The weekly standard., 1870-08-03

20 take priest of the people-their law
maker-and slay him at the alter, in the
midst of the congregation. And acting
upon the maxim that +" in the multitude of
counsel there is safety" oil the people slew
Stephens. And the gallant Hill prosecuted
them for it, but not to conviction, and yet
this committee scas as silent as tho grace.
But he who, though slow to anger, is ter
rible in vengeance; He by whom Kings
reign, put into the heart of the ruler of the
people to call out the strong arm OF power
and 90 to Alamance where the Church bells
rang on that bright Sunday morning, but
tolled not over his death and take the MUIR
derers of Outlaw.
Four men are arrested, and the commit
tee is no longer assilent as the grave. Ex-
Governor Bragg, the Honorable VIM. A.
Graham, the venerable B. F. Moore, the
learned Ex-Justice Battle all rush forward
to defend these innocents. They search the
old laws, invoke the spirit of liberty, per.
vert sacred maxims, overawe the judges,
appeal to the people, ARE eloquent, crying, de
flying, do anything, all things to release these
murderers, for in them are all true men rep
resented! And this committee is no longer
as silent as the grave.
This picture is not overdrawn; it is net
half of the reality, and we offer it to show
the sympathy which this committee feel
for these men, because they were their
friends and partizans; for if it were for hu-
mauitys sake, why were not their sympa
thies aroused for hundred other sufferers,
for whom there was no habeas corpus, as
well as for these four
As soon as the military power was called
~ fhsse arrests and to restore
l15 safety, fhis iopg-silent Commit
tee issued an address to their friends that
the Governor had no right to call on the
military power; that he was a usurper and
must be made to feel it, but that they must
not resist by violence if they could help it.
Their friends obeyed them, and did not
resist by violence. We offer this as addi-
tional proof that this Committee have the
right to speak. and that when they do speak
they arc obeyed; and of the further fact
that if they had spoken long ago their
friends would have obeyed them then, as
they obey now; and so, as Mr.. Badger said,
they are responsible for this sin of omission,
and for all the evils that followed.
As soon as these arrests were made, this
Committee sued out writs of habeas corpus,
and the Chief Justice granted them, as it
was his duty to do. But Col. Kirk kept the
men, as it was his duty to do. They then
asked the Chief Justice for writ to be di-
rected to Sheriff to summons men and take
the prisoner by force, and they argued the
case with vehemence and passion for days
Why so long? Because they expected the
Chief Justice would grant the writ, and
they wanted time to gather their friends and
storm Kirk, and they said they could raise
5000 men. By the time they were ready
for the decision of the Chief Justice, it is
said that their friends were assembling in
considerable force, and especially about
Danville, and that two bodies of them had
approached Kinks headquarters reconniter-
ing, and that the Captain of one OF them
had been arrested by Kirk, and was now in
his custody.
But instead of the Chief Justice issuing
the writ to sheriff, he refused to do it
because it would plunge the country into
war and without the writ they cannot at
tack Kirk, because it would be treason.
And then the question came up, what they
should do with the men they were organ
izing for the attack. If not granted, they
might do some violence and bring the State
and .. S. forces upon them, and SO it be-
came necessary to disperse them ;;and to
do this this same Committee issued another
Address, although they had issued one but
q few weeks before, in which they advise
their friends to be quiet, and forsootb, they
are as Sstent as the grace.
Now, if this Committee can quiet their
friends with word, as it is clearly proved
they can, how is it that they have not spoken
long ago9 For not having done it, they
are responsible, and Mr.. Badger may repeat
from the housetops that all of them, "grey
heads and bald heads" will have to answer
at the bar of public opinion.
There is one particular, a. least, in which
the last address is as nearly untrue as the
first. The first address declared that the
Governor was usurper, violating the Con-
stitution and laws in calling out the mill
tary, and so they insisted in their argu-
ment before the Chief Justice, but the Chief
Justice decided the other way-that the
Governor was authorized, both by the
Constitution and laws, in everything be has
done up to this time.
And now submitting to the decision of
the Chief Justice, after they had referred it
to him, they still say in their last address in
friends had better submit " for while"
And here they ought to consider that
if they will not submit to the Chief Justice
after they had referred it to him, how will
they be able to complain, if Gov Holden
shall differ from the Chief Justice. Now if
this committee had had any thing manly in
their action they would have said to their
friends in their last address 1--WE have sub
mitted the whole matter to the Chief Justice
who has had the advice of all of his associ-
ates, and he decides that the Governor is
right and we are wrong, and we sec that
tine country is about to be ruined by vio-
lenee, so we advise our friends to disband
and go home, and behave and abandon
their plans and come out and confess their
error and receive the Governors pardon
But this committee will not do this; they
will again for while be os silent as the grare.
But what will become of their friends whom
they have led into trouble for their selfish
ends God only knows, nor do they care.
We seein the Sentinel of day or two
past, the organ of this committee, an article
charging the military movement upon the
Governor, John Pool and Judge Settle,
and the people of Alamance and Caswcll
are exhorted to remember Judge Settle for
it. If the Kuklux bad not as about as
much as they can attend to probably that
call would be equal to death warrant
But that has "played out" and Judge Set
tie, if the charge were as true as it is false,
might well go before the peple of Ala
nance and Caswell and ask them whether
he or this committee are resnonsihIa for tho