The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-12-24
{ Ally PRESS.
Mon lay Morning, December "a, 1866,
rne Wise Men OF North Carolina.
PORTLAND.


furnishing in Washington last week under
The guidance and general supervision Oh Gov
eorth. ChiefJustice Rufilin, Ex-Gov. SWAN
and the Hon. Nathaniel Boyden, who was
horn in Massachusetts, and is heartily asham-
Cd of IT, made up the train, or as it is sometimes
called the tail of Governor Worth. The Gov
arnor called upon the President OF the United
states. with his tail He recited the outrages
which have lately been perpetrated upon his
-. subjects in the old North State, and the tail
bristled in sympathetic horror. 1t appears
. that Gen. Sickles has got his military spurs
tangled among the laws of North Carolina,
aud has been kicking and breaking said laws
in the most exasperating manner. Finding
that the question involved some legal points,
the President with admirable modesty refer
red the party to the law officer of the govern
ment. He had been an alderman in his ma
tive village, a member ofthe State Legislature,
&c. &C.; his reasonable ambition had
been glutted, SO to speak; but he made no
great professions as lawyer, and would pre-
fer to have his friends call on Mr.. Stanbery. /
The tail wagged acquiescence and followed
Gov. Worth into the presence of the Attorney
General. Then it was set forth with due cir
crmstantiality, that the constitutional rights
of North Carolina have been abridged, in that
while it has always been esteemed and regarded
the especial privilege and prerogative Of North
Carolinians, as OF other Southerners, to wallop
their own niggers, Gen. Sickles has never
theless interfered instigated by the devil or
Charles Sumner, and issued military order
abrogating that time honoIed custom and for
bidding all persons INDUCING in the practice
even under color of law. Here's tyranny
For the mischief is, or rather was, that Sick
les with strong hand and sufficient force put
his own decree into very faithful execution,
alter the stupid fashion ofmiitary command
ers. Very high-handed proceedings indeed,
Mr.. Attorney! Niggers absolutely spelling
tor whipping, and no man can strike blow!
Whereupon the Governors tail fairly trent
bled with emotion.
Chief-Justce Rufin explained with the
painful acuteness becoming his Judicial POI
sition, that Gen. Sickles had forbidden not
merely Jogging but / corporal punishment
the very words of his atrocious order. Now
corporal punishment, according to the North
Carolina law books, includes Imprisonment
and hanging To the mind of the Chief JUS
tce It was quite plain, whatever meaning Gen.
Sickles might attach to the words, that they
were certain TO work a general Jail delivery,
and that the ediiying spectacle OF public
hanging would be indefinitely postponed, to
the great detriment and positive injury of the
rising generation Tue worthy Judge seem
ed impressed with the notion that it would
somehow become his duty TO eXpound
Gen. Sickles's order from the bench, unless
the thing was overruled
Not to leave the Internal Radicals a single
leg to stand on, Gov. Worth took pains to ex-
plain that the institution for which they came
to mtercede is Impartial Flogging. They
whip not only men but women down there,
and not only black men and women but
whites To this there could of course be no
reply, and the Attorney General at once re-
ported against Gen. Sickness order, and the
President suspended its operation" This, it
viii be seen, is a very different thing
from resembling the order, though the
effect is nearly the same, it mnst
be confessed; for not only was Colonel
BromtOrd commanding at Raleigh, at once
compelled to give up negro to the civil au-
thorities, but Judge Fowler, who sits some
where in that neighborhood, decided to in
dict all the military officers who had been
thwai ting the laws by Withholding the dark
criminal and refusing to surrender him for
tiagellation. 1t is satisfactory to know that
the negro was promptly whipped the next
day. Our excellent President has added an
other laurelito his wreath.
The PRESIDENCY IN Neutrality-suspicious. be-
gin to multiply respecting the nominations for
the next Presidential contest. Mr.. johnson
perhaps regards himselfas candidate still; no.
body else does. Gen. Grant has been named
repeatedly-perhaps too often. Gen. Butler it
Is said, has nominated himself; but that nomi-
nation is not equivalent to an election An
East Tennessee paper puts mp the name of
Gen. Thomas, who was SO handsomely receiv-
ed at Nashville the other day. A Kansas cor
respondent Of the st. Croix Courier says Mr..
Hamlin's name would be a tower of strength
in the West, and the Oxford Democrat of the
list inst makes up an attractive ticket with
hamlin for President and Colfax for Vice
President We forgot to mention that Mr.
Coliax has also been talked of for President
Ii Mr.. Hamlin should be nominated, Maine
which in 1856 elected him Governor by the
heaviest majority ever known until Gen. Cham
berain beat it last fall, would lead off hand
somely in the election. Nevertheless we do
not believe it is wise to bring him forward yet.
1t is VIGOROUSLY unsafe to bring a mans name
too early before the people. The chances are
that the candidates on both sides will be men
who are not now spoken Of