Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-02-25
PUBLIC MEETING an GOLDsBORO,
SPEECH OF GOV. VANCE.

Gov. Vance addressed the people at GOldsboro,
In. c., on Saturday last. The JoluRa, gives a
sketch OF his remarks from which We copy the fol-
lowing
Gov v said that he was one Of the last to give
up the Union. But his State in solemn council
gave it up forever, and he ready to die for the
pledge there made for us. Are you he asked
(Cries OF 1--WE are" and cheers.) He sketched the
history OF the late attempt to stop the war aud
proceeded TO show that the terms of unconditional
submission insisted upon by Lincoln were terms
which could only be accepted from or be accepted
| by dogs. He then pictured the awful and degra-
| ding consequences OF submission. We now copy
from the Journal
| At this point, Governor v. drew picture OF that
Venerable great man, General Lee the greatest
captain of the agei-bowing at the ioOtsoOl OF a
how blackguard Illinois roads lawyer, to beg
his life Tor the sake of his wife aud children Are
there any men in North Carolina, lac asked, willing
t. this (SenSatiOn and cries of a. never ~ -
Il there be- exclaimed Governor Vance, then there
are no words in the lexicon capable OF depict
/ ing the base brutality OF his SOUL No, Sirs, We
mean to resist such demands. To submit is not bet
ter than the extremist resistance and lie Who sub
mits is a mean dog. This is not the language of
passion, but OF fuci Governor V. did not believe
The people OF NOTlu NNuiu SNuluH' w nell
they understand the true issue >they will resist
What is property and yorr broad lands, he asked,
n the man feels lac is slave and dShOnOred dog
But continued the Governor, many viii say
$40, we are whipped already" The enemy out
number us" Well SAID he, in some respects they
do. and in some we outnumber them and prOdu-
cling hundred dollar Confederate Treasury note
/ which lac said, was certainly not worth much
/ M wa -dayS) he enumerated the State of New
York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,, &c with their
dense populations, and said lac would wager his
hundred dollar bill that North Carolina had more
Justices of the peace aud more militia officers than
all those populous States combined. (Lnud laugh
ter and cheers with cries 81 ''That's 500 In
tbe.e respects, proceeded the Governor, we out
number the North. Thenwe have long faces and
those who wear them tell Us - Columbia has gone"
What i Columbia exclaimed Governor Vance
Are the people Of Columbia and South Carolina
vet with u.s. We are fighting, he continued, for
Il EdeisHdence not for bricks and mortar, and the
people not bricks and mortar, can and ciR win it,.
The Governor alluded TO the difference between
the spirit al home aud that in the army He Lad
inst come from the front of Gen'l Hoke's lines He
spent several hours there, and cOnversed with al
most every man he met with in the trenches. lie
found ne IHeJI at he front all ryt they had ever
been.N The common expression was, "Governor,
YOU take care of folks at home best you car,
we'H tight this thing out YETI prolonged cheers.)
Yes, said the Governor, that is the voice Of the
brave fellows saw there, halt clad and badly fed,
standing many of them, knee-deep in the mud,
their musket firmly clutched and their eye bright
and clear, firmly bent upon the foe some fifty To
seventy wards IN front. The man who has suffered
least gTumbes most. Those at home who have
given their sons aud their homes and their all
this day more cheerful than any others. This rs
true said the Governor and he asked the grum-
blers and weak kneed II they were not ashamed
| You think, pursued Gov. ", that am speaking
now to encourage you, and not to tell you what
explct He told them in solemn seriousness that
If they stood lay the ARMY and the Government he
saw letters of living light written upon our tat
tered, blOOd-Stained banners, the independence OF
the Confederate States in less than twelve months
Enthusiastic cheers All depends, ne continued,
upon the popular sentiment. All this time we
might not naptly say, ''the voice of the people Is
the voice of God" -Four hundred thousand men
living meR-were on the muster rolls of the Con-
tedeIacy, and about Ode-hdJ OF them were absent
These men must be returned 10 their duty. He
appealed to the women of the country, many of
whom do great harm to the cause 10y writing letters
to their husbands IN the army, making them dis
contented. You at home, said Gov. v. must quit
telling Your neighbors we are nearly whipped &c.
You must talk more encOuragingly. Are we near
whipped he asked. Yes, said he, 1t we beiere
OveTrunning territory was no sign of our being
whipped.
In reference to Shermans progress, Gov. v said
he violated confidence in assuring the people on
the authority of Gen. Lee that Sherman must he
aud should be stopped. Loud cheers) But con
tinued GOV. V, the people must help the armies
H. he added, the people are what think they are,
all will be right. All have TO do is TO stand firm
and togeher-to trust in Divine aid but at the same
time to do our duty 10y keeping all eye on human
means
In concluding, Gov Vance said our prospects were
by no means gloomy. The recent peace effort will
of necessity make us Itit But there were symp-
toms of foreign comp ications, and these had much
Tfmportance 10 MS, though they must not be rehed
upon And then there wefe the prayers of millions
ofthe noblest women who ever knelt before the
throne of God-prayers ne believed which would
not be disiegarded With oneness of soul
and spirit il was impossible We could fail :
But ii we yield, it is possible our struggle
will end in spbiugaton; but otherwise, the
next proposition will be better than unconditional
| submission. Vice President Stephens had gone
home to canvass his State for vigorous prosecu
ton or the war Oar own Congre ssional delegation
is lhH for the war to successful termination.
| Gov V urged the people to action. Now was the
time TO 90 together add cease croakng. Those who
can do nothing better at home should cheer oui
men and cheer each other; and those who had the
means must feed the families of our soldiets'' il
/ You do not" exclaimed Gov. Vance 'the land on
which last year, You raised such large crops, VIII
| be plowed this year by the Joe"
| Gov. V. continued his exhortation, aud concluded
in the midst of great applause, promising 10 address
the people here again on the first suitable occasion
II