Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-03-31
NORTB CAROLINA.
Extracts frcnl the Testimony OF Hon. Il
r.. Moore, formerly Attorney General
or 5ortn CaroIiaa

Answer 2 =" . Tno next organiza
tion Of which [ have any knowledge wal
that OF the Union League, which arose
Immediately after the cOlored people 90
political power I think in 1867 or 1868
the avowed object OF that was that they
| should all act IN unison, and they have
carrie it out very faithfully. [ have new
er seen d more com pact League fhan that
| has been.
Question. Were they bound by oa;h
| Answer. Yes, sir.
Question-Secret
ADaWer-1es, sir; il was secret. What
that oath was do not know. It has been
said by some that it waa 10 aid IN over
throwing every attempt to draw any dis
tlnction between them and the whites. On
the other hand. it has been said that it
was gotten up for the express purpose CT
ruling the whites and keeping them down
| under political control. l only know this,
that they have acted uniformly together
Qaestion-Was it confined to the col
| Orcd population
Answer-Nc, sir; Governor Holden was
at the head of it. x : ! My impres-
sion IS that there has been nothing like
the Ku Kiux as an association--I mean a
general s>ociation-but that there have
been squads OF persons belonging to the
Loyal League. and to the White Brother
hood, PERHAPS. that have undertaken to
perpatrate ontragea upon property and
persons, not because their society ordered
them out under prctence, Or rather with
the means and facilities which these or
ganizations afforded to particular squads
Of bad men to commit such acts.
Question-I5 is yonr belief that these
squads were not Carrying out the orders OF
the organized body, but that it was the
impulse or concerted action Of the squad
| itself ?
| Answtr-Yes, sir. If. for instance, a
negro had been badly treated, of course,
that would naturally beget Il feeling of eS
! 4speratiOn among the cOlOied population,
aud would, PERHAPS. cause half dCzen OF
more to associate themselves together fol
d common purpose, as Of burning the
! house, or stealing the horses Or cattle, OF
| The man who had maltrea!ed the negrO.-
Aud on the other hand if white person
| had been outraged by negro, that, as a
matter Of course, would beget a feeling of
| exasperati0n on the part Of certain white
men, aud they Wonld, perhaps, take the
| negro aud whip CT sc0urge him. l believe
| there hns been nothing Of the sort done
upon any political grounds whatever +; for
| | can say with truth, having voted at all
the elections since the war closed, that
hayo never teen u people enjoy greater
| freedom in elections than the people have
in North Carolina. And when say free
dom, | mean voting their own way. Ne
| Eroo8 have uniformly a -sOClated together,
and they have voted for whom they pleased
and genarally-almo universally-they
have voted for those who were nominated
! by the League, without any ragard to the
competency of the candidates.
Question-Are you acquainted with the
state Of affairs existing IN Alamance and
Orange countirB in 1869 and 1870 3?
Answer am acquainted through the
examinations, for [ was ono of the coun
sci in the ha6euS c0y,pt:S cases. / am ac-
quainted with the account which has beer
given through the papers. l have never
heard OF an instance where there has beer
any resistance at all to the arrest of any
man against whom precept issued, wheth
er that precept was taken by whito o
| black man.
By Mr.. Bayard
Question--Did you ever know case 0
resistance to any precept OF a civil magls
trate during the last two years
Answer Never
Question-Or of interference with tht
service Of snbpoenas, or processes of en-.
kind
Answec-Never have known a case. <
4 Question: speak CT those oountie
where these ouiragas are said TO exist
can the officers OF the law execute processe
Answer am perfectly satiafied the.
can.
!. Question question was asked in re
spect of your political affiliations vii
you state wha5 was your relation, polltl
cally, to the question of secession
Answer was opposed to secession.
= will go further back. l was opposed t
3 nullltication, tor lived in those days.
- wrote against 1t. and, whenever l had oc
- 4
q opposed to secession rs any man in tn
United States of America and [ neve
: saw the day, notwithstanding had 80
in the Confederate army, when l rejoice
s at a triumph of the Confederate army.
2 Question-Were you a Union ma
throughout the war
Answer-I was and sometimes w
# threatened 10 be sent to the Libby prison
r Question-At the close Of the war Ill
e you meet the Unitad States army
q Answer-I did.
Que8tion-With what sentiments u
( you meet it ?
If Answer-With kindness. And I MI
q tell something, perhaps, which will exhit
It nv feeling in that regard. When / fir
saw the United States flag floating fro
n the palace of the Governor, [ rode half
l. mile to salute it such were my feelings.
d Question-Have you sought to co-ope
l. ate efficiently with the restoration OF 20
{ State to her former Federal relations?
"a Answer-I have. I have not been
favor of some of the constitutional amen
ments, because I thought they would le
oe ultimately to the dissolution of the &c
of ernment of the United States by the co
ne centration and conso idation CT powe
d. which would be exercised properly by t
s, States only.
Question-Did you take any person
r. part in the annulling of the ordinance
i'll secession? ..
Answer-I did. I was in the convent
es called by President johnson, which sat
be 1865 and 1866. I drew the ordinance
On claring void from the beginning. and
S no force at any time whatever, the or
of nance of secession, in which [ differ
It's from some of my associates, who want
us to repeal it. ! refused to have il repe
ne ed at all, maintaining that 1t never b
s any force or effect. 1 s asa e a.
,gi Ques!ion-Were your views adopted