Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-03-15

leave us at the mercy of those whose hearts
are closed to every generous impulse, and
who will make the name OF North Carolina
Il by-word and reproach forever.
Congress and Reconstruction"
The Forticth Congress does not seem to
enacted in regard to Reconstruction, and
by supplemental bills desires to rectify " lat
is regarded as lily done or what has been
left undone. Senator Summers new plan
Of Reconstruction has been laid on the
table, but the report of the ,i'raii"lary com
mittee IN the House, embracing almost the
same features was passed by vote Of 1T
to q, and VIII III all probability pass the
Senate 1t is useless for people III the South
to complain of bad faith IN these new oaths
and demands, for they are not considered
parties in the matter The Radical repre-
sentative seems to regard neither his obi
cations to support the Constitution of the
United States nor the demands Of Justice to
this part of the country. The will of his
constituents and the success Of his party
are now the ruling motives which govern
the politicians action.
Possibly by this new measure, undesign
edly, Congress may confer a benefit rather
than an evil. In one of our earlier articles
upon the act of Congress. we made use Of
these words " The rest of the act refers
g to the mode by which a permanent gov
& eminent is to be set III operation and es-
8 tablished, all of which are very plain and
'' except as to the powerto order the election
g for the Convention. This doubt is sl1s-
8 ceptible of much harm aud may be fruit
Sc full of untold mischief. Upon it we know
- that evil men are already at work TO
get up revolutionary affair by means
"of primary meetings. We trust, howey-
| ser, such illegal and unwarrantcd meas
cures will be checked by the only authori-
"ty which now has the power to suppress
" disorder" What we then stated as the
purpose OF certain evil disposed men, has
been fully disclosed by the meeting and
the call published in the .Sdat1t0II These
men desire to bring about the repetition in
our State of affairs in Tennessee, with Hol-
den in the role of Brownlow, who, by the
way, with all the disposition, but wanting
the nerve and honesty of the Tennessean,
will play the part most alb ominably. Under
Brownlow's administration, the New York
Times thinks that a military government is
more needed in Tennessee than in any 9th
"a IL.
what North Carolina will become under the
rule of his more timid but more dangerous
imitator
6: The bill now before Congress will check
the illegal and unwarr anted movements of
these agitators. Congress and the Military
Commander will take this matter of Con-
vention entirely out of the hands of the
people of the State, and order both the re-
gistration of voters and the election with
out referring the question either to the
Provisional Government or the people in
primary meetings. II the military will on
ly permit free election, though it may not
be in keeping with our ideas of republican
government to see the ballot-box under the
control Of the bayonets Of United States
soldiers, it may be better for the peace and
order OF the country, than if Ii rival Con
vention, under the auspices of political
bankrupts, should be attempted, as an off
SET to one called by the Legislature or
Governor.
We have never been favorable to IL call
of Convention by the Legislature under
the Act Of Congress, and can see no power
in that body 10 do So We have thought
Convention, such rs is contemplated by the
Constitution of the State, might have been
of benefit; but VIC see now that this is I'M
possible, rs Congress would not recognize
such a body. Then. If we are to have
Convention, and VIC see no escape from it.
let it be called by the military power Of the
Government, and IN obeying, peaceably and
quietly, mandates which we have no power
to resist, let our submission, now and in the
future, be an earnest and honorable protest
against the injustice and tyranny of the
government.