The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-02-26
SPEECH OF GEN. BYRON LAFLIH, i

y SPEECH 0E GEN. BYRON LlFLIN..
div .ks9i,ui er HIT goorrnry s1t,ss.i ..ss1
n.,,,....s ~ ~ 90 - = :, -,
Ut 1oan ssS oo'ss'Sesso@at1 contention, eo
Z lee"s1leoog q glis S's5k9 aeu 80 Anilsi
> II was my Intention, Mr. President andsDele-
gates to;urestrye my usual rctiernce Ar, thesnh
tast or s..tr..,,cf.,.s,., ,-..,J.,s.ss ..,s,-ef,
= !. Nos'i niy'hs hes'a .ne opposi'
uon press themselves, ahd Fe.read their report,
lc can no longer remain client, when they deny
the rixhtsof Congress I'd say Who shall oni 1xho
sh.,, =. ...IesI s5f'Ys -! -f'5N ~, -,
a. =, - i,oss"sfs gi.a ,,.sss.s,
ne reconstruction system Under which We are
ectng 10 as much law Of the land Is ds Saf;d, u
oindfHg on the people as II signed by the Presi
Gent or passed upon by the Judiciary,y-7s.is5s
" Is not only the law of the land, but the great
majority here present Know that it has proven
OF the greatest benefit TO the people Of this
SfHte, ns before it became d law of tile land life
acas unsafe, property Insecure and disorder reign
ed everywhere. Since 1t has become q, law, life
aud properly are secure md society Ss again re.
turninS 20 rserssiss .s,ssa Ssfs .isi.s the
booming OF the hrst guns fired at Fort Snnpter;;
when' IN TACT, the sllnckles OF four millions OF
Saves was heard falling to the ground, why was
II that the mind and intellect Of the bone and
sinew of the loyalty OF this Government sprang
to arms? 1t was to defend the Union: and what
was the Union? mere confederation of SOW
ereignties! No! 1t was American Nationality
l0r which these immense armies were placed in
the held and now overwhelming victories have
decided beyond cavil that we are not only SOW
ereign nation, but ever have been since the or.
ganlzation OF this Government.
assert that this sovereignty is exercised phi
marily through suffrage and that the right of
suffrage is derived from participation in the SOW
ereignty OF the republic, and If this participa-
tion In the sovereignty of the republic is lost,
suffrage Is also lost with 1t.
We have the established fact that the people
q mn md ha avf.h hn., i IL. a..
sovereignty rests with the people themselves,
and that all State organizations revolve around
the great centre, me nation Not that the State
organization binds the State to the Federal
Union, but the national sovereignty binds the
States to the Union.
q Now tire State of North. Carolina, until 1861,
was co proprietor in this national sovereignty,
but when the people elected deieuates to Con.
vention and commenced their downward career
by passing an Ordinance of Secession, throwing
off all allegiance TO the Federal Government
though not Submitted to the nronIe thev hv 30.
ouiescing in it ratified the action of tbis Tunven
ton, and i'm so doing. they voluntarily and omen
lv abdcated i'll the face OF the entire nation tbei,
share in that sovereignty and every franchise
that flowed IRON it,
Now this abdication affected only those who
voluntarily accepted this abdication and not
those who still continue their alleriance 70 the
general government, in whom. thencefol tn. the
whole authority was vested, who commenced a
display of that authority bv occupyinr tbe mill
tary posts of the general goyarnnitnt o,, ,yb;nI,
this State proceeded rom ubdication to revolt
And the entire populatiou with an unnarallcled
unanimity and in a very short time attained the
magnitude of a civil war as recognizcd hy the
laws of nations. Vattel saws:
"a civil war breaks bands OF society and gov
ernment or at least suspends their force and
effect 1t produces in the nation two ipdcpep-
dent parties who consider each other as enemies
acknowledge no common Judge. lTlav stand.
therefore. i'm precisely the same predicament that
two nations who engage in A contest and beiup
unable TO come to an agreement. have recourse
to arms" - --. ''-- -'-l
Never in history was there civil war of such
magnitude In the Federal army alone, three
hundred thousand were killed. fur hundred
thousand wounded, and of treasure expended,
four thousand millions of dollars. Almost every
household lhts its vacant seat at the table, and
the entire country, both north and south, is filled
with moUrniIEyssf i,s1,5 sssyg-} -
We now come to the question, What were The
relations of the two at the close of the war? Was
it not that of the victors and the vanquished
The one had abdicated voluntarily and openly
all their rights and powers in the general gov
ernment the Others still retained all those rights
and powers. cannot by any reasoning, see how
those who voluntarily abdicatcd all their rights,
can, when forced to recognize the authority of
the general government. return and exercise all
those rights they once possessed. If so, we
have a government no stronger than q rope OF
sand. 4. F-
1t has ever struck me, that to show we possess
government, we should follow the law Of ma
tions AS to the relations between the yctors and
the vanquished. And what are the rights of vic
tors? II is to make peace, dictate terms, and to
secure the national safety; all of which should be
| exercised with great clemeney. And now, at the
close of this most terrible civil war, was there
! ever snch clemency shown? Not one single
person executed for treason, not one single per
son exiled for treason not one single person dis.
franchised for treason but to the contrary full six
hundred thousand whites were enfranchised who
had abdicated voluntarily and openly all their
| rights and powers IN the sovereignty OF the re-
| public and every franchise that flowed from it.
| How different from the action of England to the
Sepoys of India, to the Fenians of ireland, oi
! France to those who revolt, of Russia to the
| Polanders; and how have these offers of clemcn.
| cy been received by those who, by the law OF
| nations forfeited, not only property, but life
itself? as expressed by Mr.. BOteler, of Virginia,
! a very prominent member of the Confederate
| Government. Did they receive it with grateful
| hearts, Did they appreciate this magnanimity
| Were they willing TO accept the olive branch oil
| peace rendered them by the Congress of the peo
| ple? Were they willing to even associate with
| tbe native whites who were of known Union sen
| timentss We're they willing TO give Justice tC
| the colored man whom the Federal Government
by it's emancipation policy, had rendered as free
| ss the pro udest of them !? MOI doublv no! AS
| soon as the first shock of defeat was over the,
became proud and defiant. acting as If they were
fine yic1ors. and not the yaponished. They os
tracised their social EQUALS tur Union sentiments
| q striking example of which we have in oul
rnosa. ,h - Ia T,ost Ion;,,+ f ,rnarn,,nt