The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-01-02
CORRESPONDENCE of the Philadelphia Press J
Letter Eroma Occasional. F"

WASHINGTON, ~ W., 80 MI
Among the distinguished Vlsltols ~ o " asm
inoton are Chief Justice Rufln 4, anu wv
nor Worth, of North Carolina nen aaoI tho
object in coming here is the aeiea' S ~ vrU
movement of Ex-Governor holuen, o ia0aJr
Pool and Others Of the same olate' al Wau.i,
referred to in this correspondence. noi.a
and company insist that tile passase "
Holden's bill would produce anarchy ny: IN
North Carolina" As If their own repeliioh
had not completely anticipated TINS happy
condition of affairs The complacteancy OF
tbnse Southern politicians is more than re-
frnshina. They have no more idea that their
~ rt;c;nation in the rebellion deprived them
IF anv ..rights" than they would have had
If tbe whole affair had been prolonged pic
n;c or narade In fact, they believe that it
has rather secured them higher niche in the
temple of fame, and, if anything, has JUST
fed them in aspiring to greater powers than
tbev exercised in the Augustan days of all
Governing slavery. The sacrifice of three
hundred thousand Union lives. and the ex-
penditure of nearly four thousand millions of
Union dollars to defeat their attempts to
overthrow the Republic, they contemplate
rather as trophies of the bravery with which
they tried to maintain the lost cause" than
as proofs of the blacklist crime in human an
inals. Governor Worth is the same worthy
who few weeks ago, in formal message
to the Legislature of North Carolina, advised
Congress to pass law providing for the
emigration of the blacks of that State into the
North and the West; and Chief Justice Ruff
fin is the same who last fall pronounced an
opinion of which the following is an extract.
He refers to the convention called under An
drew Johnson's first proclamation
"Iconsider that this is no constitution, be-
cause your convention was not q legitimate
convention, and had no power to make a
constitution fer us, OF to alter that which we
have; and that it cannot be made a constitu-
ton, even by popular sanction. If these
positions be correct, it ought to be rejected
By the people as the easiest, simplest, and
most efficient method of setting the points
at rest, and avoiding many perplexing and
dangerous questions before the Judiciary. l
object to the organization your convention
because it was called without the consent of
the people of North Carolina by the Pres
ident of the United States, or under his Or
ders-an act of clear and despotic usurpation
which could not give the body any author
ity to bind the State or its inhabitants. If
it be said the President or his satrap-his
Governor of q province did not call or
rather constitute the convention, but the del
egates were elected by the people, and there
by the body was duly constituted, denyit
directly and positively Mr.. johnson requir-
ed convention to perform certain specific
acts; to annul the ordinance of secession,
and tender return to the Union, or claim
its continued existence under the Constitu-
tuition of the United States to emancipate
slaves and ordain that slavery shall never
hereafter exist in this State, and to repudi-
ate the State war debt. Ali these were done
the two first promptly and in satisfactory
terms, and the third at the last moment, I'M
der subsection and in conformity to orders,
after having ouce refused to adopt the meas
ure. All was done, say, that was required,
and Mr.. johnson proclaimed that he had
got all he wanted that we we've back as a
State and might choose our representatives
in Congress in conformity to our rights as a
State and to our law regulating elections.
Was there any thing more for that conven-
ton to do9 Were they chosen for any other
purpose, even by those who were allowed to
vote for members? How dare they, then, go
u
which is to be binding on those who elected
them for other ends, and also on that large
portion Of the patriots and heroes-"unpar-
doned rebels"-who were not allowedto vote
at all? The pretension is without parallel
or precedent until the present term of Radi-
cal assumption of power in dominant mill
tary or numerical majority, without respect
for rights or the Constitution. As far as
they safely can, and whenever they can the
people ought to resist that pretension. This
they can peacefully do, when called on and
allowed to vote and 1 trust they will do so
on this occasion without comruotion, in sup
port of the great principle of human liberty
that d people have the right to make their
own constitution, and not be made subject
to one imposed on them by force or fraud
by an extraneous power, or by fraction of
their fellow-citizens"
In this opinion it will be seen Rufin claims
not only that the State of North Carolina
and the rebellious people who live in it lost
none of their rights by the rebellion, but, I'm
der the Federal Constitution, which they vi
olated and repudiated, may again assert and
enjoy all, and more than ALL their former
privileges Chief Justice Ruffin is here,
therefore, acting a part wholly consistent
with these doctrines. He and his associates
have denounced and, so far as they could
have defeated the new amendment of the
national Constitution with its generous for
giveness of their treason, and its Just, yet
moderate, guarantees against future repudi-
alton and rebellion; and now they insist that
the whole loyal element of the State, both
white and black, shall be RENTED to the
=, 81, II
This atrocious demand shows what they
meant by the declaration, that they had an
nulled the ordinance of secession and repu.
dated the State war debt in convention
"called," says Ruffin. without the consent
of the people of North Carolina, by the Pres
ieent Of the United States, under an act o.
clear and despotic usurpation." 1t did moi
need this confession to prove at once the
| worthlessness of these pledges, and their de
| termination ultimately to resume their for
feited power In the State itself The ques-
ton is a simple one. Will Congress recog
nize Ruffin and Worth, and the army of reb
ell sympathizers at their backs, as the powe
of the State of North Carolina, or Holder
and Pool, and Taylor and Goodloe, followed
4 as they are by the loyal population, whit,
and black
I wonder what sort of reception TIVE
such plenipotentiaries from the vanquishet
North would have received at the hands of
Congress composed of men like Jefferson Da
Wis, John Slidell, and James M. Mason, i
these latter, instead of losing, had been tn
winners in the recent conflict? Probabl
Chief Justice Ruffin and Governor WORT
can answer the question better than you
readers. OCCASIONAL.
IMPORTANT ARRESTS. -Mr. MAC Lindsay
formerly member of the North arolin
Legislature, and Mr.. Joseph Baxter, both c
| Currituck county, were arrestad mar III