The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-11-28
For the STANDARD.
Public meeting in Bertie County.

the citizens Of Berthe County, in the State of
North Carolina, was held in the Town of.
Windsor. on the 14th day of Novembe, 1868,
for the purpose of considering measures for
s the promotion Of the Agricultural interests of
the County. S. -
Hon. David Outlaw was called to the chair,
and VIM. P. Gurley, Esq, was appointed Sec
rotary. a
The Chairman in stating the object of the
meeting said:
The call for this meeting states its object to
be to consider measures for the promotion of
the agricultural interests of the county.
understand the main object to be to invite
Northern men to come among US with their
capital and engage in agricultural pursuits.
and especially to correct the erroneous i'm
preston. said to be entertained, that those
coming here would not be kindly received
and we'll treated. think, I know the senti-
ments of the people of this County as well as
any one, and I believe they would not only
extend kindness and favor to such as may
come among us, but that there is universal
desire for them to come and purchase or rent
lands. While the war lasted. I desired as
much as any one the success of my own sec
ton, but now, North and South, we are one
country and ought to work together cordial
ly and kindly for our mutual profit. There
is scarcely any section of the country where
agriculture has been more profitable than in
this County. The superior quality of the
lands and the facility for getting the pro-
ducts to market will render it profitable
again, as soon as we cen induce men of CAPT.
tai to come here, and assist us with their
means in recovering from our present embar-
easements.
A committee was appointed to prepare
set of Resolutions for the consideration of the
meeting consisting of Hon. John Pool, Lewis
Thompson, Esq, Col Samuel B. Spruill VIM.
M. Sutton, Esq, and Etherton Wilson, ESQ.,,
In reporting the Resolutions prepared by
the committee Hon John Pool said:
This meeting has been advertised in every
section of the County, and see assembled
here citizens representing every shade of po-
litical sentiment-from those who left us and
fought in the army of the Union to those who
were the first to volunteer in the army of the
South. The survivors from both have re-
turned to their old homes, to live together IN
peace and friendship, and have met here, Of
day, with the most jealous friends and SYM
pathisers of each, for the purpose of consul
ting together and agreeing upon measures to
repair, as speedily as possible, the damage
which all have sustained by the unfortunate
and unnatural contest in which they were
lately engaged. 1t was feared that disorder
and frequent disturbance of the public peace
would follow the termination of the war
But we, of BERTHE County, have known of
such things only from the reports of their oc-
curence elsewhere. Since the surrender of
the Southern armies, there has been,. in this
County, no case of murder, robbery or arson
or other crime of high grade-and the petty
misdemeanors have been less frequent than
before the commencement of the war; Gases
of petty larceny have been confined almost
exclusively to the colored population. shall
not claim for the citizens of this County more
virtue or better disposition than others pos
sess. But their peaceable conduct for the
last eighteen months is creditable to them.
The purposes and spirit Of this meeting are
equally so. 1t may be partly owing to the
| necessity now upon almost every one to be
| industrious and frugal in order to obtain the
means Of living. Domestic industry is al
ways favorable to peace and virtue. Idle
| ness engenders dissensions and vice. We
| need capital and labor. Two thirds of the
arabic lands of this County, upon which i'm
| mense fields of grain and cotton grew before
the war, are now uncultiyated. These lands
are extremely fertile and the facility for get
| ting their products to market is unsurpassed.
| The County is surrounded on three sides by
navigable water. The Cashie, running through
its centre, is navigable for twenty miles up
| by any craft that can enter the waters of
| North Carolina.
| The City of Norfolk is only twenty-four
| hours distant from this Town by steam boat.
With lands scarcely less fertile than those of
Mississippi and Louisiana and with such
| proximity to market, why is it that we Ian
| guish for capital and labor? Why does it
not naturally come and seek investment here 2
1t is because of the fear that Northern men,
coming among us, will not be cordially re-
ceived or kindly treated. We know that
such fears are eroundless. I have heard the
object of this meeting freely discussed, for a
month or more, and have not heard of a
single dissenting voice in the County There
is universal desire tn have them come and
settle among US and give impetus to our in
dustrial pursuits. All of us look to the in
| fux of Northern labor and capital as the only
means OF preventing one half of our fertile
lands returning to the wilderness. Let us
then frankly and promptly invite them to
come, and pledge ourselves as men and citi-
zens to assure them such welcome. assistance
and protection as might be expected in any
well-ordered Christian community. Our hon
orable and distinguished chairman, than
whom there was not more warm and yea
lous Confederate in the whole South, has
just expressed the sentiments of every one of
US, in saying, that, North and South, we
are now one country, and ought to work to-
gether cordially and kindly for our mutual
profit"
Upon consideration, the meeting unani-
mously adopted the following Resolutions
The citizens of BERTHE County, in the State
of North Carolina, assembled in the town OF
Windsor, without distinction of party OF
political views, past or present. for the pur-
pose of consulting together upon measures
to revive and promote the agricultural inter
ests of the County, now greatly depressed in
consequence of the late disastrous war, do
agree to and adopt the following Resolu-
tions, to wit
1. ResoJoed, That we do hereby invite to
this County the aid of capital and labor
from abroad, and especially from the North,
and do hereby prefer to sell or rent, at fail
prices, part of our lands
2. Resolped, That we will extend to those
who may come among us to engage in agri-
cultural pursuits, such neighborly assistance
hospitality and social relations as to make
them of us, as well as among -pledging
ourselves to assure to them freedom from all
annoyance on account Of place of birth OF
political views, and to exert ourselves to di-
minish, as far as possible, those unavoidable
Inconvenience incident to the first years Of
a residence among strangers.