The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-09-26
The Presidents Plan Considered.
The Proposed Constitutional amendment ex-
planned, and Its adoption urged.
THE UNION THE PARAMOUNT GooDl

AiAAS
To the People of North-Carolina.
FEILow-CITIzENs:
When the conflict of arms had ceased IN
the Southern States, the President OF the
limited States appointed Provisional Gov
, ernors. charged with the duty of organizing
new Governments for the States. This was
INDISPENSABLE, as the rebellion in its progress
had denrived these States of all civil gov
eminent The States remained, but their
governments had ceased to exist. Ihese
Governors acted under instructions, some.
times given by the President himsel,
and sometimes by the Secretary OF STATE ior
him and in his name, but they were also
clothed with large discretionary powers.
They were authorized to call Conventions OF
the ioyal people, and thus enable them 10 re,
sumo the functions of self-government; ana
as the great body of the people had, oy re-
bellion. forfeited their political privileges,
the President issued proclamation in which
ALL with certain exceptions, were offered par
don. provided they would take an oath to
support the Constitution Of the United
States and the Union of the States thereun-
der. and also former proclamatlons enamel
pating the slaves. This offer of pardon APP
peared to be generally and cheerfully ac-
cepted. The great body of the insurgents
including nearly all of those who were but
short time previously in arms against the ma
tional authority, were thus generously par
doned: and RENTED to the exercise OF their
full privileges rs American citizens, save
that. as a necessary precaution 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 a great calm. After four years of
exhausting war we had peace. Every citi-
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 for
the purpose of altering and amending the State
Constitution, and of presenting "such 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-
iberately, 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 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 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 instruc-
lions, that in all appointments to office
those persons who had never faltered in
their allegiance to the government should
be preferred, had his unqualified approval;
that treason must be made odious, and loy-
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 most
probably prove fatal" to the admission of
the State.
undertake to say, and will prove, that
the public men of North 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 1t 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-
spect inferior in ability or fitness to those
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 low
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 summarily
elected without good cause, a directly oppo-
site rule seems to have been adopted. No
opportunity has been lost by the present State