The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-26

WHICH ne Is singled Out dS u epSCihl oUjoe
of rebel aversion, he does not deprecate %
regret them. On the contrary, he expect
them, and treasures them up as the bes
proof that he Is doing something to "in
crease the value and prolong the duration
of American liberty ~
We now call upon these signers to proc
their statement that the Senior Editor o
this journal is aiming at any Radical pro
grammen not contained in the platform o
the Republican party. Pro0e it, gentlemen
. Pi0oe it, or bear yourselves the just imputa
ton OF, having wilfully misrepresented you
fellow-citizen and neighbor. vs.
/ These signers say they are supporters o
the Constitution of the United States."-
They want their constitutional rights. They
will not get them until the State is recon
structed and restored, and this can be done
only by the Republican party of the State
President johnson declared in his first pro-
clamation, dated May goth, 1865, that this
State, by rebellion, had lost its constitution
al relations to the federal government. Il
the State has no constitutional relations
to the government, it has no Constitution
The State is just where it was in 1866. Pre-
sldent johnson has not restored these lost
relations. He has no power to restore them.
This can be done only by the law-making
power. 1t follows, therefore, that these sign
ers have No constitutional rights. They can
not Support the Constitution of the United
States" save in the abstract. They are still,
as they were in 1865, under military govern
ment. They will have no federal Constitu-
ton, and no State Constitution until the
State is admitted to the Union. Nor is it
true that the Congress of the United States
has cut us off from all participation at pres
emit in national politics." The very reverse
is the case. Every thing is at present ma
tional. Nothing of local or State charac-
ter can stand, or is worthy of consideration.
We are immersed IN national politics. Our
whole and sole business is so to act, under
national laws, as to get the State back to the
Union. We participate here in these poll
tics for brief and necessary season, so as to
be able to take part in them permanently at
the national capital. Nor has Congress
"cut us Off from representation. We cut
ourselves off in 1860, and we have been so
rebellious since that Congress has not deem
eel 1t safe or expedient to restore US to rep
resentation. 1t will never restore us, if such
men as the Rev. William E. Pell are to lead
in the work of reconstruction.
But mark the spirit of the getter-up of
this call. The Sentinel in the very issue that
contains the call, says:
stituti0nat Union man can endorse the Recon-
struetion Acts, or Hoao0ad amendment, as
aoise, or safe, or best, or Constitutional"
Do all the signers endorse the above? Is
it true that they profess to be for recon.
struction, and at the same time pronounce
the reconstruction acts neither "wise, nor
safe, nor hest, nor constitutional ?" Are
they Indeed such hypocrites But what
have some of them soorn to do2 The Rev. |
William E. Peli, when he registered his
name rs a voter, solemnly swore as follows:
will faithfully support the Constitution
and obey the laws of the United States, and
will, to the best of my ability, encourage
others so to do" Is he obeying the laws in
good faith. and encouraging Others so to do,
when he pronounces them neither wise, nor
safe, nor Constitutional
But it seems this Is to be white meeting
The colored people were deliberately neg
lected. The Sentinel says,
"The young men who have had charge of
the list did not present it to any of our col
ored friends to sign, simply for the reason, !
that while many of them are known to be
opposed to violent and ultra measures, yet
they have not publicly announced themselves
Constitutional Union men,
All such, therefore, are invited to cooperate |
with US, who feel willing to do SO. The in |
vitation to the meeting makes no distinction |
as to color, but simply invites the co-opera-
ton of all conservative Constitutional Union |
men, and none Others"
That is, the whites are specially invited,
and the colored people will he alloaoed to
come, if they wish. "The young men who
had charge of the list,"-what hypocrisy
Does not every one know that these young
men were directed and controlled by Mr..
Pell2
The object is, therefore, to have white
mans party, and thus array, the whites
against the blacks. This is the programme.
1t is not radical, it is simply murderous. 1t
is part of the policy to get up a war of
races, and such war is inevitable, if such
as the Rev. W. E. Pell are permitted to
control the work of reconstruction and con-
troll these States after they are restored to
the Union. 49, L. 90 .'-
Now, let us see who these gentlemen are,
that haze come torward to obstruct reconstrue-
tion-Dho declare that 1t is neither "aoise,
safe, or c0nstitutionaJn to return to the Union
under the present acts Of Congress. They have
singled as out for target; let us see how
they will bear a shot or two. They have
held us up as an enemy to the State; let US
see who they are, and what they have been
doing. The names are of record. We have
copied them all, SO as to have them in our
files when they may be called for. If the
State does not get back to the Union under