The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-09-11
RALEIGH. n. @. I
"Wednesday, Sept. II, 1867.

"Wednesday, Sept. Il, 1867.
~ Mr.. C. W. HoRNER is authorized to make
business contracts for the Standard office, and to
give receipts. ls =
The Resister---The Convention.
We copy to-day an article from the Reggie
ter, Of this City, in relation to the late Con
vention, to which we feel it to be our duty to
offer brief reply. IA ( = .s5. y,
The Register assumes, because the Con-
vention did not think it necessary to adopt
q resolution deprecating coniscation, that
that body has laid itself open to the charge
Of being for confscation. We do not agree
with the Register in this assumption. No ~
sue had been made before the people on this
subject. No speaker or press, recognized as
exponentsof the Republican creed, had Ia
ken ground for confscation as proposition
on its merits. Nearly every delegate was
present under instructions given by meetings
to sustain the March platform, which con-
tains no sllusion to confscation. The Con-
vention thought it safest and best, under the
circumstances, to adhere to this platform,
and to the reconstruction measures,of Con-
gress. In doing this it neither opposed nor
favored coniscation. 1t did not commit itself
beyond the action Of Congress, and, strictly
speaking, it had no right to do SO, for the
Republican party of this State is yet in its
infancy, and was based on the reconstruction
measures. No speaker in the Convention
took ground for confscation, save in the
event of the defeat of reconstruction under
the present acts by the persistent opposition
to them of rebellious leaders. The Conven-
ton was not disposed to encourage these
leaders by the assurance in advance-for
that would have been theefect- that con6s-
cation in any event would be repugnant to
republican liberty" We have no idea that,
in any event, confscation would be general
or sweeping in its character, unless the Con-
gress should be provoked to extinguish the
State and place the people under Territorial
forms but rebellious leaders who involved
this people in war, or who wickedly contin-
ued the carnage to the end, or who still, of.
ter having agreed to submit in good faith,
continue to fan the fires of resistance to
the will of the nation, must be given to I'M
derstand that if by such course they pre-.
vent the return of this State to the Union
they will have to answer for their crimes by
the loss of their estates, if not their lives -
That is all. Is there any confscation in
that9 1t seems to us it is only punishment,
long delayed, for crime. The Republican
party of this State has taken no new posi-.
ton on this subject; and therefore, there can
be no good reason why a feeling of pro
found distrust" should be awakened, or why
any one should be +" alienated" from the Re
publican organization. So
The same remarks apply to universal suf.
.frage and tlisfranchisemenr, even in strong.
er sense; for while the reconstruction. acts
which the Convention endorsed, are silent
on the subject of confscation, they expressly
provide for both universal suffrage and re
lief from disfanchisement To endorse thcss
acts is, therefore, to endorse both these pro
positions SO far as the principles they con
tain are involved. The remaining question
is only one of time. The universal
sufrage-will take effect as soon as the
Howard amendment is adopted and the
State is rid of the reconstruction acts by be.
ing fully restored to the Union; and the lat
ter-relief from disability-is with the Con.
gress, and will doubtless be taken up at the
earliest moment that body may deem it safe
or expedient to do SO.
The Register says, tive accept the plat
form adopted, and the resolutions which
were rejected, as the true Republican plat
FORM" We reply, we accept the platform
adopted, and reject the resolutions referred
to, as the true platform. We can not serve
the party and at the same time add to OIL
take from. its platform If we have right
to add, We have right to object to and re
ject. 1t is unnecessary to say that such 9
course, if not in itself disrespectfur to the
Convention, would speedily result in the dis
organization and defeat of the party.
We are as much opposed as any one car
be to white or q colored party. Wehaye
no such party in this State, nor are we like
ly to have. At present, as the result of a re
belIious feeling which ought long since to
have disappeared, the Republican party q
this State numbers more colored voters thar
white. We are glad that all the colored
people are Republicans, and we are sorry
that more of the whites are not Republicans
But we are gaining, and will continue tt
gain among the whites; but whether we dc
or not, the State mast Be reconstructed. On
neighbor says, reconstruction can not taxi
place on basis which alienates majority
Of the white people from the government
Then, in our opinion, it can not take plac'
at all, for majority of the white people O
the State are to-day hostile to the govern
ment
We regret the allusion by our neighbor K
certain leading Republicans, as likely to g
with il in adding to the platform. Their
should be no division in the Republican
ranks. There viii be none. iR our opinion
that will seriously affect the party. Tn
rouchssone Of fidelity for the present is TIL
platform. Gentlemen are entitled to thei