The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-07-19
[TELEGRAM-Received $40 p. m.
RAEEIGH, N. c., august 26, 1865

To the PRESIDENT:
SIR: In reply to your dispatch of August
3d. have the honor to state, in no instance in
making appointment to office, or in recommend
ing for appointment, have shown any preference
for persons who have participated in the rebel
lion on the contrary, have been very careful to
prefer and to appoint persons who were original
Union men, and persons who were in favor of
storing the authority of the federal government
Doubtless in many appointments (some four
thousand) some have been appointed who ought
not to have been, and in some cases even friends.
have misled, to some slight extent, by their
commentators, but, upon the whole, only loyal
Union men have been appointed and recommend
ed ut Washington. 1t is my purpose and wish to
encourage and strengthen those who have never
at heart ftered in their allegiance to the federal
government. have proceeded deliberately and
carefully in the work of reorganization, and thus
far l am sure there no grounds for appre-
hending that North Carolina will not present an
acceptable constitution. The great body of her
people are loyal and submissive to national au-
thority- know there are indictments, radicals,
and not good men, who are engaged in miSrepre-
senting facts, and fomenting strife for certain
purposes; but none of these things move me in
the performance of duty.
Thanking you heartily for the confidence you
have heretofore reposed in me, and for the honor
you have done me in making me provisional gov
ernor of this noble State ~ avn m, sir. 81 SS
Provisional Governor.
We invite special attention to the abo re
telegram of the President. Let our readers
consider and weigh it carefully. The Presi-
dent says it is rumored that the true Union
men are totally ignored in appointments to
office that this rumor is intended to embar-
rass his reconstruction policy; that he does
not dit it, but he is so much concerned on
the subject that he specially instructs his
subordinate, the Provisional Governor, to
encourage and strengthen to the fullest e.
tent the men of your State who hare mece'
faltered in their allegiance to the government"
And he adds most empl1atically, every
opportunity should be made available to
have this known and understood as your
policy and determination"
His subordinate replies that he has done
the best he could in this respect, and that it
is his purpose and wish to encourage and
strengthen those who have never at heart
faltered in their allegiance to the federal gov
eminent" This purpose and wish be carried
out to the best of his ability. and in doing
so he was sustained and commended by the:
President.
These instructions, it must be borne in
mind, were given after the great body of our
people had been pardoned by the President,
and waile Others were being specially par
doned. The fact that pardon was necessary
implied guilt. The President did not in
tend tInat those leaders who had involved
the people in war, or who had held them up
to the war after there was no ground to.
hope for success, should, by their mere par
dons, be privileged to step forward and
conduct the work of restoration. He re-
served this work for those Union men who
had opposed the war; and who strove for
peace during its progress on the basis of re-
storation. He holds the same views now he
held then. He has not changed. He takes
no step backwards. If his views have been
modified at all, it is only to the extent men
toned in our last article, that "these loyal
men should constitute a nucleus around
whom others should rally; that in this way.
and in this way only, can the whole lump
be leavened, and the States be placed in a.
condition, when presented to Congress for
admission, to make their claims On that
body irresistible" The loyal men are to
lead-are to be the deacons, the elders, g nd
the preachers, while those who repent of Sc
cession, or of having urged war and oppo sed
peace to the last extremity, and candi dly
acknowledge their error, and pledge them
selves, and make good the pledge by acts,
to submit in good faith to the national au-
thority, are to be indicted into the church
and to be entitled to all its privileges as
members. This rule is to continue at least