Nebraska advertiser., 1868-08-27
ANOrth Carolina Conservative
Declares for Grant.


Carolina Conservative
Declares for Grant.
The following synopsis Ofan address
published by Chief Justice r. NJ.
Pearson, of North Carolina, to the
Conservatives of that State is well
worth perusal. Judge Pearson is
himself a Conservative, but the def
ant and threatening attitude of the
rebels in his midst, their loud clamor
for revolution and war, has induced
the more sturdy men to consolidate
against them and advocate the cleo
ton of Grant and Colfax:
To the Conservative Party;
I am alarmed at the condition of the.
country, and fear we are drifting into
another civil war. In my opinion
the "war elOudsn are as dark now as
in the winter of 1860-61. We were
then promised Z" peaceable secession ~
we are now to have q peaceable nullif-
| cations. !" Under these circumstances
I feel it to be a duty to make known
the reasoning by which 1have arrived
at the conclusion that every man who
has an interest at stake, and who
wishes to have peace and avoid blood
shed, should vote for Grant and Col
fax. Being a member of the COnser-
vative party, and having been elected
| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on
the nomination of both parties, by a
unanimous vote of the people, it is
| fair to presume that I have their conf
dence, and that what / say will be
| considered calmly as the advice of a
friend who has no motive save the
public good. I trust to beheld justifi-
BILE by the emergency, for expressing
my opinion, and to be allowedtod do so
without being drawn into the vortex
of politics /: with my views silence
would be criminal. God Almighty!
forbid a war of races! Violent pOliti-
clans avOw their purpose to agitate,
turn things upside down, nulify, and
bring on another war, rather than sub
NIT to let the negroes vote and hold
office. But is it not the part of wis
dom and patriotism to accept "the
situation and try to make the most of
a bad bargain, rather than make bad
worse? / cannot, as others seem to be
able to do, exclude from my mind
the fact that the South attempted a
revolution and was subjugated and our
condition is one of the bitter fruits of
rebellion! LET us have peace. y
This is the pOintOn which my opinion
rests.
The New York Convention, declares
our State government, mere creatures
of usurpatiOns, and of course not enti-
tied to the allegiance of the people;
and it prOclaims the reconstruction
acts of Congress unconstitutional,
revolutionary, and void u-omitting
the word null, lest it might call up
unpleasant r-ecoIIections of the days Of
notification, when the strong will of
Jackson prevented war. 1.-THE recon-
struction acts are void, so are the
reconstruction measures of President
johnson, and the negroes + still
slaves. This leads to war. But it is
said" slavery and secession are dead
issues. Why, or how? Admit, how
ever, that the only object is to deprive
freedmen of their political rights.
How can that be effected? Some say
" it is to be done by the bollOt and not
by the bayOnet." How? That is the
question. The freedmen are now in
possession of the right to vote; of
course if they vote the Constitution
cannot be amended, so the only mode
is to carry out practically the doctrine
that the reconstruction acts are void,
and u Constitution is of no effect.
This is ~nulfication, and disguise it as
they may, it must result in war.
History furnishes no instances of four
millions of people, backed, as they are
in our State, by a clear majority of 20,
600 votes, being deprived of political
rights which they have enjoyed for
years. 1t cannot be done without q
civil war. 1t is against the order of
nature.
L viii specify instances where bad
was made worse by violent politicians.
l. We labor under a supposed in
convenience in not being allowed to-
carry slaves into the Territories, and
owing to the prejudice against slavery
a fugitive slave could not bereclaimed
under the act of Congress without
more cost than his value. To remedy
this the South seeded. We lost all
our slaves! a
2. At the Fortress Monroe Confer
ence it was in our power to be restored
to all the rights of a State, provided
we would submit to gradual emanci-
patton; that is, every negro born after
a day to be fixed, should be free at the
age of twenty one. But the cry was,
" independence or nothing flight it
out" when it was known we could
not open the spring cOmpaign without
a reinforcement Of200, 900 negro soldiers
which was impossible, or if possible,
fatal to our cause. The result was a
surrender without terms, followed by
instant emancipation, with four mill
ions of freedmen in u midst! So bad
was again made worse!
3. What was to be done with the
freedmen? The idea of four millions
Of people, not slaves, existing in our
midst'Withoutsom political right, was
out of the question. At that time we
had it in our power to put all things
right by submitting to qualified negro
suffrage. That is, let every freedman
who could read and write, or owned,
say, 500 worth of property, have the
right to vote. Not much harm would
have come of this for the negro vote
would have been scattered and neu-
tralized. But mol! "This is a white
mans Government Prejudice eX-
-CluuGQ IGdSOu. HOW Jill IL ISoulb .
The State is reduced to a military
district with a provisional government
subject to the order of the I" General
cOmmanding.n The freedmen are
entitled to full suffrage and the right
to hold Office. These terms, imposed
by the General Government, have
been submitted to and acted upon.
A clear majority of 10000 votes has
fixed the matter. So bad was again
made worse!
Let me ask, why did General Lee
surrender? Because he could not
help it! For the same reason we
must submit to the political, not the
social flor that is a thing under our
own cOntrOl) equality ofthe freedmen.
This is " the situation 1.-THE question
is, shall we go on and again make bad
worse, or shall we try to make the
best of it?
The freedmen have still an undefin-
ed impression that there is a determi-
nation to deprive them of political
equality.
mn 49, n 7 - !