Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-07-05

been assaulted but for his defiant attitude;
it is not strange that the American flag was
outraged; but it is incOmprehensible why
the Greeleyites did not proceed to whole
sale murder. 1t will come to that before
long, if they go on as they did in North
Carolina the other day"
In the first place we do not believe that
any assault whatever was made upon Mr..
Settle, Oh that the Conservatives got into
any general row among themselves.
The dispatch bears upon its face so
many badges of falsehood that even if We
desired to believe it we could not do so.
We involuntarily think of Judge Tourgee
when We hear of false statement of t1nu-
Sually large proportions, emanating from
Greensboro in relation to outrases in his
Judicial District. Tourgee is the individ-
ual who made the statement about the man
who found fifteen dead negroes in one mill
pond in Guilford county. Tourgee is the
man who wrote the infamous /" garbled :"
letter published in the New York Tribune,
and that it took So long to determine by
whom it had been "garbled,'' whether by
Governor Holden, Senator Abbott, the
Tribune, or Tourgee himself.
We know of no ore at or near Green's
boro' capable of getting up a document
bearing upon its face so much evidence of
falsehood, save Judge Tourgee. In addi-
ton to this, Tourgee was friend of the
wretch, Stevens, whose case is again
nm ott n Ion Of fyVn
therefore attribute this dispatch TO him.
But few days, at farthest, will deter
mine how much, if any, truth there may
be in the statement; but whether the
tale be true or false, we desire to say a
few plain words in reference thereto.
If Judge Settle was unlawfully inter
fered with in the exercise of his right
of free speech, we condemn the act in the
strongest terms. There is and shall be no
more doubt or question about our position
now than there has been heretofore. We
are unequivOcally on the side of law and
order. No man who, during this cam
paign, does not, by every means in his
power, seek to preserve the peace and good
order Of the community in which he lives
by willing, prompt obedience to law, is a
true Conservative. If any Conservatives
unlawfully interfered with Settle, they
have done their party more harm chan
they can possibly repair.
The brilliant victory so nearly within
our grasp can be won at last only by the
supremacy Of the civil law over violence
and disturbance of every kind, no matter
whether that violence comes from Holden's
State Troops, Grants Federal Troops,
under suspension OF the writ of Hdbeds
Corpus, or under a "United States Mar
shall or from other sources. The COnser-
vatives can win only SO long as they march
with their allies-Peacea and Civil Law.
On the other hand, we beg to assure our
| friends that there is no cause for ALARM
Attempts will doubtless be made to
| frighten them i'll various ways, but there
is no reaSOL to fear. TIE CIVIL LAW Is
| SUPREME IN NORTH CAROLINA. Neither
| Caldwell nor Grant will dare to suspend
the writ of Ha6eaS Corpus, or to throw in
nocent Or even guilty citizens into vile
dungeons and refuse them an examination
into the cause Of their arrest before a Judge
of Civil Court Nor will either Grant
or Caldwell dare TO refuse to allow a man
to give bail when the Judge says he has 4
right i'll law SO to do.
The time for all these things has passed,
and that it has passed we arc indebted to
| Colonel WADDELL and the other Demo
| cratic members of the United States House
of Representatives.
Attempts It intimidation and threats
Of Federal Intervention have lost their
! sting, for the reason that we know that
General Grant and Governor Caldwell will
not dare to usurp unlawful military power
in this State. The fate of Holden Will
keep Caldwell within bounds, and the fear
of Greeley will make even Grant grow
cIrcumspect. The civil law, administered
through its accustomed channels, we do
not fear.
We say, then, To our friends, pay no at
tentiOn whatever to the threats and at
tempts at intimidation Of the men who
thus seek TO keep you from the polls. They
are dogs That can bark but can no longer
bite. their teeth were drawn when Con-
gress took from Grant the power TO sus-
pend the writ Of UdbcUS Corpus. ..