support his pro-
clamaton abolishing slavery, his proclamation in
citing the slaves of your State to burn your home
and murder you and your families! If you swore
to support this proclamation, you would perjure
yourself, for it is in direct violation of the Consti-
tuition, you would know. Old Abe has perjured
himself aud he wishes to put you in the same
CORY Of villany. Not only, must you swear to en-
dorse bis infamous documcnt-so pronounced by
the civilized worfd-but you must also take an
oath to support all the acts of Congress which
have been passed, abulishing slavery, coufscating
your property, placing you in subsection to one
tenth of the community and publicly executing
your glorious Cbieftains, and every officer from
Colonel up to Gen Lee.
When the United States Congress last met, Lin