The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-09
HORRORS OF THE REBELLION.

Extracts from the Address Of Hon. JOHN
Pool, to the People Of North Carolina, da-
ted March 25, 1867.
In the beginning a majority of the peo
pie of North Carolina were opposed to the
secession ordinance, and accepted 1t only as
all inexorable necessity, forced upon them
by the action of the adjacent States and the
dangerous excitement of the times. But
many earnest Union men, especially the
Young and inconsiderate, were soon borne
along by the madness of the day, or became
unable to withstand the derIsion and taunts
of cowardice with. which they were con
stantly assailed by the press, in public as
semblies and in the social circle. Others
were deceived by. the tardyt and Vaccilating.
action of the national administration, into
the belief that no adequate resistance would
be made to the attempted separation, and
that upon the establishment of the Con1ed
eracy, perpetual dishonor would attach to
those who refused to support promptly the
action of their State But, the most potent
agency resorted to was the bold, systematic
and inscriptions misrepresentation of the
designs of the United States in waging war
against the secession movement. The object
was asserted to be to, abolish slavery, to force
negroes upon a social equality with the
whites-to compel their admission to the
best society-tO the table and even to mar
riage relations-to deprive the Southern peo--
pie of all rights-to plunder, conhscdte,
murder and reduce to a state of dependence
and abiect vassalage. The whole Northern
people were denounced as hypocrites, rob-
bers and vandals-and the Union aoldiery
as hireiiugs and licentious vagahonds. The
assemblies of the penp!e. the legislative halls,
the press and the social circle teemed with
this scurrility, coupled with still viler cpl
thets and threats of infamy towards such as
were supposed to sympathlse with the gov
ernment in its struggle to suppress the re-
bellion and preserve the Union. All at
tempts at contradiction were suppressed by
arrests and imprisunments, orhy mob violence
A system of the baSest espionage sprung up
spontaneously in every ,neighborhood, and
every man had a spy and informer at his
door Good men were thus deceived the
timid were appalled,, and the boldest could
see no hope of success in any effort to stem
the general current. Could the truth, at
that time have been plainly told to the peo7
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 began to force itself upon the pub
lie mind. The overwrouuht excitement be-
ergetic action of the Federal Government
exposed the falsity of the assurance, so re-
peatedly given by the instigators of the re-
beIlon, that it dared not resist the separa-
tion OF the States Volunteering in the Con-
federate army nearly ceased, and the people
began to think and speak of peace on the
best attainable 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
'nerciless that scarcely vestige of liberty or
Fight was left 1t was discovered when too
late, that power had been placed in the
hands of men, who scrupled at nothing that
mi sht be requisite to the accomplishment OF
their ends, and hesitated not to set at de-
fiance not only the wishes and rights of their
fellow w-citize1s. but even the sentiments and
feelings of humanity. They-had a we'll
trained army under their command, off cered |
by men of their own choosing. Almost every |
civil position in the Executive, Legislative |
and judicial departments OF the State and |
Confederate governments was filled by their
most violent partizans and willing friends
Thus resistance became impossible and re-
monstrance dangerous They enacted laws
of wholesale eonscription, and executed the m
with the most searching rigor. Impressment
laws, so framed that the property OF the cit
zen WAS pfdcGicaity dGd Jiie CiSpOSdl Oh IRE
sponsible military subordinates, were execuj
ted in such manner as to awe or ruin every
one suspected OF Justification or personally
to the petty tgrdnts sent out to
scourge each locality. Scouting parties, {
of the most desperate and aban-
doned of the soldiery. ranged in every coun- +
ty, and were changed sufficietly often to pre- /
vent any kindly relations beng formed with =
the people or any influence gained over them ;;
by men of character and justice. The sus-
pension of the Aa6eas corpus placed under, .
military control the persons of those whose
age sex or condition exempted them from +
IIonscrpton. Prisons, kept in the most U
1oathsome ms condition, were established in e
nlchnond and in other localities. To, over f
n awe the struggling Union sentiment Of our {;
pe"Ple' the one at Salisbury was set up and :, :.
tHnne tn the scene of horrors, at the recol1ec u
HunS..sw u :. which the blood still runs c,ld!-@
'UHnurets H'i OF our private citizens, exempt .