Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-01-07


point of the bayonet North Carolina was
restored to her Federal relations, and the
present State government inaugurHted' IL
was supposed and declared that the polu'
cal surrender was as complete as had been
that at Appomattox urt House.
By the change from military to civil
Government, however, was destroyed every
pretext for the use Of actual force bay
onets could not be used by Government
whose constitution declared that "stand-
ing armies in time of peace are dangerous
to liberty and ought not to be Kept up
and that s'the military should be Kept IN
der strict subordination to, and governed
nv. the civil power" While, therefore, the
general purpose of political subjugation
remained unchanged it became necessary
to abandon the use of actual force to &C
complish it. Instead thereof, resort has
been had to threats and Intimidation.
Our people had been so long accustomed
to despotic government that they hao
ceased to enquire whether any act OF their
rnlers was constitutional or not and had
come to think that the only material en-
ouirv was whether the government inten-
ded for the thing to be done or to be lett
undone, and in accordance thereWith
silently to shape their course. This state
of things could not exist long among
brave and intelligent people. We have
begun to give evidence Of determination
no longer to allow the officers of the Gov
eminent to decide for us whether their
acts be legal or illegal, and worse than all
our people have begun to exercise their
long disused right of free speech. 10
meet this change in the temper and con-
duct of our people and to counteract It's
fatal effects upon the dominant party, the
Press and the Government, in oil its de-
partments, Executive, Legislative and
Judicial, have united to put the people III
terror and thereby to prevent them from
exercising that freedom Of speech and OF
action that is the inalienable right of North
Carolinians. During the last Presidential
campaign the threat of disruption OF the
recently restored Federal relations with it's
resulting military governments was a
favorite Radical argument. More recently
the bare-faced attempts Of the Standard,
the 'oficial organ of the State and UNI
ted States, in threatening the people OF Or
anpe: the action of the Courts in the 5sa1lt
upon the freedom Of speech and IN the re-
cent attack upon the freedom Of the Press;
the acts of Governor Holden in sending
militia to different points IN the State. and
his partisan, untruthful proclamation
threatening the arbitrary exercise OF pow
ers for which there is not shadow OF any
authority given him in the Constitution
the action of the Radical members Of the
, Legislature upon the bill making it lawfu
to shoot down unoffending people upoI
, the public highway, and more recently up
on the bill proposing to give the Governor
l power to declare county to be in state
t of instruction, all afford indisputable evi
4 dence that it is the purpose of the Radlca
! party to terrify our people into silence
: This is bold game and a desperate one
but it will be losing one, for the reason
that our people know their rights and dar
to maintain them. The present Constitu
ton of the State was imposed upon ther
> against their will, but bad as it is in man
u respects, it is yet infinitely preferable to
military government, or to the arbltrar
will of any man or of any irresponsible pc
:, litioal party. It is now the law of the lanC
:, and as such we not only intend to obey
ourselves, but we intend to make othe
y people obey it. Gov. Holden and the Ii
=" gislature and all the other officers of til
40 government will find that they cannot VII
late with impunity the Constitution the
. have sworn to obey.
We fought before out of the Union-V
. intend now to fight in the Union. It Wi
- be we'll for certain officials, who now, b
=. cause of q partisan majority in the Legi
" lature, and because of partisan Judiciar
80 feel safe from punishment, to examine Il
law and see whether or not their liabili
to impeachment and to indictment W
- cease with their terms of office. If 1t {
~ not so cease, it will be we'll for them
bear in mind that ere long there will be
honest Legislature and a change in the J
:, dietary.
-, The reason for this course on the part
~ the Radicals is plain. They know that
free speech and free action and free pre-
49, are allowed, the responsibility, the int
- rity, the intelligence, and the property
the State will at once resume control of
=: affairs, or as Judge Pearson expressed it
o. his celebrated letter, the Conservati
II party, representing as it does the proper
- and Intelligence of the State, will take t
guidance Of affairs and oil will be WELL"
The proper course to be pursued by o
-. people is equally plain. Let the Cons
~ ~. tuition be our guide. Whenever a me-
w ure is proposed let us turn to the Cons
tuition and sec for ourselves if there
any warrant for it. If it be evident
proposed action is unlawful and the en-
ose gency be SO great, or the damage from
the lay so irreparable as to preclude an app
re- 20 the courts, let us resist with all