The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1866-06-13
CHE M5erklp standard.
RALEIGH. N. q.
WEDNESDAY, - JUNE Is. 1865.
Hon. James NJ. Ashley, Of Ohio Judge


Hon. James M. Ashley, of Ohio-Judge
Reade, of North. Carolina Loyalty.
We are under obligations to Hon. ]. NJ.
Ashley, of Ohio, for copy of bis very able
and interesting speech, delivered in the
House of Representatives May 29th, 1866.
like Mr. Kelly and Others of the House and
Senate, who have spoken kindly of the
Southern people, Mr. Ashley is a firm and
devoted Republican, and is indeed, what is
called radical" We make the following
extract from Mr.. Ashlcy's speech:
"Tbere is another beautiful incident which
| / must not omit. Last Summer, when the
convention met in North Carolina, in re-
sponse to the Presidents proclamation, to
reorganize constitutional State government,
Mr. Reade, the president of that convention,
| on taking the chair, uttered words which
| thrilled the continent. have no language
to tell you, Mr. Speaker, how they touched
my heart as 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:
l
Let painful reflections upon our late sep
aration and pleasant memories of our carly
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 rock, and has weathered
the storm, enjoy together the long, bright
future which awaits u.s.
| Sir avnru louol Ronrocaptafiva in fhic
| 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 erring brother into this rebellion, if he
but set his face toward the old homestead.
uttering such brave words as these, Twill
run to meet him afar off and for him the fat
ted calf shall be slain. But do not propose
to start out laden down with pareons and
with the f,tted calf smoking hot from the
oven and hunt up and thrust both partlons
| and feast upon unrepentant, malignant, and
defiant rebels Nor do l 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, bitter and resentful feelings,
and foolish and vicious clinging to the
memory Of the dead Confederacy. At the
time Mr. Readc uttered these "brave words -
it 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 trucst 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
Mr.. Ashley, that the Union must be restored
By loyal men on q loyal basis /; and that "un-
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 non. If but half done, it will
not be long before the chiefs of the rebellion
will again obtain control, and then, verify,
"the last state of this people will be worse
than the first" We belong to that compar-
atively small, but indomitable and fearless
body of Southern men who glory in their
attach oent to the Union. From the hearts
of these men even now, after all that has
happened, there wells up, as from never
failing fountain of loyalty, the noble senti-
ment expressed by Mr.. Reade, and which,
"thrilling the continent, occasioned so much
qualification to Mr.. Ashley, and Others, on
the shores of the Pacific. We do not care
what g unrepentant, malignant, and defiant
rebels or their tools may say of us. We
scorn any affiliation with such, and we defy
them to do their worst. There are some
knees that will never bow to this Baal of
secession-ncver! 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
dspotism, 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 were submis-
sionist and "dirt-eater that they would
not even try Mr.. Lincoln, though he adj
dressed them in his inaugural with the wis
dom of sage and the kindness ofa 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 itasl long as they
live. If they 60 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
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