The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-08-11
southern Men for Federal Offices.

The Salisbury Hammer IS lecturlng the
government because it does not appoint
Southern men to fill Federal Offices in the
South. After expressing its dislike of those
who now hold the Federal offices in the
South it says:
Here is what to do, Drop your foolish notion
/ that eight millions OF Southern men were cor
rupt, wiliul traitors and criminals; and as they
| have forever reinquished all ideas of resistance
! to Federal authority and have saco,n it, trust
| thenl-trust their oaths-trust their untarnished
honor! Stop trying to make "odousp that
Treason" which was no treason! Having beat
| en- us, now conquer your own hates aud prcJu-
dices! Cease prescription for the past! APP
! point able, intellectual, hgh-minded Southern
| men TO office: We have such Aye, We have
giants among us, and as noble, pure, and patri-
otto us the Union can boast. Be wise enough to
believe that those who perilled all-evcn life
for the Southern cause, because they thought
honor and duty required it, WILL now that they
have pledged that honor to you, be equally as
faithful to you, if you will accept the pledge!
We are not in favor of prescription. We
are in favor of amnesty-in favor of no
punshments being inflicted for past offences.
We are in favor of good loyal Southern men
holding offices in the South. 'l'
But we are NOT in favor of the govern
ment bestowing its favors upon men who
hate and rcvile it. We are not in favor
of trusting men who openly pray for the
downfall of the government. We are not
in favor of trusting traitors who still vaunt
their treason. We do not wish to see the
government trying the fatal experiment of
nursing vipers We do not wish to see power
given to men who would surely use it to the
injury of loyal men, In one word we do
not wish to see disloyal neil controlling the
South.
But the government also knows of many
traitors in the South. 1t knows many men
who used the power entrusted to them by
the government to work its rnin 1t knows
of men who abused the confidence of the
government. 1t knows of men who used
their Influence to drive the Southern people
into war, they then detested. These
men were traitors, and no power on earth
can show that they were not. "Stnp trying
to make CO. odious' that treason which was
no treason !" The government has forgiv-
en- thousands of the traitors, and will for
give all who ask forgiveness; but their trea-
son Can never be made less odious than 1t is
now. We do not speak of the men who
merely fought, but of those men who caused
the war. They are the traitors. and all the
water of the ocean could not cleanse them
from the stain of treason, nor wash from
their hands the blood of the thousands
whose lives were sacrificed by their treason.
The government may forgive them, but
their treason will still mark them like the
brand Of CAIN
The Government does not believe that
the whole Southern people were corrupt and
wilful traitors" 1t has never in any manner
expressed such belief, nor has it ever acted
upon any such superstition. 1t believed and
knew that a great many Southern men were
traitors, but it never believed that the whole
people of the South were disloyal. 1t had
proof to the contrary. 1t knew that even
when the reign of the Confetleracy was most
despotic, there were thousands and thou
rands of good men throughout the South
What it knew then it knows now. 1t has
trusted many of those who fought against it,
We wish to see " able intellectual, high
minded Southern men in Office, but we
wish them to be loyal, so that they will use
their power to the benefit and honor of the
government, not to its detrimcnt We wish
to see Southern men in Office, hut only if they
are true to the government. Southern men,
loyal, high minded, warped by no sectional
hatred engendered by the war, true to the
welfare of the people, we wish 10 see in
Office, because it is but right that MAORI
ty of the offices in the South should be filled
by Southern men.
And here be it understood, we call every
citizen of any Southern State, he he adopt
ed or native a Southern man. Any man
no matter where born, who Kettles among
us to make his home here, is " Southern man
10y adoption, and no difference should be
made between him and one $ to the manor
born" ...,....
Then we wish to see the offices in the
South filed by Southern men. We are
willing to accept" the pledge of every man
who pledges his honor to support the gov
crnment, md aohose actions are IN accordance
soih his professions. We are not willing to
accept the pledges of men who talk GoD
and act Devil fs .