The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-04-09

they would principally affect
presumed to interpose an effort in behalf
OF North Carolina, alone Mr.. Stevens, OF
Pennsylvania, consented to introduce, on the
18th day of December, into the House OF
Representatives. "a bill to establish civil
government in North Carolina, and to ena-
BILE it to resume its former relations as one
OF the constituent States of the American
Union" This bill avoided most of the
harsher features of the proposed measures,
and was consented to only as experiment
with a single State, 1t provided for Con
vention, on the basis of the House of Com
mons, to he assembled as early as the Goth
of May, 1867, to frame State Constitution
and organize 4 permanent government. All
whites who have heretofore exercised the
right of suffrage were admitted to the ballot
box, and only such blacks as could read and
write, or owned real estate of the assessed
value of one hundred dollars. The present
government was to continue in the exercise
of its functions until such time as the Con-
vention should fix for the commencement of
the permanent government, and the admis-
sion OF the State into the Union-thus avoid
ing the anarchy and confusion incident to a
sudden termination of the present order of
things. The disabling provision extended
only to eligibility to seats in the particular
Constitution provided for in the bill, and
was confined to those who voluntarily per-
sisted in the rebellion after the 4th day of
March, 1864. 1t would have been fortunate
for the secession leaders had this bill been
enacted into law; and had the proper spir-
it been manifested by them in regard to it,
Congress would, in all probability, have
promptly tried that experiment with North
Carolina. But it was Immediately assailed
by them with the most violent denunciations.
as is everything else which runs counter to
their purposes.
My supposed connection with this bill
brought down upon me much vulgar and
shameless defamation, especially in the sour
rllous secession newspapers. But selfrespect
forblds any answer to scurriity except to
characterize it. The time has fortunately
come, when Union man in North Carolina
may depise the aspersions of hireling press,
whose editors, having little character or
ability, are dependent on the favor of their
employers for daily bread. This defamation
OF those who attempt to restore the State to
peace and prosperity. and dare expose the
Vaccinations of baffied but struggling trea-
son, is meant to intimidate and deter, as was
so etfectually done in the dark days of the
rebellion Men generally hesitate to en-
counter violent existing preiudices, and to
stani against those who fall in with and en-
deavor to infame them. But there are times,
when it becomes the highest duty of citi-
zen to disregard all personal considerations
and to speak boldly the naked truth, how
ever distasteful 1t may be, and however re-
pugnant to settled notions He is not per-
mltted to be deferred by the clamor of those
whose evil designs and purposes depend on
taking advantage of the general bias to in
flame and nurse the passions of men for
future use upon the first safe occasion. 1t
may be "A safer personal policy at such times
to go with the current, or at least be silent
But L cannot consent, either as a man or a
cltlzen, thus to become party to the present
mlschlevous purposes of the secession leaders
not as as man, because it requires hy-
pocrlsy and deceit-not as a citizen, because
the tendency is, and unless checked, the re-
suit must be the ultimate disruption of the
Union and the ruin OF my country How
much have we suffered, because those of us
who saw and felt the truth in 1861, had not
the courage to proclaim it boldly to the peo-
pie We should then have firmly spoken
what every good and reasonable man felt
that the secession movement was the work of
bad and selfish leaders-carefully planned |
and pursued for years by the most insidious |
and deceptive means, playing upon sectional !
pride to deceive honest men into ASSISTING
them to compass their ambitious ends. What |
accumulation of misery would have been |
spared the Southern people, had it been per
mltted men TO tell and act on the plain truth |
IN 1S64-'65 1t was then apparent that the |
mad ambition of 1861 was sacrificing pre-
cious lives in vain, that the contest was hope
less, and that those who persisted in prose
cutting 1T further were murderers of their
deluded and conscripted followers Let it
now be known that foiled ambition, and tles-
peration tremblingly defiant are inviting a
common ruin, which by the completeness of
Its desolatiOn may serve to obliterate the re-
membrance of baffled guilt Let all good
men be exhorted to forget the past, and con-
form honestly to the requirements of the
present and the future.
1t IS time for the people of North Carolina
to realize their true condition, to unite in
removing every obstacle to the return of that
peace and prosperity which they have lost by
following evil counsels. We shall wait in
vain for confession of error on the part of
those who brought upon us this ruin. They
still thrust themselves between us and set
Element of our troubles. They areendeavoring
to make past errors and crimes test of honor
in the eyes of the Southern people-to so warp
the tone of political and social sentiment in
the South as to make that alone honorable
among us, which the rest of the civilized
world unites in pronouncing Infamous. TO
make treason honorable in so large section
OF the country is to perpetuate it. BY con
tlnulng to lnstill its poison into the minds
OF our young men, and connecting it with
their admiration for whatever is good and
noble, they would keep the nation ever in
jeopardy, and its safety continually threat
sned by every unfortunate occasion auspi-
,ious to renewal of the rebellion. They
profess to submit temporarily to what they
cannot, at present, possibly resist. and they
,all such submission loyalty But they boast
Is point of honor, that they submit only
% far as compelled, and because compelled.
This is their present test of 6 true South
I'm man" or secessonist. They denounce a
Wiling and cheerful cooperation with the ma
ional government as disgraceful and de-
,rading, and sneer at it as the test of
Union traitor" This conduct but lily dis !
'uises their longing for an opportunity to ,
esist the hated authority of the Union, f
7hile it serves to keep up public senti- i
lent favorable to such resistance, whenever r
safe occasion may occur They would t
onsent from necessity, to a return of the c
tate to the Union, provided such return
ould be effected with themselves and their @
'eason honored, the Union men degraded n
nd prescribed, and no safeguards required b
prevent their Selling upon the first suita- r.