The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-07
HORRORS OF THE REBELLION

Extracts from the address Of Hon. JoHN
Pool, to the People Of North -t]sr0ttaa, d.
ted MucA %, 1867.
In the beginning. a majority of the peo-
pie of North Carolina were opposed to the
secession ordinance, and accepted 1t only as
an inexorable necessity, forced upon them
bv the action of the adjacent States and the
dangerous excitement of the times. But
many earnest Union men, especially the
Young and incnnsiderate, were soon horne
along ivy the ma,luess of the day, or became
unable to withstand the derlsion and taunts
of cowardce with which they were con
stantly ass .iled Ivy the press, in public as
semblieS anil in the social circle Others
were deceived Ivy the tardy and Tacelitting
action of the national administration. into
the heliefthat no adequate resistance would
be made to the attic eaPted separation, AMI
that upon the establishment of the ConIed-
eracy. perpetual dishanm would attach to
thnse who refuse to support promptly the
action OF their State. Bat, the most patent
agency resorted to was the hold, systematic
and INSCRIPTIONS misrepresentation at the
designs of the Uaited States in waglng war
anainst the secession movement. The object
was asserted to be to a,o ish slavery, to force
negroes upon ii social equality with the
whites-to compel their admission t" the
best society-to the table, amt even to mar
riage reiations-to deprive the Southern peo-
pie of all rightS-ts plumber, csnhSc ate,
murder and reduce To IL state of dependence
and abiect vasSalasc. Fhe whole N"rtaern
people were denounced as hvpocrItes. rob-
bers and vand.is-anl the Union soldicry
as hireings and licentiauS VaSabonds. The
assemblies Of the people. the legislative halls
the press AMI the social circle teclned with
this scurrility, coupled with still vIler cpl
thcts and threats of infamy towards such aS
were supposed tn sympathlse with the gov
ernment in its struggle to suppress the re-
beIlion and preserve the Union. All at
tempts at contradiction were suppressed by
arrests and diinprisunments,o or Ivy mob violence.
A system of the basest espionage sprung up
spontaneously in. every neighharh"od, and
every man had spy and intormer at his
door Good men were thus deceived the
timid were appalled,, and the b0ldest could
see no hone Of success in any effort, to stem
the general current. Could the truth, at
that time. have been plainly told to the peo-
pie of North Carolina, and needed by them,
how much of calamity would have been
averted. and what untold miseries spared US !!
But. after the lapse of about two years,
the truth hogan to force itself upon the pub
lie mind. The overwrounht excitement be-
gan to work its own remedy, while the en-
erretic action .,f the Federal Government
exposed the falsity of the assurance, SO re-
peatedly given by the instigators OF the re-
belIlon, that it dared not resist the separa-
tion of the States. Volunteering IN the Con
fetlerate army nearly ceased, and the people
hogan to think and speak of peace ON the
best attainai,ic terms 1t was then that the
instigators and leaders of the rebellion threw
off the mask which they had so long worn,
and instituted despotism so complete and
1nerciiess that scarcely a vestige of liberty or
right was left. 1t was discovered, when too
late, that power had been placed in the
hands of men, who scrupled at nothing that
mi yht I've requisite to the accomplishment OF
their ends, and hesitated not to set at de-
fiance not only hewishes and rights OF their
fellow -citizeos. hut even the sentiments and
feelings of humanity. They had a well
trained army Under their command, offi cefed
by men of their own choosing. Almost every
civil position in the Executive, Legislative
and judicial departments 0f the State and
Confederate governments, was n led by their
most violent partizans and willing friends.-
Thus resistance became impossible and re-
monstrance dangerous They enacted laws
of Wholesale econscription and executed them
Wltn THE most searching TISoT llHpIeSSinCuC
laws, so framed that the property OF the cit
izen was practically'at the disposal of irre-
sponsihle military subordinates, were execu-
ted in such manner. as to awe or ruin every
one suspected of disafection or personally
obnoxious to the. petty tyrauts sent out to
scourge each locality. Scouting parties,
composed of the most desperate and aban-
doned of the soIdiery, ranged in every coun
ty, and were changed suficietly often to pre-
vent any kindly relations beng formed with !
the people or any influence gained over them
by men of character and justice Tile 'sus-
pension of the An6eas corpus placed under
military cantrol the persons of those whose
age sex or condition exempted them from
,Sonscnpton. Prisons, kept in the most
mnatisome condition, were established in
nlehmond and in ether localities. To over
~ awe The struggling Union sentiment of pur
pe"P'e the one at Salisbury was set up and
ti'ue the scene of horrors, at the recollec
H" bn OF which the blood stilI runs icuh.-I i
Nundfeus OF our Oriyat6s eitizens OK emf,t