Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-11-04
Letter from, Hon. q. II. Eock,ry.

Editor Of The Sentinel:
Sir-In your issue of the 18th inst, III an
article headed Gen. Alfred Dockery, I see
an extract from the Ashville Pioneer, in
which the editor thereof states, by way
extenuation of the recent military move
ment in North Carolina, that the ''call was
issued at the sanction and by the advice
of the leading Republicans in the State,
including Senators Pool, Abbott, Scott,
Dockery, Mott, &C."
In your disclaimer of belief in the state
ment in regard to ''Gen. aud Col. Docke
ry," for you do not know to which allu-
sion is made,) you very properly state that
we ''neither sanctioned nor advised Hol-
denis military Juror" III this you do US
but simple justice. AS for myself, l op-
posed it In its Ito mel earliest inception,
deprecated its exercise and denied its ne
cessity. This fact, l presume, is we'll
known to all my colleagues and others in
Washington City. My position VAS en-
phatic and distinct. My opposition to the
whole scheme was clear aud unquestioned,
protesting in strong language against its
propriety or necessity in any portion of
the State, failing in which, 1 secured, by
timely and earnest intercession, from the
proper authority, pledge that no troops
should be sent into any portion of my
District without my consent. This consent
has nerer been giuen, although troops acere
sent.
And even since then, sir, during The hot
test and most vindictive canvass of my
life, when, for the time being, I had
much to lose and nothing to gain,) my
opposition was equally clear and unques
tionable, as can be attested by the honest
freemen of almost every township in this
large District of twelve counties, and
twice by letter declined positively the
newspaper tender of Brigadier General
ship in that or any similar organ
ization. l could not approve such
an unwise and reckless measure-re
garding it, as I did, as unauthorized, un
called for, and dangerous in the extreme.
Such measure was in direct opposition
to the cherished principles al my life,
and entirely foreign to every portion of
| my political record, and to every senti
ment of llh heart.
Why, Sir. in the Congressional Globe Of
July 25th, 1868, very few weeks after
the admission of North Carolina to her
membership into the Federal Congress,
are to be found some published remarks of
mine, in which, thus early, my position
was clearly defined in opposition to a bill
''to distribute arms among the Southern
States" wherein I contended that sin the
irritable condition of the public mind,
such measure would be attended with
danger to the peace and order OF Southern
Society" and that 1.-The Government was
therein assuming an attitude apparently
unwise, imprudent. distrustful and menac-
ing" and 1 invoked instead thereof O.
esprit of Ieniency. indulgence and kind
ness;" that "the people were tired of war, -
and that ''their thoughts were turned on
peace and quietly, unobtrusively, yet
| energeticaHy, they were disposed to look
after their private interests. in an honest
effort to repair their shattered fortunes,
to educate their children and to
make their families happy and life
comfortable that it was unwise TO intro
duce into their midst the elements of dis
cord, or alarm them again with the grim
visage of war;" &C., DC. I to-day reiter-
ate the same sentiments, and have ever
acted and voted in accordance Herewith.
Furthermore, wag opposed, as was known
TO many members of the Legislature, to
the passage of the bill, under which au-
thority is claimed for the late military
movement. thought then, and so ex-