The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-04-10
The Republican Party OF the State.

The Republican Party OF the state.
We are publishing a number of meetings
recently held by the Republicans OF this
State, and we hear of many more meetings
to be held soon. 1t is written that in the
latter times "a nation shall be born IN
day." Our loyal people being ripe for it,
the Republican party OF this State sprang
into existence Z" in day." full-armed, and
numbers not less than eighty thousand mem-
6ers The result will show that these eighty
thousand Republicans are as loyal and as
true to tile Union as thesame number IN any
State north of the Potomac.
The country is once more free. Those
"straitest sect" Union men, and those perse
cuted Red Strings" and the thousands
who fled the country to avoid fighting
against the old flag, all of whom were sim
gled out during the long and horrid days of
the rebellion as special objects of secession
hatred, can now proudly hold up their heads,
and rejoice that treason is about to receive
its merited punishment. Detectives no
longer dog our steps. Women, and children,
and venerable old men are no longer arrested
and confined in loathsome places to compel
them to tell where the deserters or Union
soldiers are. The bloodhound no longer
bays on the track of the painting fugitive.
The tender boy is not torn from his weeping
mother, to fight for despotism and human
slavery. The heart broken conscript is not
forced from his stricken and beggared fami-
ly to do battle in cause which he abhors.
Our smoke-houses and corncribs are no
longer visited and emptied by insolent Off
cials, skulklng from the battle in which
they forced others to die for their slaves. 1t
is no longer cause of burning reprpach to
love the Union, and no iron hand is lifted to
thrust us in the Bastile when we sag we love
it. Thank God, zoe are free! The Republi-
can party exists and is fiourishing in State
in which, two years ago, the avowal of Re
publican sentiments would have been in
stantly followed by the most ignominious
punishment.
The name of Republican was adopted on
two accounts; first, to plant the true Union
lists on those great principles by which alone
the government can be safely guided and
conducted, and to putourselves in active and
living communication with our Republican
friends in the Northern States; secondly, to
sift the wheat from the chaff, or, in other
words. to prevent the Worthites and the pi-
Gus Pelites from still further deceiving the
people by claiming to be Union men. If
they are really Union men they will not be
ashamed to say they are Republicans 1t
they say they are not Republicans, then they
proclaim that they are not Union men. The
Republican party saved the country. Mr..
Lincoln declared at one time that he regar-
dcd the Union as more important than slave
ry; that if it was necessary to continue
slavery to save the Union, he would continue
it, and that if it was necessary to abolish
slavery to save the Union, he would abolish
it. In the end lie did the latter. He abol-
ished slavery to save the Union. The Re-
publican party sustained him in doing this.
Every colored person released from slavery
owes his or her freedom to the Republican
party. That was the party that saved the
country and freed the slave. Every colored
person knows this, and every colored person
is, therefore, Republican. If the secession
lists, oligarchs and latter-day war saints who
thus lost their slave property, are recon-
ciled to their loss and are really Unionists
at heart, as they would have the people be-
heve they are, they can have no difficulty in
admitting that they are Republicans. This
is the test. Let our loyal people, and espe-
clally the colored people, trust no man who
will not promptly and proudly say he is
Republican If he hesitates or quibbles cast
him of, for he is an enemy, and not q
Unionist.
Gen. Sheridan writes that a faithful en-
1orcement of the law will necessitate further
removals.