The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-03-06
Virginia and the Reconstruction Act.

l
q Convention to reconstruct the State under
the bill now in the hands of the President.
Gov Pierpoint, it seems, made speech to
a portion of the members Of the Legislature
in which he urged that body to act so as
that Virginia might be heard and felt, and |
so that the unconditional Unionists OF the
two races might not have it in their power
to go forward and make Constitution that |
would be oppressive to the great body of the
people. This speech of Gov. Pierpoint was
no doubt-and, as we conceive, very proper
ly-the reason why the Senate of the United |
Statesa day or two since passed resolution,
in which the House has doubtless concurred, |
that the States shall not proceed to act un-
der the law until expressly authorized by
Congress We copy the folls'ying on the
subject from the last Richmond Dispatch
"The veto message of the President was looked
for yesterday but it was not sent in. We sup
pose it will be sent in to-day. When that is done,
and the Sherman bill is passed, the question of
the policy of this State will be brought fully in
front of us. There will be no disposition to re-
treat from it or evade it. 1t will require more
time to act upon it than is now left to the Legis
lature, whose session expires on Saturday; but
there will be an extra session. to take the subject
into consideration.
The Senate has already had it under consulta-
ton in secret session. The occasion for the hold
ing OF this secret deliberaton was the receipt of
several telegraph messages from members OF
Congress in reply to one sent to them by Gov.
Plerpoint propounding the question, whether, if
Virginia now adopted the constitutional amend
ment, she would be relieved of the Sherman bill.
They were Messrs. Reverdy johnson, and Fes-
senden of the Senate, and MeSsrs Spauldng and
Bingham of the House. All save Mr.. Bingham
replied by telegraph, and he wrote letter. All
save Mr.. johnson responded in the negative
Mr. Spaulding said it was "too late" Mr. john
son was in doubt, but thought the adoption of the
amendment would do a great deal of good. y
Mr.. Bingham wrote very earnest letter, urging
the earliest action upon the Sherman bill, the
adoption of all the constitutional amendments
required by it, and giving the most earnest assu-
RANGES that when that was done, Virginia would
be welcomed back to the Union by the Congress
and the northern people, who were anxious to
see her restored to her place among the States.
The Senate did not go into secret session for
the purpose of immediate action, but merely to
interchange views in reference to the general well
fare in the event OF certain contingencies Their
deliberations were therefore merely of the nature
of consultation, action being deferred until the
proper time for it.
message at the request of prominent gentlemen;
but the Legislature was not aparty to the cores
pondence in any sense. Indeed. few members
knew anything of it. The Governor was acting
as he hal perfect right to do, and in spirit of
accommodation, as desire to do all he could to
save Virginia from trouble; but it is proper
| that the Legislature should not now be under
stood as having made this inquiry, simply be-
| cause they did not. Had Governor Pierpoint,
| however, gotten different answer, and one that
h,t I'm po1i 1inaI nd
| not say that the Legislature would have prompt
| ly adopted the amendment.
| Yet the answers were not surprising Had they
been in the affirmative instead of the negative,
| we might well have been surprised. g Too late"
| Was indeed what every practical and rejecting
| gentlemen might have anticipated. The South,
| which has put sort OF faith, though weak in
| the conservatism of the Government i'm its exec
utive and judicial departments, has seen the safe
| guards on which she relied broken down, and the
| entire power OF the Government absorbed by the
| legislative department. That department pro-
| posed the constitutional amendment which we
rejected. 1t has now proposed another plan of
reconstruction, bristling in every line with viola
| lions OF the Constitution. We trusted to the
| Constitution and the eXpounders and defenders
of that instrument for protection, not only for
ourselves, but for liberty and security 10 persons
and the rights of the States but We have found
| that entirely hopeless dependence and we may
| all beg gin TO inquire, in the language of yester-
ed upon longer to champion lost cause which it
it is as much the duty of Others 1.-THE North) as
theirs to defend They have sacrificed" says
the Wig, 4" their all in support of selfgovern-
ment." They may consider it " enough for them
now, seeing empire in the near future, to adopt
such measures as will render its advent as little
injurious to them as possible"
1t appears from the above that Virginia
is ready, at last, to take the Howard amend
ment; that leading members of Congress
were interrogated on the subject, and that
the answer came back, Too Late!" Yes,
it is " too late" The country sees now who
is to blame for harsh measures If the ad-
vice of the unconditional Union men had
been taken, the Southern States wonld have
been at this time in the Union, and we
should have escaped the operation OF meas
ures which our opponents regard as so harsh
and unjust. The question now presents it.
self, VIII the Southern people longer toIJOoo
these "Uind leaders of the Windw We tell
them if they do, they will again and again
ask for quarters they will again look re-
gretfully to the past, and endeavor to escape
the stern realities of the present, but the an
swer will be, as it is now, Too Late !n'
We do not perceive with what propriety
or right the Legislature of Virginia or of
any other Southern State can call Conven-
ton to take action under this bill. We do
not deem it necessary to 60 into an explana-
ton or analysis of the bill until it becomes
law. But it is clear from the bill itself
and we know it to be the view of leading
members of Congress who conceived, per
fected and passed the measure, that the pres
ent rebel organizations have no authority to
take action under it. This action must be
Of, for, and by the people, outside and ire
spective of these organizations. We state
the fact that leading and highly influential
members of Congress have been consulted
on the subject, and they all concur that il
the bill should become law, the proper
course will be for the loyal people to act
outside the existing rebel organizations
and they also declare that Congress will
not only regard any action by the existing
organizations as illegal and nugatory, but
they will see to it that the loyal people the
two race. shall be protected in what they
may do by the whole military power of the
government, if necessary This settles the
matter If the bill should become a law il
will not be difficult for the loyal people tc
take such action as will ensure the return o
the State to the Union by the first Monday
in December next.