Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-09-13


by the Nnth when it confol med to those Dc na,,ds
or the North which were intel poa ed into the con
| ultloi!s alter our SuirCndtr. Our State CouVen
! Tic lis ere stakes ; 50 we're the changes of Oul
| ConSttutons greater than ali others was the
| eGl~latlon ratfyIng me amendment of the United
STATE y Constitution, known as Article thirteen.
| am well aware that the action of tho Southern
| people, at that time, dictated by an honost
dt sire to- secure the blessings of peace, and by
nigh sense OF honor, which prompted them to show
| that they were sincere in their wish to do every
! thing that would tend to the restoration Of the
| Union on honorable terms. I have no hesitation
IN asserting that the Southern States would then
| have been brought back to the Union with more
OF loyalty to a faTorite expression of the
North-than had existed among them for forty
years past. had the North proved itself to be as
maSnanlmous az it had shown itself to be power
| full But Il WAS the misfortune, not only of the
South, but OF the whole country, that the party
which had obtained possession of the Governmen:
Was more, intent on securing its own power than
OF restoring the Union to its pristine glory. After
acquiring power, the sole ground of bringing
back the Southern States to the common told
with all their " dignity equality and rights unim-
paired. they bssely betrayed the people of the
North, by sdbordlnating the interests and rights
OF ten States to tho.eort to perpetuate the power
OF their party, faleifying, while they did SO, every
pledge which they made during the continuance
of the war The war, which was professedly wagcG
solely for the restoration OF the Union i'll its pro-
gress, degenerated into the open attempt, on the
art Of its authors, to consolidate and perpetuate
hadlcal rule, and the government which was
founded Oh the noble maxim that &" governments Is
derive their just powers from the consent OF the
governed, has been perverted to the base ends of
subjecting ten millions Of its people to military
despOtlsm.
That may not be accused of stating this pro-
position IN stronger language than is warranted
by the facts Of the case, I beg to call YOU aten-
ton to the following extract from an article which
emanated from Massachusetts. Bearing the i'm
I1'a'n0ttT OF Boston, its language, which, had it
been uttered here, mig Int have smacked at treas
on, can be regarded only as loyal:
Inc prIuclple,' the writer, - which
the war was waged by the North, was simply this
That men may rig tiully be compelled to submit
to and support a government that they do not
want; and that resistance or their part makes
them traitors and Criminals 40 principle that is
possible to be named can be more seii-ovidently
false than this or more sGlf-eVcnty fatal to all
political freedom. Yet it triurnphCd in the field,
and 1t Is now assumed to be established. II it be
really established, the number OF slaves, instead
OF having been diminished by the War, hts been
greatly Increased fOr q man thus subJact6d to
government that he does not want is a slave; and
there is no difference i'll principle, but only in de-
gree, between political and chattcl slavery. The
former, no less than the latter, doniuS mans
ownership Of himself and the products Of his Ia
Dor, and asserts that other men may own him
and dispose OF linn aud his property for their
and at t:lCir pleasure Previous to the War, there
were some grounds for saying that in theory AT
least, II not III practice, our Government was
free ono--ttat 1t rested on consent But nothing
Of that KIND be said row, if the principle on
which the war was carried Oh by the North is IL
revOcaby established"
Here we are told III emphatic language, bv a
Northern man, whose mind cannot be Obscurcd
certainly by the called hereSio5 OF Southern
doctrines, what the prIncipie which the
Wal was waged by the North, and warned,
God grant the warming may not be III Vain what
will be the result ii this principle is irrevOcablv
established. Let it be established, and NAV
bid adleu to constitutional hDcrty-rcpublI2an M
stItuuOnS Will be swept away in the storm that
VIII ARISE, aud we shall enter on those dark and
gloomy scenes which always prCCcdc nations
dca:h. The time Will then indeed have come for
Us to pray, in the words Of fearless and eloquent
son of Georgia, for the speedy ad,ent Of the
American Caesar" The whole recent legislation
of the fractional ConGr5s SIS at Washington seems
only to have i'll view to break down all the barriers
of the Constitution OF the United States: to ignore
the Immortal truth OF The great rebellion Of 7G,
and to convert a Government, which had, as its
only foundation, " the consent Of the gOveIncd,'
into one ned by force alone. None Of the
Radicals pretend that the military bills cOnst-
tutiOnal. They admit-perhaps [ should say,
rather, they trust-that these measures are
constitutional while they endeav0r to make the
South ratiy them, by arousing and appealing to
the bastst passions OF human nature, fear and
cupidlty. They threaten us with cOntscation, on
the one hand, if we do not accept these measures;
they give them the semblance of law, while
the other they attempt to bribe those among us
who are so base and Venal as to be willing to pur
chase immunity for themselves by selling the lib
critics Of their country.
