Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-07-22
:. rories aud ne.erters.n


paper TO- day, signed "Western North Carolina" in
relation tothe correspondence between Gov. Vance
and the Secretary of War the subject of suspen-
ding the 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 precent the suspension Of the law, for
he must have anticipated, if he thought at all on
the subject that the President would not yield any
thing to the "disaected Glass; represented by the
Governor to exist in that part of the State. As an
indueenent to the President to suspend the law he
told himthat the very region for which he asked this
favor was filed with tories and deserters!" If he
had demanded this favor as Gov. Brown demanded
it and if he had done this in time and in manner
not calculated to 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 fighting men, but they
would 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 ouOn
sons turned States evidence against them, and adop
ted the very of all 9th ers to inure and de-
grade them "The mountain Counties are filled
with tories and deserters" Was that sof Who
believes itI BUTT was So was Zebulon B. Vance,
himself mountain man-was W'the person to tell
the President of itf meI-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
fcction 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
"eftort" for peace-a mere "ettort"-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 to be so much alarmed by. the tales
about " tories and deserters" in Western Carolina,
that recently, when at Rutherforton, and having
made an appointment to speak at Heudersonville,
he ordered Col Harris of the Home Guard to detail
guard for him from Rutherfordton to Henderson
vile and back. Col. Harris obeyed the order, and
the requitai he received for it was statement in
the Conservative, by order of Gov Vance, that he,
the Governor, was lucky in having as commander
of the squad on the occasion referred to, good a
friend to tories and deserers as Col. Harris for
to this circumstance he attributed the fact that he
made the journey to Hendersonvills and back with
out molestation. OF course this a vile slander
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 our people disloyal be-
fore the President applied to Congress to suspend
the hGbeas corpus The suspension was intended
mainly for this State. The object to silence the
press and to put down tories and deserters" in
North. Carolina. Gov. Vance went to Wilkesbor-
| ough and made speech in which he told the peo-
pie that the suspension constitutional, and that
they ought to stand up" to it but finding snbse-
quently that this position was about to inure his
election, he changed his ground and attempted to
produce the impression that he was opposed to the
suspension.
The mountain Counties of Western North. Caro-
lima have sent more to the field than any other
portion of the Confederate States of the pop
ulation. They have been literally emptied of their
| fighting men. And now it is hard that the remnant
of the population at home, the relations of these
fighting men, should be spoken of by their own
Governor as an association of tories and deserers
Two years ago most o. the Virginia papers, and
such degraded sheets in this State the State Jour
nal, branded the supporters of Col. Vance and Col
! Vance himself as Lnconites and traitors and now
Gov. Vance, who is supported by these same news
! papers, himself takes up this cry against his old
| friends and against his OVID State.