The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-01-03
The Trail of the Sernent.

At the time the Sentinel opened upon the
Standard in earnest to use its own expressive
phrase, it felt FESTIVE and uneasy" 1t
charged upon the Standard that it was mis-
representing and damaging the Governor
Somehow or other in the eyes of the Sentinel,
the Standard and the Governor become one
and the same thing. 1t was his "Court
Journal" his "organ," and he was held re-
sponsible for it. On the 9th of September it
said:
.'In all our intercourse with Gov. Holden since
he has been in office he has been uniformly dig
nitied, atfable, kind and courteous in his deport
ment TO every one. We have not heard of an
exception. He puts on no lordly majesty to make
people tremble in their Shoes Nothing like it.
1t is for this reason, we counsel the Standard to
change its course, and initiate the temper and
spirit of the Governor, aess it Coald misrepresent
him before the public and seriously damage his dd-
miniStrdtiOn."
The italics are ours Gov Holden was
then to be held responsible by the public for
the tone and conduct of the Standard. If it
did or said certain things, Gov. Holden
would suffer. Why did not the Sentinel come
out boldly and manfully and say that the
Standard was as much responsible to the
public for what it said, as the Sentinel was or
ever will be? But while praising the Gov
ernor it sought to stab him.
A few days afterwards a communication
signed by one Milo" was published in the
Sentinel 1t was a mere bill of Indictment
against the Governor The Sentinel sustain
ed Milo" especially where he, "Milo,"
made Gov. Holden responsible for the Stan
dard. To support "Milo" and itself it
even dragged in a third party. 1t said on
the 10th:
GA gentleman who has large observation and
means of Knowing the sentiments of ihe people
of the State, after reading ''Milo" remarked
that the sentiment was becoming common among
our people, that President johnson is far more
liberal in his feelings and purposes towards North
Carolina than Gov. Holden is. We have antici-
pated nothing else from the course Of the Stan
dard''
Here was direct charge-that Gov. Hol-
den was illiberal and that the feeling was
growing in the State against him. The Sen
tinel was pledged to Gov. Holden's policy, it
had declared it to be the true policy, and yet
when it began to face popular opinion, bred
from old prejudices and disaAection, it turn
ed upon the Standard as the cause of the
growing evil, and held Gov. Holden repon-
sible for the Standard. The truth was, its
own subscribers and readers were the persons
who entertained such feelings, and instead of
enlightening them and promoting harmony,
it fostered their prejudices. To the extent
of its circulation it leaned against the Gov
ernor, although its printed pledge of support
and words Of praise were scarcely dryupon the
paper. We could not reach such persons !;
and if perhaps we did, the Sentinel had warp
ed their judgement and aroused their feelings
against us.
The seed was sown and the crop was to be
gathered in the Convention, if possible. The
crop amounted to $1500O,0 600 war debt, the
displacement of Gov. Holden, and general
scramble for office by the true men, who
swear to their hurt, yet change not"
DuG again, Ou tuc SUtu VI OcpltuDcI, IL
deemed it necessary to re-endorse the Gov
ernors policy. This was done in the most
unequivocal manner, to be broken ere another
moon waxed and waned.
About this time an article appeared in the
Standard headed "Come and let us reason
together" The Sentinel charged Gov. Hol-
den, by insinuation, with writing it. This
insinuation, mark you, was meant to trap the
Governor and clinch its former charges that
he was responsible for the editorials in
the Standard. Having called the atten-
ton of the Sentinel to the insinuation,
however, it publicly corrected its state
ment on the 22nd of September Thus,
by insinuation, it was assailing the Governor
covertly. Observe how insidiously it labor
ed to destroy confidence in Gov. Holden
praises fell from its lips one day, insinuations