The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-06-05
Tri-aYeeklv Standard.
RALEIGH, n. q.
JUNE ). 1866.
m.uow, rd,s Amendment.
TUESDAY,

h !
The Senate, on Thursday last, considered
Mr.. Towards amendment, and refused To
amend it, The probability is it passed the
Senate Yesterday, and will be concurred in
by the House.
No paper in the South has been warmer
or more steady advocate of the Presidents
plan than this journal. The gist of this plan
is this: That the insurgent States are still
States. entitled to representation and to the
1irht to determine for themselves the CUES
ton of suffrage; and that rs such their rep,
rcscntatiycs shall be admitted when they
preset themselves chosen by ioyal people,
and in an Enthusiastically loyal garb The
President completed his work, and it was
then for the Congress to say whether the
representatives chosen should be admitted.
The Congress hesitates to admit Them The
President does not say that the Congress
should admit " unparloncd rebels" or per
sons who cannot take the test oath and the
States. for the most part, refuse to elect
members who can take this oath, and not
only this but many who arc at the head OF
affairs in these States go further, and rdl-
cule and denounce this oath. Congress at
length adopts plan which recognizes the
States as States, which provides that repre-
sentation shall be based voters, thus
leaving the question of suffrage to the States,
as the President does; and which further
provides that certain Cfice-h0zlers in the
States. who were conspicuous and active in
the rebellion shall be excluded not from the
right to vote, but from the privilege of hold
ing office unless two-thirtls of the Congress
shall grant them that privilege. Such is the
sum and substance Of the two plans. with
the exception that the President deprecates,
as we do any further amendments to the
Constitution until the recently insurgent
States are represented in Congress.
We repeat our preference for, and our de
votion to the Presidents plan; but if that
plan cannot be carried out as an entirety, we
would accept Mr.. Towards plan as the next
best we can get If we go further we shall
fare worse. So far as oTicc-holdt"g is con-
cerned that does not amount to much any
way The great point is to restore the State
to the Union, without regard to office holders
or any thing else OF that character. We
have no fears that the Congress would not
deal in the most liberal spirit with the truly
loyal men of the Southern States 1t would
remove the pressure from the true men
of the South as rapidly as might he expe-
dient or safe Surely. surely the great mass
OF the people would not suffer by the exclu-
sion for time of certain classes from Office!
The truth is, such gentlemen Graham,
Stephens, Bragg the RansOms, HOke, Fcre-
bee, Winston, Eaton, Turner Coleman, Kerr.
Mclean, Biggs. Vance, and Others who might
be named, ought not to expect office at Il
time like this. 1t is highly immodest, to say
the least, in Gov. Graham and Mr.. Stephens,
with their ultra latter-day war record, to
pect to step out of the darkness of Con
tederate" despotism into the full etful-
gence of the national glory, to sit side by
side with loyal Senators, with an etfronttry,
perhaps, equal to that with which they sec
onded Mr.. Davis in his wicked, wretched
pernicious, cruel and most calamitous course.
Nor ought the loyal men at home to be
afflicted at this time by such men in office.
For they atflict thy heritage, o Lord
Psal. Xcv. Let them stand aside for Il season.
at least, while those who honestly labored
and suffered TO save the country from their
ruinous counsels, are permitted to step for
ward and perform the great work of restora-
ton. This is demanded not only by the
respect which these gentlemen owe to them
selves, but by justice, consistency, and sound
policy. Our State has been eminent for her
honesty and modesty. Never, before the
viruS of secession was Lot into he; AL
any Of her public men exhibit such want of
modesty, and such prurient ill-timed, per
sistcnt desire for place.
The Sentinel is still rebelious 1t calls lis
a submissionist because we are ready to take
Mr. Towards plan, if we can do no better
1t talks about its rights" Its " rights"
are in the keeping of the conqueror 1t does
not become us, Senator Call says, to die
tate to the government. Our part is that of
silence and hope" We rant tile best terms
are cum get, Int ace are for tile Union at all
hazards anil to the lust ertremity" So far
from being ashamed Of this position, as many
among US are, we are proud of it. By
threatening the government, by talking
about its "rights," which it forfeited and
spurned when it rebelled, and by assuming
to dictate terms of restoration, the Sentinel
not only violates the spirit of the amnesty
oath which its Editors took but it exhibits
no more sense or reason than a defendant
would against whom judgment had been en-
tered and execution issued, who should
quarrel with the Sheriff, and command him
not to sell his property. 1t is our opinion
that neither wisdom nor loyalty will expire
with the Sentinel.
The Convention.