Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-12-30
A Card from Gov. Vance.

To lie Ldi.or Of tie W0shan3soa Ct'oHicte:
You have stricken me some heavy anu
some unjust blows. Will you allow me to
Dairy through your columns Referring
O my election to the United States Senate
YOU charge, in recent issue. that 1t has
been my constant boast that my opinions
and feelings have undergone no change
since the war, that my children are taught
to hate the government, &c. deny this
last most emphatically. 1t Is simply un-
true It is difficult to tell what You mean
by the former. If four years war bad
been fought to prove the correctness OF the
table, do not see how the
victors could force upon their adyersar1es
the conclusion that that venerable lnstltu-
ton lied. Ii you mean that my abstract
opinions us to what was right have not been
changed by the results of the war, you are
correct; but if you meant to say that do
not accept these results, each and all OF
them, and guide my conduct as n citizen
thereby, your charge is incorrect. l can
we'll see how beaten party may be re.
quired to acknowledge that fact and to
engage that he will forever refrain from
attempting those things again which were
The cause of the collision: But it seems to
nc that he would be quite sorry dog, in
deed, who should acknowledge that be had
for four years participated i'll all the hor-
rors and calamities OF civil war for cause
that had so little reason to sustain it that 1t
had become wrong as soon as two men and
$40 proved too strong for one man and 81.
You also charge that Sc less than three weeks
ago, in q speech delivered in Whining ton,
he Q) said that lie ~ never asked for a par
don, and never would" &c. 1t is sufficient to
say, in reply TO this, that the last political
speech I made in that city was in August,
1864. So that is IN error, as IS also the
coarse and prOfane expression which you
allege that / uttered ''somc time ago." and
which has been denied by me again and
again. But the charge which most con-
Germs me Of The many which you bring
against me is. that my skirts are not clear
''of responsibility of the inhuman treat
ment of Union soldiers at Salisbury during
the late war;" I am not disposed to disavow
my share in that great struggle. However
opposed to it at the beginning, i: would be
worse than uncandid in me to deny that
; when forced into it by the action of my
State, I went into the wal with all my
might and persisted to the end. But do
deny that exceeded in any way the bounds
of civilized warfare +; [ do claim that I
fought that fight with maniiness and hui
manity. So far from any responsibility
whatever resting upon me for the ill-treat-
ment OF prisoners, 1t IS we'll known that
they we're exclusively under the control of
the Confederate authorities. Notwithstan2-
| ing this, when informed of the condition
of those prisoners, I wrote at once to the
Secretary of War and urged him, if it was
possible, to provide for their wants, and I
secured the passage of an act of our Gen
eral Assembly, authorizing me to furnish
them supplies OF blankets and clothing on
condition that would make an arrange
ment with the Federal authorities to fur
nish similar supplies to North Carolina
i N01,fhn &c
could be effected the prisoners were re
moved from Salisbury. The proof Of this
may be found in my official letter book in
custody Of the government at Washington.
ard in the acts of the Legislature of North
Carolina. The industry which it is said has
been exerted III hunting my record is most
remarkable since it has exhumed almost
as much of whatI did not, as what did do
And it seems also, that the acts with which
[ am Justly chargeable. are urged as rea
son why amnesty should never be extended
to me- If L had not committed them
should need no amnesty. For this reason
/ expect to ask for it. We, of the South
have kbeen told again and sgain that we
must give up the dead issues Of the past
accept things as we find them, and strive
to improve the future. This is good advice
from our Northern brethren. l, for one
resolve to conform to it, and propose agar
my country. Instead of lending me help
ing hand, many who were loudest in thei
Iexnortations begin to search through tina
thing of dead issues-the past-fOr reason
why should not be permitted to imprOv'
the future; and lsw, by which l am made
a degraded man in the land of my birth, /
held up before my eyes for memorial, AM
, a testimony of the past, like the poor, 1
ever with me How can we thus forge
1~oI.@ &1Nn1
tors attend the funeral of this past, an'
throw the first clOd upon its coffin If SO
; I will engage that it will be buried forever
Because We hold fast the bond Of faithful
ness TO each other i'll the shadows Of defea
= and humi iation is no reason why,
permitted, we should not glory in tn
splendors of the great republic. Becaus
we refuse to sleaye off mourning over tn
3 desola,ion of our homes and the siaughte
: of our sons is no reason why we shOul
lrefuse to rejoice over the prosperity of tn
whole reunited land. Because we refuse t
turn our backs on the brave and honest
living and dead, who followed our banner
in obedience to the doctrine of State SOY
3 creignty, is no reason why we should nc
l fra tern1ze with equally brave and homes
. men who fought on the other side. [ pre-
I test to you, sir, that am an obedent an
law observing citizen Of the United States
= l.
! the legitimate results of the war; that
: earnestly desire the unity and perpetuity {
3 the whole country, it's prosperity and honor
I desire never again to see its great ene
+ gies, its vast resources, its illustrious SO
: diers, and its wise statesmen engaged
the ignoble task of sef-destruction br
, fervently pray that every atom Of the wealt
q of it's bosom, and every spark of the ger
q Jus of its children may be to the commo
!, welfare henceforth and forever. And
d attestation of all this, I pledge faith whic
stood by sinking cause through misfo
n tune and defeat, bright and untarnished-
as my bitterest enemy must say-becau
honor and duty required it. Very respec
. fully, sir, your obedient servant,
ZEBULoN B. VANCE.
d TreSSilian Court;