The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-09-23
The Meeting.

If there is loyal man or an Lnrecon-
structed rebel in North Carolina who does
not believe that PEACE will triumph by
ballots on the 3rd of next November, in the
election of the nan vino conquered it four
years ago by bullets, we regret that he was
not in the City of Raleigh Wednesday. 1t
was a day that will long be remembered by
every patriot in North Carolina who was so
fortunate as to be present For two days
every Railroad in the State leading to the
city was taxed to lis utmost capacity, to
bring the immense crowds that poured into
every station along the different routes
Passenger cars, freight c;:fs, dirt cars, and
every old truck lying unused on side
tracks were brought into service, and drawn
bv all the locomotives the machine shops
could furnish, came up, in long trains, one
after the other, until it seemed as if the en-
tire population of the old North State had
abandoned their homes and, for two days
at least, we're going to take up their abode
in and around our beautiful city. And not
alone by rail came the countless thousands.
In wagons. in carts, on horseback, on mule
back, on foot and hobbling along on
crutches, came all WHO were within
walking or riding distance. The cotton
fields were deserted, the machine shops stood
idle, the flour mills ground no grain, the
blacksmith's anvil gave out no music, all
were at the great meeting, only rebels, cursing
the day and the men who made it glorious
and forever memorable, remained at home.
1t was spontaneous. a hearty, a loyal and
peaceable gathering of all the solid worth
of North Carolina. In money value, an old
slave trader, would have estimated the color
ed element alone at fifty millions of dollars
In political value Grant and Colfax will es-
innate the same element at twenty thousand
votes. In religious value, the Almighty,
who made the human being, will estimate it
at twenty thousand immortal souls, who, un
tilAhraham Lincoln emancipated them, bare
ly knew that they had souls and supposed
they were to be under the curse of Canaan
and the lash OF jefferson Davis forever
But Abraham Lincoln with single stroke of
his pen removed the curse, and Gen. Grant,
with single stroke OF his sword, struck from
the hand of the arch traitor the lash, and
Wednesday, the free men, who with solid
tramp, for hours, in long and almost endless
line filed through the streets of Raleigh,
drank in the same inspiring sentiments of
freedom that Patrick Henry, and ali the
great orators the Revolution, poured only
into the ears of white men. Patrick Henry
and Samuel Adams spoke to the white man
and called upon him TO fight for his freedom,
and they defined the ''ALL MEN, of the De-
caration of Independence to mean all white
men, and white men only but Gov Hawley
and Gov. Holden, and Senator Abbott and
all the distinguished speakers who were heard
yesterday, spoke to the Human Being and
defined the 'ALL MEN, of the Declaration
OF independence to mean every creature crea-
ted in the IMAGE of GOD and endowed
with an immortal soul and the right bv ma
ture to life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness. it ~
And on seeing the vast crowd of human be-
1ngs of all shades of color, of all nationalities,
ofall social positions, and on hearing them all
addressed as one in genus, though different
species, as one in destiny, though on differ
ent planes of progress, we could not but
think of the wonderful revolution through
winch we have passed and through which
We are still passing to- day. Men addressed
veo1l multitude on Wednesday who, but few
" w. go, believed in their hearts that Slave
w.s ,ae institution, that the negro
NOV 'e' III Ha-, that tie law of the white
asin ' ~: MAKE MN chattel, that it was
'''' aS IL was a crime to ssach him to read