The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-09-22
The Presidents Plan Considered
The Proposed Constitutional Amendment ex-
planned, and its adoption urged.
THE Union THE PARAMOUNT GOOD!

To the People of North-Carolina.
| FELLow-CITIzENs
Whom the conflict of arms had ceased In
the Southern States, the President OF the
United States appointed Provisional COY
ernors charged with the duty OF organizing
nav governments for the States. This was
indis0ensable as the rebellion in its progress
had deprived these States OF all civil gov
arnmnnt The States remained, but their
Governments had ceased to exist. these
Governors acted under instructions, some,
times given by the President ntinseii !,
and sometimes by the Secretary OF State Tor
him and in his name but they were also
clothed with large discretionary powers
They were authorized to call Conventions OF
the ioval ueople and thus enable them to re-
sumo the functions of selfgovernment; and
as the great body of the people had, by re-
bellion, forfeited their political privileges,
the President issued proclamation IN wnlch
all. with certain exceptions, were offered par
don, provided they would take an oath to
sunnort the Constitution of the United
States and the Union of the States thereun-
der. and also former proclamat1ons emancl-
hating the slaves. This offer of pardon APP
peared to be generally and cheertuliy ac-
cepted. The great body OF the insurgents,
including nearly all OF those VINO We're Dut d
short time previously in arms against the ma
tional authority were thus generously par
doned. and RENTED to the exercise OF their
full privileges as American citizens, save
that as a necessary precautlon during the
formation of the new governments, martial
law was maintained to preserve the peace,
and to dispose of such offences as could not,
under the circumstances, be reached by the
civil law. After furious storm there
was great calm. After four years OF
exhaustinr war we had peace. Every cltl-
zen seemed to submit cheerfully to the new
condition of things, and the hope was gen
eral that the States would soon be restored
to the Union.
In this State in the space ofthree months,
the Provisional Governor appointed some
four thousand officers; the amnesty oath
was administered to not less than sixty
Thousand citizens; an election was held for
DELEGATES to Convention which assembled Tor
the purpose of altering and amending the State
Constitution, and of presenting "such a re-
publican form of government as would en-
title the State to the guarantee OF the United
States therefor, and her people to protec-
ton against invasion, instruction, and do
nestle violence" The Convention, after pas
sing such ordinances as were deemed necessa-
" adjourned A Governor and Legislature
were then elected The Provisional Gov
ernor was relieved, and the new civil Gov
ernor entered on his duties. Senators and
representatives to Congress were chosen
The Convention re-assembled pursuant to
adjournment, made further alterations and
amendments to the Constitution, and then,
divesting themselves of their powers, return
ed to mingle with the great body OF their
fellOw-citiZens.
Here, then, was State, with govern
ment newly made by the voluntary action
of its citizens, and prepared, as many
thought, to be admitted to the great family
of States. The forms were all there, but
the proper spirit was wanting. Five years be-
fore the representatives of this State had de-
liberately, in their own time and way, walk
ed out of the common Congress to engage in
rebellion against the national authority and
it was not to be expected that representa-
tives could return from this State to the Con-
gress on their own terms and IN their own
way The President had instructed the
Governor, and had told the people of the
State, that a spirit of sincere loyalty was the
chief requisite in the work of organization
He warned them that those who had been
conspicuous as rebels-who had deliberately
involved the people in war, or who, being
in had persistently closed their ears
to all overtures of peace-should not be
prominent in the work of restoration, but
must s'take back seats until the work was
accomplished He told them that their
members elect to Congress ought to be per-
sons who could comply with any existing
constitutional or legal test. He told them
that the work performed by the Provisional
Governor, in accordance with his lnstruc-
tions, that in all appointments to office
g those persons who had never faItered in
their allegiance to the government should
be preferred, had his unqualified approval;
that treason must be made odious, and 10y
atty must be encouraged and rewarded;
that the State could not expect to be restor-
ed to the Union until her people had wash
ed their hands of every thing that partook
in the slightest degree of the rebellion -
and that any material variation from these
views and these instructions would mos
probably prove FATAL to the admission of
the State.
/ undertake to say, and will prove, that
the public men of North-C Carolina, who now
control her affairs, acting for and in the
name of her people, have not even carried
out the plan of President Johnson, mild and
generous as it is.
The Provisional Governor left some four
thousand loyal persons in office. These per-
sons were appointed under the direction of
the President, and the appointments were ap-
proved by him. With few exceptions, all
of them that could be reached by the Gov
ernor and the Legislature have been elected
from Office and persons less loyal have been
appointed in their place. 1t is not pretend
ed that the public service has been benefited
by the change. Those elected are in no re-
SDeCC inferior Ill dDlliGy OF HthCSS " GhooS
who have succeeded them. We are obliged
to conclude, therefore, that these removals
were made to reward secession partizans,
who are less loyal to the government than
the former incumbents. L know they were
made in opposition to the Presidents wish
es, if not in contempt of his authority. These
appointments constituted very important
part of the work of restoration. 1t was the
wish of the President that this work should
be maintained intact until the State was re-
stored Indeed, it was indispensable, in his
Judgment, to the restoration of the State, for
he has repeatedly declared that the most 10y
al of our people should alone take part in
this work, and that every opportunity
should be made available to encourage and
strengthen to the fullest extent those who
have never faltered in their allegiance to the
government" In the recent appointments
in the place of loyal men thus summarlly
elected without good cause directly oppo-
site rule seems to have been adopted No
opportunity has been lost by the present State
Executive to encourage and strengthen those
who have not only faltered in their allegiance