Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-01-02


cause Of my suffering country. Those
words now believe 10 be the advice
herein given, 10 refrain from
exercising the extraordinary
powers about to be given
you by the congress; at least until the
last hope of moral influence being sui.
icient Is extinct. Though YOU
expressed a fear Ia your
last letter that my continued
e, forts TO couciliate were iniudicious,
eau not yet see Just cause Tor abandon
ing them Perhaps I am unduly BIZ
ased In my Judgment concerning n
people whom / love, and to whom
owe so much, though l trust not Our
success depends not on the numbers
engaged to support our cause, hut upon
their zeal and affection Hence / have
every hope in persuading, not one In
forcing, the sympathies OF unwilling
people. The legislature OF this
state meets next May. Two
thirds are required by our consti-
tuition 10 call u convention. This
number cannot be obtained. A bare
majority vote for submitting the
proposition will, in my opinion, be
impossible. Under no circumstances
can a convention be assembled in n.
g. during the present year, In my
judgment; and during rext summer
the approaching state elections will AZ
lord an opportunity for full and
complete discussion of all the issues
the result Of which | do not fear, If
left to ourselves. II there he o peaple
on earth given TO the Sob second
thought, amepable to reason, and re-
gardiul Of their plighted honor, | be
lieve that may claim that it Is the
people Of North Carolina. Very re-
spec fully your obedient servant.
u. b VANCE
EXECUTIVE OFFICE, RIcHMoNp,
Feb 20 1864 Sir: Your letter of 9 h
inst was received the 18Th, but the
close OF the congressional session Inn
posed on me duties too expressing TO
permit a rompt reply. Your counsels
upon matters of grave import to the
success Of our cause in North Carolina
have received from me the cDnsidera-
ton TO which they are entitled, as
emanating from the govt rnor OF a SOW
ereign state. But | regret that you
have de, med proper, in urging your
views, TO make unjust reflections upon
my official conduct, and 10 accompany
them by assertions which you would
in vain attempt by proof. IN my
earnest deeire TO avoid every possible
controversy with all whoseco operation
can be made valuable in the defense OF
The country, / would have preferred to
have remained silent under these re-
Il, ctions, aud TO have left TO time and
the sober judgment of my cnuntrymen
the vindication Of my course from
/ your arrangement. But public inter
ests are involved which preclude this
| course, for some of your statements, ii
uncOntradic,ed, would tend to create
hostility to the government aud I'M
| dermine its power to provide for the
| public defense. |, therefore, deem il
a duty TO respond. When you assert
! that there has been "what seemed q
studied exclusion OF the anti-secession-
| lists from all the more important offices
in the government, even from those
! promotions in the army which many
of Them had won with their blood y
/ am compelled to characterize the
statement US unjust to my conduct, my
! feelings and my character, You can
not expect nae 10 receive such charge
| from the governor of state without
! insisting on a specification. I mus
| therefore request that you give the
name, not OF many, but of one officer
whose promotion has been refused Oh
the grounds or for the reason you men
| ton. If unable to maintain this as
Sc ton, l leave it to your own sense 81
| Justice TO determine how best To repair
the wrong done. In the meantime,
assert that there exists not TO my
| knowledge In the flies OF the war de
paTtmenI a single case among the
thousands there to be found in which
| tine promotion of an officer has
ever been recommended on
the ground OF his party OF
political opinions or relations. And
ann certain as one can be of the occur
rences OF three years, that no objection
has ever been suggested TO me 10y any
of my advisers. civil or military against
the appointment or promotion of any
Off or of the army on the ground o
his opposition to secession OF other pc
litical opinion held prior 10 the war
i further affirm that the promotions o.
officers have been guided exclusively
by military considerations, and that
they havealmostinvariablY been mad,
upon the recommendation received
from their fellow-soldiers and com
manders, as l have in the large major
ity OF cases no other reliable informa
ton concerning the relative merits o
the Cfticers. Having thus been forced
from considerations OF pnDlie duty
TO abandon that reserve in relation tC
my official conduct which / mad hopeC
to maintain at least till my retirement
to private life, 10 becomes necessary e
mark as uniounded some other dis.
paraging statements OF your letter lest
/ be Imposed 10 admit the truth.
J.. Yeu say: "phe truth, Is, sir, as
have often said before, that the greal
body OF our people have been suspect
ed by their government, perhaps be
cause OF the reluctance with which
they gave up the old union If by
the words their government you
refer to the executive department o.
the Confederate states, ! deny that
there is any ground for the assertion
and / invite Won To specify the facts Il