Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-07-19
1.-THE Situation and 1T. Consequences"

occurrences here scarcely furnish an item for our
very industrious slocaL"
| "The Situation Consequences"
Now hold that nothing settled either logically or
otherwise by the except that were unable at the
south make good put action the principles up
on which to the general government
based Whether suc! resistance consists with the doc
zations which thew set stands it stood before and
IS web hereafter II al time 70 como: be
but potroon yet beaten out Of an opn-
ion much less the immutabe principles OF right be
subverted by brute force Wager OF battle settles no p
p''' '' Correspondent Of The Ne'ooern Commercial
The utterance of such truths as the above is as
refreshing as draught of water from cool spring
is to tired soldier on a hot day, and whenever
hear them, we cannot help feeling cheered and be-
ieved that better days yet in store for u.s. Our
people have been depressed by the dreadful ca
lamities that have overwhelmed them that in their
depression they have allowed many things to pass
in silence that deserved, at least protest Their
silence however, in the terrible times, that we
now believe. are happily passing away, cannot be
fairly construed into assent to the many mad and
foolish propositions that have been laid down in
their hearing. Thank Heaven, we begin to breathe
freely once more, and again feel that we can give
utterance to truth without the fear of arrest and
imprisonment
| Among these propositions We know OF none
more dangerous IN tendency and pernlc4ous III
| consequences than the truism which atfirms the
necessity OF accepting the situation and all that
| logically and legitimately follows therefrom. 1t
is dangerous and pernicous, not because 1T Is I'M
true in ITSELF but because it so readily be used
by bad and designing men to mislead and deceive
brave but unfortunate people, earnestly desir-
GUS of performing their duty.
We are told that we left our cause to the arbi'
trament of the sword and that having done so, and
the decision having been against us, it becomes
us as a brave and honest people, to abide 10y the
decision and to accept the situation and its con-
sequences But is this true statement OF the
case Far from it. We committed not the just
ness of our cause, but the maintenance OF it, to
the sword We knew then, as know now, that
musket and cannon cannot effect the right al
though they may prevent the maintenance OF 1t.
We submitted to the arbitrament of the sword
the question of might and the decision having
been against us by demonstration of our lnabll-
ity to contend with our Northern brethren, We are
bound by all the consequences that dow ifom otlr
defeat. We admit this freely and fully, and we
intend, honestly, to respect the decision, because
it is the decision of the tribunal to which ap
pealed upon the question we submitted
The business of course, the correctness of the
principles involved and the rectitude of our inten-
tions-iu d word, the question of right-we Gid
not submit to the afbtraEtept at the sword, CT to
that of any other tribunal, save that OF the SD
preme Judge of the world and they are, therefore,
unaffected by our defeat by any logical or legit'
innate consequences therefrom. The did not
decide that our cause was based upon treason, but
simply that we were unable to maintain it, leaving
the question of right precisely where it found it,
| The arbitrament of the sword simply declared
that we were unable to cope with our Northern
brethren in arms without deciding, or attempting
to decide the question Of right between the bellig-
erents This and this alone is the decision of the
war, and this "the situation" resulting therefrom
Thus far, and no farther do accept it.
The acceptance of the stnailon" is q anSen-
lent phrase in which to hide too great eagerness
for the flesh pots of Egypt; and many men
are taking advantage of it to mislead our people
through their desire to fulfill their pledges honest
lly We think it high time that the covering
should be stripped from such eager acceptors-I
men who use the livery Of Heaven to serve the
devil in.
Our surrender was an honorable one. In it no
single degrading condition imposed, and by
it We are willing to abide. But we cannot give
our assent to the idea that is becoming preva-
lent, that by the terms of the surrender are
under any obligation to detract little from the
merits of our course, or that the acceptance of
the situation in any shape or form truthfully i'm
piled that We must eat dirt. Sef-respect, well
as truth dictates this, and we hope all good men
will define what they mean by Hthe situation and
its consequences" SC that the people may be
rightly informed, and the designs of bad men cir
cumvented.
The Philadelphia Convention Movements i'm the
Second and Third Districts.
We learn from the Goldsboro' Yeus that there
was to have been a meeting of the citizens oil
Wayne county on yesterday, in that town, to ap-
Congressional District, to meet at Goldsboro on
the 25th inst |
A meeting held in Wadesboro, says the |
Argus, on Tuesday last Col W. G. Smith, presid- |
ing, in which the other counties of the third Dis
trct were invited to join with Arson county in a
District Convention, to be held at Lumberton, on
Wednesday, the 25th of July inst, Col ", G, |
Smith, T. w. Kendall, Col. r. 7. Bennett JOS
w. Redfearn, Archie Niven and JOS W. Allen,
were selected by the meeting as delegates to rep
resent Arson in the said Convention.
There will be Il meeting of the citizens of Rich
mond county, at Rockingham, on Tuesday next,
the 18th inst, to take steps to have the county
represented in the District Convention to be held
at Lumberton, on the 25th inst.
It will be seen that the counties around us are