The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-03-06
RALEIGH, N. c., WEDNESDAY,
pause, to consider, ere it plunges into the
vortex from which there is no escape. We
of course allude to moral means.

vortex from which there is no escape. We
of course allude to moral means.
If the North submit, it would be the sheer
est folly in the South to kick against it. It
must submit to the yoke quietly, contented
with simple remonstrance. Universal negro
suffrage and equality, are to be made the
terrible penalty for the attempt at secession.
Fanaticism will be satisfied with nothing
short Of it, and the North b in its clutches
and will enforce it. The South may be COM
PEELED to submit to it. but no honest, we'll
bred Southron will entail such dishonor upon
his country by any act of his. Let the Con-
gress bear the responsibility and the odium
of forcing it upon the South, by the votes
of the blacks themselves and the unprinci-
pied whites. The bill does not disfranchise
the writer of this, yet no act of his shall des-
ecrate and dishonor his native SOIL
Yet we implore our people of all classes
high and low, to be quiet and submissive to
whatever laws may be forced upon U.S. We
have had enough blood and suffering. Let
no act of ours disturb the public quiet If
the " revolution" must go on, so far as weare
concerned, let it be bloodless one. If we
are doomed to the vexatious turmoil of mill
tary rule, let those clothed with authority
find us industriously at work to make bread,
| living IN peace and quiet with black and
white, obeying the laws and fulfilling all the
obligations OF good citizenship.
The following analysis of the bill, is the
best we have seen. Whetherit will bear the
test of critical judicial analysis, we cannot
say. 1t is taken from our clear headed, ju
dicious and able cotemporary, the Richmond
Enquirer, and we append it in lieu of less
| ,Ll Nha
vice given to Virginians and the Legislature
of that State by the Enquirer. is worthy of
consideration The bill in the opinion of
the Enquirer contains the following points:
1st. The declaration that the Southern
States have no legal governments; and that
such governments as exist here, shall be per-
mitted merely during pleasure, and only as
provisional and shall be abolished, modified,
controlled, or superseded, in the discretion
of Congress.
I'd. Said States are at once placed under
military rule, their governments subordina-
ted to martial law, and superseded or con,
trolled in the discretion of commanders of
\ Departments, military commissions authori-
zed for the trial of such persons as these
commanders may choose to arrest, and all
interference of the State authority for the
protection of citizens, declared null and
void.
3d. During the permitted continuance of
the present State organizations, no person
shall be eligible to any offices under them,
who comes under the prescriptions of the
Constitutional amendment. That is to say,
no one who had ever held an office State or
Federal, which required him to take an oath
to support the Constitution of the United
States, and afterwards took the Southern
side in the late war, either by active partici-
patton or by giving aid and comfort.
4th. Further during the permitted con-
tinuance of the present State organizations,
the elective franchise is so controlled and
modified, that all qualifications for suffrage
are abolished, except twepty-one years for
age, one year for residence and male for sex
while all those are prescribed as above sta
ted, from holding Office.
So much for the condition of the States
under their provisional governments. The
following is the way OF escape into perma
nent. establishment:
5th. If anv State shall form Constitu
tion through Convention elected by suf
frage and under the restrictions above pro
vided-and if said Constitution by like
vote be ratified, and shall make said suffrag gt
the permanent law of the State-and If sale
Constitution after submission to Congress
shall he approved by it-and if legislator,
elected under said Constitution, shall ratify
the Constitutional amendment, then sale
State shall be declared entitled to represen
tation in Congress, and the military rul,
shall cease therein.
Such is the scheme. Diabolus could moi
have contrived one more utterly unwise, un
justiiiable, inhuman and tyrannical. 1t i
useless to argue against such unbridled pas
sion as alone could have suggested ant
adopted it. "He who spits against tn,
wind, spits in his own face" The funda
mental proposition of the whole, is tha
which denies the existence and integrity o
our State organizations. Our defence lies il
traversing this position. Our only mode O
making this defence is by an appeal to th'
courts This it is our duty to make A cas-,
must be made up: and we suppose 1t may
be speedily done under the Sd of the above
recited points, on the question of eligibility
to office. 1t will be contended by the hung
erers and thirsters that the prescription viii
displace those liable to it, who are now il
office. An order for ejectment, or an appli
cation to prohibit it, will get the question
before the courts. If it be held that ou
State governments are valid, and according
to the Constitution, then all the attempts t.
alter our suffrage, and to dictate qualifca
tions for State office, will be pronounced
void. We must bring to judicial test alst
the right of Congress to pass martial law
and to subordinate the civil to the militar,
in these States, in a time of profound peace
publicly proclaimed.
This is all that we can do; but this it il
our duty to do, and the Legislature shoulc
make suitable provision. We must be calm
and patient, but we owe it to ourselves, an(
to our children, and we owe it to the cause
of Constitutional liberty, to exhaust ever,
civil resource to which we can appeal, agains
the enormous injustice contrived against us
If the Supreme Court shall decide unpropit
iously-if it shall rule that a Southern citi
zen has no rights which Congress is unde
any obligation to respect-then we will in
deed have heard the knell of Southern hop
and American liberty.
Mr.. Rogers, of New Jersey, advises peopl
to fight. The Washington Chronicle say
that in a recent speech delivered by hin
in Georgetown, he said:
"If the people of the South have tn
backbone that have, before they will sub
NIT to military despotism they will rails
regiments again, and march for freedom"
We beg Mr.. Rogers not to terrify the Con
gress and the Northern people by such Ian
guage.
Those spcnsSioniStS who re co ,nuch ovor