The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-06-09
Uri-Weeklg Standard.
RALEIGH, N. e.
JUNE o. 1866.
Hon. James M. Ashley, of Ohio-Judge
Reade, of North Carolina-Loyalty.

Hon. James M. Ashley, of Ohio-Judge
Reade, of North Carolina-Loyalty.
We are under obligations to Hon. j. M.
Ashley, of Ohio for copy of his very able
and interesting speech, delivered in the
House of Representatives May goth, 1866.
Like Mr.. Kelly and others of the House and
Senate, who have spoken kindly of the
Southern people, Mr. Ashley is firm and
devoted Republican, and is, indeed, what is
called RADICAL We make the following
extract from Mr. Ashleys speech:
"There is another beautiful incident which
I must not omit. Last summer, when the
convention met in North Carolina, in re-
Spouse to the Presidents proclamation to
reorganize a constitutional State government,
Mr.. Reade, the president of that convention,
on taking the chair, uttered words which
thrilled the continent. l have no language
to tell you, Mr.. Speaker, how they touched
my heart as 1 read them on the shores of the
Pacific. know that every loyal man in
this nation called down benedictions on his
head. These are his golden words:
'FelOW-cltlZcns, we are going home
Let painful reflections upon our late sep
aration and pleasant memories of our early
union quicken our footsteps towards the old
mansion, that we may grasp hard again the
hand of friendship. which stands at the door;
and, sheltered by the old homestead which
was built upon a rock, and has wcathercd
the storm, enjoy together the long, bright
future which awaits u.s."
Sir. every loyal Representative in this
Hall stands ready with open hand to-day
to welcome all who thus speak from the
heart and, sir, whatever Of local interest, or
of prejudice or of passion may have carried
an crring brother into this rebellion, if he
but set his face toward the old homestead.
uttering such brave words as these, l will
run to meet him afar off, and for him the fat
ted calf shall be slain. But l do not propose
to start out laden down with pardons and
with the tatted calf smoking hot from the
oven and hunt up and thrust both pardons
and feast upon unrepentant, malignant, and
defiant rebels. Nor do 1 propose to stand
before them, hat in hand, and ask them on
what terms they propose to return to the old
mansion. Sir, every rebel shall resume his
citizenship upon the terms and conditions
prescribed by the loyal men of this nation,
or, so far as | am concerned, he shall remain
alien forever"
When these golden words " fell from the
lips of Mr.. Reade, we had every reason to
believe that they were cordially approved
by majority of our people. But with
many, very many at this time, there are no
pleasant memories of our early union" but
on the contrary, bit ter and resentful feelings.
and a foolish and vicious c!inging to the
memory of the dead Confederacy. At the
time Mr.. Reade uttered these brave words
1t was believed that the Presidents plan
would be carried out in good faith but
now, those who control public affairs in this
State laugh at and denounce the test oath.
and hold that the truest Union men are such
as were truest to the Confederacy. 1t was
respectable and honorable to be an uncon-
ditional Union man when Mr.. Reade uttered
those words in September last but it is not
so now. We hold, with the President and
Mr.. Ashley, that the Union must be restored
By tOyat men on a lOynt basis ;: and that Gun
repentant, malignant, and defiant rebels -
should be forced to take back seats in the
work of restoration. Restoration by any
other means, or in any other way, would not
be worth having. The work should be thor
oughly done n0ao. If but half DONE it will
not be long before the chiefs of the rebellion
will again obtain control, and then, verify
I" the last state of this people will be worse
atively small, but indomitable and fearless
body of Southern men who glory in their
attachment to the Union. From the hearts
OF these men even now, after all that has
happened, there wells up from never
failing fountain of loyalty, the noble senti-
ment expressed by Mr.. Reade, and which,
thrilling the continent" occasioned so much
70 Ak
the shores of the Pacific. We do not care
what G. unrepentant, malignant, and defiant
rebels :" or their tools may say of u.s. We
scorn any utilization with such, and we defy
them to do their worst. There are some
knees that will never bow to this Baal of
secession-never! We warned our people
in 1860 of the coming horrors of disunion.
We implored them in 1868 to rise in their
might, to put their hands on the Confederate
despotism, and compel it to close the war
on the basis of restoration. We begged
them last year to carry out in good faith the
plan of the President The answer to the
first warning was, that we We're a submits
sionist and "dirt-eater that they would
not even try Mr.. Lincoln, though he adj
dom of sage and the kindness of a father; to
the second warning, that we were traitor to
the Confederacy, and ought to be hanged; to
the third that we were dirt-eater' again
in proposing that only those who were for
peace and Union before the war closed should
lead in the work of restoration, and that they
were men, who, having been true to the Con-
federacy, would therefore be true to the Union,
and that they were theloyal persons whom the
President desired should perform this work
We now warn them for the last time, that
unless they adopt the very first offer made them
by the Congress they will rue it as long as they
live. If they go further they will fare worse
The question is, not what do we want, but
what can we get? We can endure anything
that others can. We do not know that this
warning will have any effect. We do not
suppose it will, on such persons as Gov WORTH
Gov. Graham, Mr.. Ferebee, Mr. Gilmer, Mr.