The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-08-22
WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 9th, 1866.
To the Editors Of The Sentinel;

ed TO the leaQlnS aTtlClc IN your journal OF
the 18th ultimo, in which you criticise my
conduct very freely and indulge in remarks
we'll calculated, if not intended, 10 render
my position in the State, as a citizen and
public officer, uncomfortable, if not untena-
BILE. am unwilling to believe that you
mean to menace me with the popular indig-
nation, or vengeance, and yet what else am
I to infer from the following sentences You
say, If Mr.. Goodloe contemplates resuming
his former residence in this State, he may
assure himself, in his selfassumed capacity
as another representative man, of pro-
found and distinguished consideration at the
hands of our people," Whatever your pur-
pose may have been, l cannot but feel that
this language, proceeding from journal of
wide circulation, and representing the Gov
ernor of the State, will arouse the popular
passions against me; and ask, in the name
Of common justice, to be allowed space in
whichto remove, as far as Imay, the impress
ion you have created that am an enemy of
the State and people.
You ask, "how dare Mr.. Goodloe set him
self up as an exponent of ecen radical senti-
ment in North Carolina-a State from which
he expatriated himself fifteen years ago, and
IN which he has not resided since9 2" This
challenge is very easily answered In the
first place, l have not set myself up as the
representative of any body. l have only
signed circular addressed to the people of
the South, in which they are called upon to
represent themselves. put my name down
as of North Carolina because that is now nv
home. made it so last September, when
accepted the Office of Marshal; and at the
same time renowned, in purpose and in fact,
my citizenship in this District of Columbia.
1t was my right to elect to be citizen again
of my native State, and have so elected
My daring, therefore, has not been so great as
you imagined
You say that for many years prior to the
war was identified with the anti-slavery
agitators of New England" and that was
THEREIN more responsible for the rebellion
about which he discourses so flippantly in his
address, than any man that zoe know in the
State" Now, it so happens that there is no
man in or out of the State, who knows bet
ter than one of the Editors of the Sentinel,
that was sternly and uncompromisingly
opposed to the measure which, on all hands,
is now admitted to have been the chief cause
of the war. l allude, of course, to the re-
peal of the Missouri Compromise. That IA
tai measure was the Pandora's box which
contained in it the Kansas controversy, the
Lecompton fraud, the John Brown raid, and
the demon of civil war. Thejunior editor of
the Sentinel knows that it was my abhor-
renee of that scheme of President-making,
which compelled me to abandon the Wing
party, as well as lucrative engagement with
the Raleigh Register, and to unite in the for
nation of the Republican party. With my
profound convictions of the wickedness of
extending the evils of slavery into the new
territories, could not have done otherwise
without dishonor I cherished, and still
cherish a warm regard for my Southern
friends, but they left me no alternative. For
"where should go" except into the ranks
ofthose, who were endeaVoring to defeat the
scheme?
In this connection / wish 10 say that did
not derive my anti-slavery sentiments and
opinions from Northern abolitionists So
far as those opinions were not spontaneous in
my own mind they were imbibed from read
ing the debate which took place in the Vir-
ginia Legislature in 1882, upon the question
of abolishing slavery. 1t was characterized
by great eloquence and power, and made an
impression upon my youthful mind which
time has not efaced. l embraced the gener-
heart, as it was expounded by Mcdowell,
Faulkner, Thos j. Randolph, Boiling, Chand-
Ter, Moore of Rockbridge, Marshall, Broad
max, and Others Subsequently 1 read the
writings of Mr. Jefferson, which are instinct
with the spirit of liberty; so that, before
was of age and before had heard that there
was a Northern aboitionist in existence, my
mind was thoroughly imbued with the SEN
,orly ole of 7 M
one at that day attempt to defend the alb
stract idea of slavery. It was the boast Of
the emancipation orators in Virginia. that
no man had risen in the Legislature to de-
fend slavery. There were elaborate apollo
gies and excuses, but no attempt at Justlfi-
cation. have compiled this entire debate,
and hope one day to see it published 1t
Wilde more honor to Virginia than anything
in her annals, since the revolutionary period.
have always protested against and OPP
posed the extension OF slavery; and as
Journalist have often had occasion to exam
inc and criticise the arguments OF its friends,
intended to show that the institution is COM
patible with equity and Christianity; but
have never set myself up as censor OF 1ndl-
yiduals, nor have | maintained that all VINO
held slaves were as unjust as conceive tine
systemto be. Ihaye followed the examples OF
Washington, jefferson, Madison and host
of other noble Virginians, with Hugh Will
hanson. James Iredell and William CASTOR
of North Carolina, in declaring my opinion
that slavery was the greatest moral and po-
l;t;cal evil that afflicted our country. Like
them. too I have always addressed myself
to the white people; and never by written
or spoken word have / encouraged the ne
groes to revolt, or to disobedience. Since
Slavery was abolished, believe that have
labored as earnestly, and written as much,
with a view to the cultivation OF kindly
shirt between the whites and blacks, as any
man in the country. I have repeatedly en-
deayored. through the press, to convince the
people of the South, that they will commit
fatal error if they fail to enter heartily into
the work of educating and elevating the ne
oroes. If they neglect or refuse to take the
GREAT work in hand, it will he managed by
Northern people, and the effect can hardly
fail m be more or less of alienation between
the races. ....
You saw, "but perhaps the worst feature
in Mr. Goodloes connection with tins revo-
1ntionarv movement, consists in the fact that
he ia a recent Executive appointee to the Of
fca of Marshal of North Carolina, and that
ono of his first acts has been to raise his arm
AGAINST the President, and array himself IN
the ranks of his bitter and vlndlctlve en-
emies"
This brief text will afford matter for com
nentary under several heads. In the first
Mace the call for a Convention of Southern
fInionists in Philadelphia in September, is
declared to be 81 revolutionary movement"
Now. if the Confederacy had been establish
ed instead of being dissolved into nothing
ness there would be some propriety in this
language. Or, to say of the proposed Au-
gusf Convention of Southern men, who were