Are these despicable motives strong enough to
corrupt the virtue Of the Southern people? Will
that people, who have proved themselves capable
of making any and all sacrifices for the sake of
their principles, sink 50 low as to buy the mere
privilege to Iive-even Il they 1--we slaves-by Civ
ing up all that they have heretofore held sacred,
and all that makes life itself worth having? Will
they ao their action to be influenced by threats?
Threats can never govern brave men. Are they
afraid of cOnfiscaton by Congress? If they adopt
these Reconstruction Acts, they will most as
Surediy suffer contsc&tlon III its worst and most
form, through the reconstructed"
States. 1t is for them to determine these mo-
mentOus question, for themselves. They have
already carried concession to the verge of folly
Rear what another Northern writer says this
point:
"The programme Of the ruling party Cannot be I
altered or changed by CONCESSIONS. That has
been tried i'll the south. All the demands OF Con- .
gress have been complied with by the States lately
II revolt. They have altered their Constitutions,
adopted the amendment abOlshing slavery, at
ended to the condition of freedmen, repudiated |
he debt contracted by them for purposes,
md i'll this manner showed their anxiety to re-
une the constitutional relations with the Federal
Government. But each concession has been met !
With fresh demand. until at the present tine
states have been turned into military divisions,
Ell Governors, chosen by the people, superseded |
~ five Brigadier Generals, and the will Of mi
lOrity Congress placed over and above the power
md authority Of the Constitution. x In !
rider to carry ont this scheme, which was con-
octed by tho revolutionary committee of Con-
,res5, the Southern States made subject to
military tyranny, without limitation RESPONSE
Dllity, or other checks or instructions than that
|
political purposes Of the ruling party i'll the
lation.'
Has this policy of concession to unlawful de-
nands been 50 productive OF benefit that VIC still
lesire to pursue it Are prepared, for the
AXE Of eXpediency-that fatal fall&cy which has
ured us SO far the road to destructiOn-that
Trojan horse which has brought with it an Ili&d
# woes-to barter the few rights remaining to
Is? Yet this is the course must follow, if We
ccept terms which we know to be contrary to the
conditions on which surrendered, VIII ch are
nimical to all true recOncihations. and which arc
n open and palpGble violation OF the Constitution
# the United States-of that COnsti ution which
We swear to support, at the very moment are
grossly outrsGiug its most sacred provisions
Would not those who vote for these laws, know
ng them to be unconstitutional, be guilty OF per-
ury !? What good can come Of laws which begin
n fraud and can be carried into effect only by per-
ury :? Let me not be misunderstood as making
NY reflection on those Southern men who honest
Y and conscientously advocate our acceptance of
hese military bills. ANY divisions among are
o be det recated, and it is unwise it is
lind to impugn the motives of men who on many
! field have proved their devotion to the South
Especially do regret the virulent attacks which
lava been made on that gallant soldier who SO
onc and SO ably led the niust!ious First Corps of
he Army of Northern Virginia. It has been his
lard fate, in peace as in war, to be wounded by
lis own people. That charity which 'hopeth all
hings" and a natural distrust of our own judg
nent. should make treat the convictions of such
!, faaa in6l nd