Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-07-12

moving causes which influence the action.
The burning. fiery furnace, seven times
| heated, formerly failed to make honest men
f al down and worship the false gods which
Power set up for them but in these days
calculation and expediency are sufficient to
cause some to lick, with base subserviency,
the hand of power-not the fear of the
fiery furnace SO much as the hopes CT being
set over the affairs of province, being the
real foundation of their apostacy.
Every new act of tyranny on the part OF
the Radicals is urged as an additional
reason why the Southern people should
baseIy surrender to their dishonorable
terms. and the leaders of the party are en-
couraeed to renewed hostilities by these
cowardly appeals. Since the passage of
the Sherman bill, the conduct of our own
people, more than the demands of those of
the North, has invited and caused addl-
tional terms to be asked and humiliations
to be endured. Our apparent voluntary
endorsement and listless apathy, and the
success of their intimidating process are
bringing into difficulty others not involved
in our " treason"
That the Senator elect from the State CT
Maryland, and the members of the House
of Representatives from Kentucky, should
be halted at the doors Of Congress, is not
to be wondered at, but that any person or
paper in the South should find IN this
event any good reason WIZ we should unite
with the Radicals, and send those to Con-
gress who will be admitted merely because
they will act in unison with the party IN
power, is a subject not only Of surprise but
of profound regret. We are candid enough
to confess that we much prefer to have ours
halted at the same place, and remain for
aye, vainly seeking admission, than ty
sending others, aid to rivet our own chains.
We prefer, in other words, not to be repre-
sented than to be misreprescnted.
We are met with the answer, that we will
not be permitted to have our preference !;
that representation will be forced upon us.
When our people shall have registered, and
we are unable to elect an anti-Radical, it
seems to US unnecessary to trouble our
selves very much as to who shall be our
representatives, for we take it the Conser-
yative element-the native white pOpula-
ton of this section-will not be consulted in
the matter, and such representatives will
be selected, as the new citizens, white and
black, prefer. But if the people of this
State register, they can, very easily, elect
such representatives, otherwise qualified,
whom they may prefer, and instead OF be-
ing deferred from doing SO by the action OF
Congress in the Maryland and Kentucky
cases, it should spur us to cause such re-
suit, Let us comply with the reconstruct
ton acts, honestly and fully. Then let us
elect such men, who can take the testoath,
as Will support the administration of Mr..
JOHNSON and his party in Congress, and
we invite no better issue than for the
Radicals to fail to comply with their legis-
lation and refuse admission to our mem
bers It is the very course Of events we
should regard as most prOpitious for the
South-the only silver lining to the black
cloud which overhangs our darkened fu-
ture.
The Northern people have sanctioned,
at the ballot-box, many acts of injustice to
the South, and much that We have suffered
at the hands of Congress and by local Off
Gals has been warranted by the support
which they have received; but we are I'M
prepared to think that such an act of per-
fidy would be sanctioned by an honorable
constituency. We believe that this course
would seal the fate of the party, and the
reaction already visible, would be perma-
nently secured. And when the change
takes place, men will notfail to see how much
better off we would be out of the Union,
kept out by the bad faith Of others, than
in the Union with the terms demanded.
We should comply-we must comply
with the acts of Congress, but certainly We
are not so anxious to secure representation
as to do so at the sacrifice of principle and
manhood. We can let our representatives,
duly qualified under the recent laws, seek
admission; let them be prepared to say
they came in obedience to, and in confor-
nifty with, the terms prescribed, and then
let us hope they will not be admitted-pos-
sibly the new conditions will not be so I'M
| just; they certainly cannot be more SO.