The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-05-16
Testimony Of Hon. Beiisrd Brown,
Of North Carolina, before the ,Reoonstruetio

Hon., Bedford Brown, formerly United
States Senator from North Carolina, was ex-
amined in respect to that State. Although
he had served the people of North. Carolina,
in legislative capacity, during the war, he
had always been Union, and nonsecessionist
ON principle. He thinks two-thirds or three
fourths of the people of the State nnitedly
opposed to secession. The masses Of the
people at the time Of Lees surrender were
more grati6ed than otherwise, because they
saw that the result was inevitable. Many of
them were for peace, and believed there was
NO safety out Of the Union. They were graf
lied that the question had been settled in
asnme way, Ofylate they had became very
despairing, perhaps in part from the loss Of
slave property, though Chiefly from the long
delay in being admitted 10 the Union. There
is awide feeling of discomfort even among
Union men. The great mass of the people
are exceedingly anxious to have the relations
between the State and the Federal Govern
ment restored. Some. few persons would,
perhaps. be gratifed by foreign war, but
the !, reat mass are perfectly willing to live
under the laws of the United States, provided
they can have political equality with the other
States
/ The longer this is procrastinated, the
worse the feeling of discomfort will become.
Some portions of the people, in the event of
war with Great Britain or France, would
probably engage in another attempt at seces-
sion, and the establishment of Southern in
dependence: but great majority would
suppress such an attempt if there were rea-
sonable expectations that they could be adj
mittcd to equal political rights in the Union.
The best way to remove this feeling of dis
content among the people would be to de-
clare the State a member of the Federal
Union, and admit her representatives to
their seats, Congress, Of course, Judging of
the members presenting themselves separate
| ly. Disloval men should be excluded !; but
men should he admitted even if the great
majority of their constituents were actual
disloyalists. The question of admission
should depend rather upon the character and
qualification of the claimant than upon those
Of his constituents. If his district was mani
| festly disloyal beyond all question, it would
| perhaps bea justification for his exclusion
| The witness thinks q majority of the people
would be willing to pay the Federal debt,
though the Taxpayers do not regard it as a
| pleasant subject
| Avery decided and overwhelming majority
would be opposed to the payment Of the
Confederate war debt. He does not know of
any combination open or secret to make
further resistance to the Government or to
renew the war in any shape He believes
that Northern men going into North Carolina
| to invest capital in lands manufactures, &C.,
4 would be received in a friendly manner, and
treated with justice in the State courts. The
freedmen in his part of the State were acting
very well, and the general sentiment among
the farmers and planters = to treat them with
fairness. There is disinclination for pro
| miscuous schools for whites and Blacks
But the better class of people do not Object
to schools for blacks separately, The officers
of the Frcedmen's Bureau have generally
been liberal toward both the freedmen and
white people; but he hardly thinks there is
any further necessity for maintaining thu
Bureau, as black men would stand as good q
chance in the State courts Us white men il
they were of good character, and there are
no particular preiudices against them. The
poor whites are generally considered as hav.
ing higher claim to credibility than tho
negroes. Universal negro suffrage would be
regarded as very Objectionable and wholly
4 inadmissiblc; but good many persons
would have no objection to seeing qualified
negro suffrage He does not think it possible
to establish restricted suffrage among the
whites, and thinks no1e of them would evcl
surrender the right to vote if they could
help it. i.~ $3.50 ~ e