The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-09
Gov. Pierpoint's Message.
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,

!ut;t,ed An act to provide for the more eff
s.ient government of the rebel States. -
n,,o lief six wears have made an eventful pc
I;nJ in our history. One crisis has scarcely
iiassod. before another of greater magnitude
has arisen. During the canvass of 1850, for
nresident and Vice President, scarcely
rress and but few politicians, advocated the
ftacession of the State from the Union. In
January. 1861, the General Assembly called
Convention, which met at the capitol on
the 18th day of February of the same year.
A full vote of the people was cast at the
election for delegates to this Convention
The subject of Union and Secession was then
distinctly before them, and two-thirtls OF the
votes cast were for the Union candidates. A
vast majority thus declared that they were
rnalterably attached to the constitution and
the Union of their fathers. They were hap
nv with all their rights fully protected. The
declaration was made by leading newspapers
If This CITY, that the State should he - drag
,,od out of the Union. In less than seventy
dsys, from the assembling of the Conven-
t;on. the g ordinance of secession" was adop-
ted and the terrible civil war through which
,re have Just passed, inaugurated. From
that day to the present, my whole energies
have been devoted, in the fear of God, to do
what could for the benefit of my native
STATE In no instance have suffered caprice,
resentment, or ill-will, to govern my public
action.
moval. 10y the General Assembly, of the dis
Qualification of voters. imposed by the State
constitution, as then in force. This action
1vos dictated by two reasons: First, because
became satisfied that, in a majority of the
counties of the State, there could not I've
found half the requisite number of qualified
men to ill the offices necessary to administer
the laws At least ninety per centum of the
taxes of the State would have been paid by
men who were disqualified from voting or
holding office, under the provisions of the
constitution. To attempt to organize and
carry ON republican government, under
such circumstances was out of the question.
In the second place was prompted to this
action by a magnanimity that l believed ex-
listed in the hearts of 4 vast ma jority of the
people of the Northern States, all of whom
reioced at the termination OF the civil strife,
which had brought sorrow to so many
homes and believed that the Southern peo-
pic had accepted the situation in good faith.
This opinion is confirmed by recurrence to
the history of the times The terms mpos-
ed by the Commanding General were con-
sidered magnanimous, and approved by the
Deople. and that General still retains his
popularity. Previously to the action OF the
Virginia Legislature, the President COM
menced the establishment of civil govern
meats in the other Southern States, (where
he declared no State governments eXisted0
upon terms even more liberal than the poll
CIV adopted in Virginia. He rehahilitated
the people in those States, who had been en-
pared in the rebellion. He also entered up
on liberal policy of granting pardons, I'M
der an act of Congress, to those who had ia
ken up arms against the government of the
United States, and had otherwise become IL
able to the penal laws. While these acts
were transporting, in the summer and fall Of
1868. committees from all parties in the
Northern States, and 1 believe, from all the
States, waited ON the President, to express
their full confidence in his patriotism and
their approval of his administration. Not Il
Convention, north of Mason and Dixons
line. met to nominate candidates for County
or State officers, but passed resolutions COM
mandatory of President johnson and his
policy. These resolutions, with the eulogies
of the press of both political parties, form
ed a part of the political literature of that
summer and fall On the assembling of the
present Congress, joint committee of both
Houses was appointed, to whom all ques-
tons in regard to reconstruction were refer
red That committee continued its investi
cations for seven months; which resulted in
the proposition to add the proposed four
teenth article to the Constitution of the Uni
ted States; and the section of the act of
Congress under which the President was
granting pardon, was not repealed for thir
teen months after Congress had it in its pow
er to stop these pardons by repeal of the
law.
Shortly after pardons and amnesty began
to be freely granted by the President the
Southern press assumed bold, defiant. Bit
ter and vindictive tone: Memorial associa-
lions and various other movements were in
augurated, which afforded opportunities for
infammatory lectures, orations and essays,
all calculated to stir up and keep alive in
the memory of the people of the State, a ha-
tired of the people of the Northern States
and the government of the United States
The most Objectionable parts OF these per-
fOrmances have been circulated through the
Northern press. Some of four legislation has
not been OF the most fortunate character to
produce good impression. Two freedmen
have fallen by the hand of violence and the
offence was scarcely noticed by the officers
of the law
The proposed amendment, as the 14th ar
ticle of the Constitution of the United
States, was submitted to the Southern States
for their adoption or rejection. Tennessee
adopted it; each of the Others almost unan-
imously rejected it. All these acts impressed
Congress with the idea that the situation was
not accepted by the Southern people in good
faith and it is now proposed to introduce a
new clement i'll the governing power of the
State in the hope of remedying the evil
Tue terms in this amendment to the Consti-
tuition proposed, were considered in Europe
and in this country. the most magnanimous
offer, to people situated as ours were, re-
corded in history. l so considered it when
I addressed to you my annual message at the
commencement of your present session. I
then said "The conditions are not nearly so
hard as they might be. The person of the
citizen is safe; his property is not threaten
ed by contiscation it is not proposed to adj
minister our laws by strangers; the power
over the question of suffrage is left with the
States. = X i For the sake of securing
peace with its blessings, may it not be an act
OF exalted patriotism for portion of the
old and middle-aged citizens to yield grace
fully to necessity they cannot avert? 1t
only brings the young men little earlier in
to public life and will tend to the earlier de-
velopment of their energies" 1 deeply re-
GREETED your action on this subject. That
opportunity is past. We have now to con-
form our action to the new terms proposed
in the late act of Congress above referred to.
1t is as follows:
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