Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-10-02
r faces resolutely against any arrange

mGnt.
Several of the Southern States had pass
ed their ordinances of Secession, and the
grave question was presented to North Car
0lina what should she do ? Nobody III
the State desired war, aud tew, If any, a
separation from the North, ii we could pre-
serve our rights in the Union. Our peo-
pie were then divided into two parties one
thought it best for the State to secede and
the other preferred to await farther devel-
opments.
[ frankly admit to you, gentlemen, that
! was one of those who urged that the State
should act at once. | stated that, while
Mr. Lincoln would not, in my opinion, be
wiling to have collision with maj GRITTY
Of the Southern States, [ had 10 doubt but
that ho would make war on the few that
had seeded, and call on us to provide men
and money, and thereby make us party
to the war. \ large maj 0rity Of or peO-
pie, however, were in favor Of taking a DIFF
ferent course and voted with those who
adopted the policy expressed by the
phrase, =" Watch and wait" The adoption
of this policy was, however, followed by
way.
| Had the other course been taken, it is
possible that the result might have been
! the same. Knowing the sincerity OF the feel
! ings in favor of peace, that pervaded the
majority, [ never for a moment regarded
them as morally responsible for the wall
It may with truth rather be said that the
! State adopted the views of those regarded
as most anxious for peace and as the war
| nevertheless came, no censure ought to be
| thrown on any OF our citizens for a result
! that ali deprecated. Even as things STOOD
it was long matter Of doubt whether we
were to have war Or peace, and, to show
| l. f.1r0I Cfnr finn nHI ooI
[ may mention fact not generally known.
1t was communicated to me- IN the summer
| Of 1866, by one who was member of Mr..
| LiDcOlnS Cabinet Even after the failure
of the peace Conference and the vote in
| the Virginia Convention, against secession,
! this gentleman informed me that Mr.. Lin
coin, Mr. Seward and all the members of
the Cabinet, except my informant, were in
favor CT allowing Anderson to retire from
Fort Sumter. He thereupon declared that,
if this were allowed, every Foreign
government would at once recog-
nize the Confederacy, and proposed
of the Cabinet. He assured me that 1t
was only by these means that the Admins
tration was induced to adopt q different
policy. Thereupona q message was sent to
Governor Eickens, of South Carolina, an
nOuncing that the arIniStlce was at an end
and that the United States Government
intended to reinforce Fort Sumter by
force.
On the reception Of this message the
Fort was taken. President Lincoln issued
his proclamation, calling on North Carroll
na and other States for men, and the WEI
was begun. Our people thereupon exhib-
tied q unanimity of feeling as surprising
as il seemed spontaneous. Wings and
! Democrats, Union men and Secessionits,
seemed to vie with each other in the eX-
preston Of determination to resist the ac-
tion Of the Government of the United
States. When the Convention met its
members were of one mind on the main
point. The only difference of opinion was
as to the phraseology to be used. Mr..
Badger, a,,1 some others, instead of the
term SeceQI2, preferred to adopt the Ian
guage of the Mecklenburg declaration of
independence at the beginning of the Rev
olutionary war. Finally, every single mem
Der of the Convention voted for and
signed the ordinance Of secession.
That seemed to meet the unanimous
wishes of our people, and men and women,
old and young, waved forward the move
ment. I then heard of no protesting voice
in the State. North Carolina gave moro
men to the Confederacy than any other
State, and had more of her sons killed in
battle, while she received less considera-
ton than most Of the others.
On looking, therefore, over the whole
ground, it is clear that no party is particu-
larly to blame, but that our people are re-
sponsible generally for what was DONE
There is, therefore, no reason TO: mutual
reproaches and recriminatiOns. Even
those men who, during the long struggle,
changed their position, ought not to be
blamed, as doubtless most of them were
sincere in their convictions of duty.
When the war ended our people expected
at once a restoration to the Union and i'm
mediate peace 1t is no fault Of theirs
that their just hopes we're disappointed.
Soon after the war began President Lin
coin and the Government OF the United
States, after due consideration, decided to
hold us to be not traitors but belligerents.
For four years this doctrine was maintained
in ali things, aud prisoners were exchanged
as in ordinary cases Of war between indie
pendent nations. After the war ended and
we fell into the power of the United States
the Government could not with honor
change it's position and hold US to be
traitors and liable as such to punishment.
The difficulty Of such course was the
more insuperable from the fact that our
armies surrendered with an express stipu-
ldIiOu utltlG "C SilOtlll uOG NC u1OISStSIi III
person or property as long as we submitted
to the Government and its laws. it being
the usage of all civilized Christian nations
when war ends to discharge all prison
ers of war, we had right to expect such
action from the Government of the United
States
To the astonishment, however, OF all in
! tellgent men North and South, abandon
} ing the ground which the Government o.
the United States had held for four years
President johnson proclaimed us to be
traitors, pardoned some and excluded
others, especially those who were regarded
as the most influential members of our So
: ciety He made, however, another de
| cision not less remarkable. During the
whole war the Government of the United
States had held through all its department!
executive, Legislative and judicial-tha
the Southern States were still in the Unlo1
as States, and that there was among u!
only an insurrection of individuals which
< obstrueted the execution of the laws, and
, upon this being ended, and the authority
{ OF the Government acknowledged, We We're
} entitled to all the rights of States of the
Union. The President, however, claimec