Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-04-07


They admitted, as l was informed, before
the committing magistrate that tuey had
done the deed under instructions from the
chief of the Loyal LeaMRe for that county
Those men were tried by a white jury,
sentenced by Democratic indge 10 tie
penitentiary, and duly pardoned out by
the Republican Governor, Mr.. ttoIde :
Similar occurrences took place in otht
parts Of the State. except that generally 1t
was white mans property burned up or
his wife or daughter lnsulted aud. rs
M ight have been expected, retaliation
sometimes occurred, aud the it was that
these deplorable crimes were comm tied,
crimes which | denouGce as severely rs
any nan in the United States; Grimes
which [ am happy to know no longer take
place in North Carolina, and which have
never been countens ed. so far rs know.
by any decent man in the State.
I have not told the hundredth part o. the
story. I have said nothing about the i'm
beetle, drunken, and lin at least one case)
corrupt judges who have been foisted on
those people, and who now grease the
bench, and soil the ermiEe once worn by
pure and learned judiciary. I have not
mentioned the acts of Gov. Holden in
importing a band of cut Threats under
Kirk and Bergen, into the State. and the
tortures inflicted upon aged, distinguished
and unoffending citizens, for which he
has BEEN impeached, convicted and re-
moved from Office. will not dwell on
these things, for wish to avoid the utter
ance of any Incorporate language, or to
give EXPIRE ssion to the righteous lndlgna-
ton which their remembrance e1citest.
| will aliude to one matter, and in doing
50 / hope / shall carefully regard the pro-
prieties of this occasion. 1t has been as
serted that the perpetrators of these COW
ardly crimes were Confederate soldiers,
who might be tried Ivy drum-head court
martial for violation of their parole and
shot. Mr.. Speaker, the only evidence OF
that fact is the statement OF Seif-con
fessed peri urer, that he ''supposed 1t was
SO, because almost every man in the coun
try had been in the army. Sir, this is the
most cruel SANDER which has yet been
hurled against a gallant people. What
ever the opinion entertained IN regard to
the c1iminality of the Southern people IN
waging war by those who received differ
ent political education l pit upon and the
world will laugh to scOrn the Allegation
that the soldiers who fought tour years
against overwhelming odds and 50 bril-
liantly illustrated the martial qualities of
the American people are set OF skulkIng
and coWardty asSasslnS No, SIR, whatever
| else YOU m0y say about them, you cannot
utter that libel without making yourself
ridiculous, and no one Of the thousands of
gallant Federal soldiers who met them
when this continent shook beneath the
thunder of artillery and the tread of armies
will ever so disgrace himself and dlshonor
his own comrades as to speak that SIAN
derous word. They were crushed, sir, and
returned with bleeding hearts and battered
garments to de soiated homes, but. thank
God, sir, they kept their pllghted faith,
and their honor is sustained.
Now, Mr. Speaker, to return to the bill
under consCe ration, l wish 10 utter my
solemn protest against Us passage, not
merely because il will affect the people
whom / represent. but as an American CT
tizen, who, regardless OF your lncredullty
still loves his country and earnestly desires
to promote her glory and prosperity.
! If the people of the South were inspired
! 10y sentiment of revenge toward their
countrymen, if, like Samson of old, they
wished to inVole the whole American peo-
pie will themselves i'll common ruin,
know no way in which that sentiment
could be more swiftly and surely gratified
than by the passage of this bill. Pass II
and you tear down the last column on which
rests the still fair but disigured temple OF
American liberty. Pass 1t, and by con-
gressional enactment you will have estab-
lished an absolute despotlsm, not over the
South alone, but over the whole country.
Pass it, aud the whole power Of this Gov
eminent will be in the hands Of one, whose
hands never relax their grasp on anything
that is put into them. And then you viii
see that of which you have now but
, glimpse then you will indeed see hin
- instruct his princes after his will and
teach his Senators" not to oppose hi
schemes of ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
If gentlemen will not listen to the pro-
test of the people Of the Southern State
against this rank usurpation, because the.
Il ID 10 fpnn
5 that quarter, let them at least, tor the1
own sake and that of their children, who's
rights and liberties are Imperfect, ceas
+ this violent, unconstitutional, and revOlu
8 tionary legislation, which can bring onl
evil upon the country, the whole country
y for the man must be stark fool who can
not see that, however strong the dlsposl
ton to limit the operation of this bill t
= the Southern States, it will inevitably an
inexorably extend its deadly influence owe
y the whole land.
feel, Mr.. Speaker, the extraordlnar
!. circumstances by which I and my souther
colleagues find ourselves surrounded o
,. this occasion. feel that l stand here to
= day q messenger sent back by those VIII
= have passed through the bitter waters OF
:, Dead sea, to warn their more fortunat
- brethren who have not yet reached II
. shores of what awaits them in its passage
: well with them if they heed the warning
~ But if they do not, if they will persist
\ their blind march into the region OF pollt
:" cal darkness and death, we will at lea
= have the satisfaction of knowing that tt
e calamities which surely await them are
- no wise cba-geable 10 us.
I do not doubt that some gentlemen o
: the other side really believe all the horrib
=, stories which have been told them in re
, gard to the condition of affairs in Mort
~ Carolina and throughout the South, an
- are sincerely concerned about it. 1t /
perhaps, natural for those who have bee
! taught from childhood to regard the pc
a. pie of that portion of the country as sem
~ barbarians, if not absolutely hosts A"aaa
70 0eMeyis, to lend a willing ear to any di
70 creditable report concerning them. 1t
ID not, perhaps, extravagant to say that, u
70 consciously is may be. they are Just u
s ss least bit prejudiced on this subject. But
q a' accord to them, Notwithstanding this.
e. willingness, if not a desire, to do lustl
o. even to us.