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

and leaders in the rebellion attack WIFI Die-
terness and with the most scandaious scurriil-
~ all who dare intimate an acquicscense In
tbe measures deemed by Congress necessary
for fine future peace and safety Of the country.
Union advocates were Kissed upon the f1oor
of the present House of Commons in this
state. and the House, at the same time, re-
ceiyed with applause an avowai OF readiness,
made in earnest anger, to build help for
such as questioned the loyalty of the recent
proceedings of its secession friends. The
profanity was excused for the sake of the
sentiment. 1t is quite reasonable that these
men should be nervously sensitive to an ex-
posure of their crimes and outrages during
the rebellion, and of their present conduct
and purposes. But such unseemiy exhlDi-
lions of temper betray consciousness OF
guilt. Men never outrage decency ny the
violence of defensive language, unless they be
struggling to crush truth in order to escape
the stigma of some dreaded exposure. Their
nrwsnapers declare their inability to find
LANGUAGE to express their loathing and de-
testatiop" of those citizens who favor the
views of Congress, and expressions of regret
on account of the same inadequacy of Ian
ouaoe is favorite peroration of their orators
;n the Legislature and out of it. All this is
meant to prejudice and mislead the public
mind. Aud for the same purpose is their
effort to identify themselves with the people
at large They even assume to constitute
the State, and claim that anything said or
done against them is said and done against
North Carolina. 1t is really nothing but
their own ambition and folly that is continu-
ing the evils and troubles under which we
labor. Let it become apparent that their
conduct and purposes are not approved by
the masses of our people. and the State will
be restored at once to all its former rights in
the Union and the influx ofcapital and enter
prise will Immediately bring back the dawn
of prosperity and peace. The honest, sub
stantial citizens Of North Carolina have
interests and hopes far above the reckless and
baffied ambition of these secession leaders,
Neither their disgrace, nor disfranchisement,
nor even merited punishment would have
any damaging effect upon the general well
fare but rather NAV become necessary thereto,
if they longer persist in their course OF mad
ness and folly, and continue to be obstacles
to the peace and prosperity OF their fellow
citizens.
Another means resorted to for the purpose
of misleading the public mind, is a constant
parade of claim of rights, as If no rights
had been forfeited by rebellion. With what
reason can the instigators and leaders of the
rebellion talk of rights What rights did
they respect during the days of their power
They now have no rights except to have sci
over them, by the United States,a government
republican in form, and protected by such
safeguards as ,say be necessary to secure il
fba aI IF hair
late treason And they have left to them
this right, emily because the indestructible
barriers of the Constitution protected it
against their own violence They madly
staked their rights upon the issue OF an I'M
provoked war, and by their folly and per-
verseness lost them all. They wickedly
washed them out in the blood of deluded
followers and unwilling censcripts, and for,
feited them upon the graves of the loyal sol
diers of the Republic, whom they slew upon
the battlefield or starved in loathsome dun.
geons. They had ne right even to their lives,
until the President needed their hHmhie cries
for mercy, and in pity, spared them. Where
upon they have become again arrogant and
defiant; and now in place of humble petition
insolently parade demand for a restitution
of all their former privileges and power in
government which they totally abjured by
solemn oaths and attempted to destroy. Do
they suppose the nation has lost all regard
for its future peace and safety or that it
has not the courage to despise their long
brandished frownsg Time was, when these
leaders were INDUCED as peryerse and head
strong children; but when they abused this
Indulgence to purposes of treason and the
shedding of blood, they became guilty Grim
inals and may yet compel reluctant nation
to punish them as such.
There is another subject having much bear
ing upon the settlement of our troubles. in
regard to which the public mind should moi
be misled. The eolored population having
been made free citizens of the Republic, mus
DE protected as such. The popular prejuti
ces in regard to them are the growth o.
years, in which they were not only undispu
ted but encouraged. 1t would be wonderful
indeed for them to die out at once. Blu
however natural their existence, the fac
that they do exist must be recognized an,
provided against by the national govern
ment. This much is due to that class of on
citizens as a matter of right and Justice
The preiudiees in regard to them were, il
the recent past, made the means of melting
hoped thus to crafty their ambition fo
place and power As this population hat
no voice in political affairs, appeals based up
on charges that an effort was being made il
their behalf, could he safely resorted to. A
repetition of such appeals might again en-
danger the public safety. But should tn
colored citizen be admitted to the ballot
box, this danger would be avoided, for am
bilious politicians would not dare to assai
such large class of voters. The question
of securing protection and suffrage to tn
freedmen has thus become connected witt
the national question of providing against
repetition of the rebellion. This is the view
taken by the general government Hence
one of the earliest acts of the President, il
his preparatory proceedings for reconstruc
ton, was to recommend, in unequivocal Ian
guage, qualified suffrage for the freedmen
But this recommendation was rejected in
dignantly even by those who protested to b.
the especial supporters of his policy. as wa
that part of his fundamental assumption
that the State governments had been de
streyed, and needed reorganization. The,
reject, with facility, every principle of hi
policy which may seem to initiate agains
their own restitution to power Quail
fed eelered suffrage has been the position
of the President. Universal eolored suffrag
is the remedy deemed necessary by Congress
Men DESTROYS of avoiding the one or TIN
other could aot fail to see that the onl,
meansof doing SO was to remove the neces
sity for it, by subduing such former prejudi
ces as seemed to threaten the safety of tin
colored citizen. The folly of renewing ap
peals calculated to infame such prejudice
cannot be tee severely characterized. For
however much the policy of admitting freed