The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-11

When Mr.. Thomas says that no man
"could have refused to sign the ordinance of
secession and lived in North Carolina" he
utters a libel upon the people of the State
Sentinel.
What Mr.. Thomas says is strictly true
The ball of revolution had received such an
impetus that no man could have stood before
it and lived, on the Goth day of May, 1861.
The Legislature had preceded the Conven-
ton. That body had authorized the raising
of ten thousand State, or regular troops, to be
differed by the Governor, who was an enthu-
siastic secessionist. Many of these troops,
including battery of artillery, were in the
City on the day the Ordinance of Secession
was passed. If the Convention had hesita-
ted, Gov. Ellis would have cleared the hall
with his bayonets, and the Union members
would have been shot by the soldiers, or
hanged on the trees in Capitol Square. The
Union members went as far as they dared, in
voting for Mr.. Badgers Ordinance, which
asserted only the right of revolution; and in
voting subsequently to submit the Ordinance
to the people for ratification or rejection-
They failed in both these movements. They
saw the Ship of State rolling towards the
malstrom of ruin, and they sought to hold
the helm, so as, if possible, to save her. They
remained on board only because they could
not do otherwise. Every friendly sail had
departed. Thick gloom had settled down
upon them. Through that gloom they could
see, as they still loved the star of the Union,
but the war(lers of that star slept upon their
posts, and its beams, though they cheered
them, could not succor. There were no fed
eral troops in the capital There was but
one soldier at Fort Macon Under the lead
OF MIR. Buchanan, who had fallen into the ia
tai snares set by Mr.. Davis and his followers,
the federal government abandoned the Union
people OF this State to their fate They were
powerless. They could only drift with the
current, hoping for some favorable time
when they could right the ship and take her
back to the haven of the Union. If the Or
dinance had been submitted to the people,
their purpose was to stake themselves for its
rejection. We know this to be so. The Sc
cessionists knew it. They would not trust
the people, whom they had already under
military control, but they did their work
promptly and finally.
Wenow state, for the first time, this histori-
cal fact. Mr.. Badger submitted his Ordi-
nance to the writer of this We determined
to stand or fall by that great and good man.
We could perceive his agitation-wes saw that
his heart was still with the Union of his
fathers. His purpose was, and it was the
purpose of Mr.. Thomas and the writer of this.
not TO vote for Mr.. Craige's Ordinance
We told Mr.. Badger we would go with HIM,
as he was our Senior in the delegation. He
was wise man, and had more of reputation
at stake than any member of the body. At
last, reluctantly, with an effort that seemed
almost to break his heart-strings, he deter
mined to go with the majority; first, in the
belief that by such a course, having full con-
fidence that our people were still attached to
the Union, the Ship of State could be so gui-
ded as to defeat the plans of those who were
rushing ueT Ou SuIc utSIIuCIlOu. he ClOuOQC.
at least, whatever might happen, that by
such course we could best protect ourselves
against the tyranny of the secessionists, and
preserve from the wreck some Of the safe
guards of liberty. He was also moved in a
sense by the idea that if he vo-
ted against Mr.. Craige's Ordinance after his
own had been rejected, his course on great
public question might be attributed to per-
'onal pique. If Mr.. Badger had voted
against Mr. Craige's Ordinance, as at one
lime it was hispurpose to do, Mr.. Thomas and
The writer of this would certainly have voted
With him. We can not speak for Others
It is frequently asserted by the rebel press
hat such public men as Mr.. Thomas and the
writer of this broke faith with the Confed-
,racy. There is no truth in this assertion.
4 few evenings after the Ordinance of Sc
,ession was signed a meeting or caucus of the
Union members was held at the house of the
writer Gov. Graham presided. The meet