The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1891-01-13
INTERESTING HISTORY
JUDGE STRANGE,S REASONS FOR
RESIGNING.

Sundays CBRcNICLE contained the res
olutions adopted by the General Ass NJ
bly, in 1888 which caused U. S. SENATOR
STRANGE and U. S. SENATOR BEDFORD |
BROWN to tender their designations The !
following is the letter written by SENA-
TOR STRANGE:
To THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE
OF NORTH CAROLINA
L hereby resign the trust which the |
Legislature Of the State of North Caro- |
lima was pleased TO honor me as one Of |
her Representatives in the Senate OF the |
United States; which resignation I de- |
sire to take effect at the commencement
of your next session.
No unwllllngnees to serve nv country:
| no underestimate of the high and un-
! deserving honor | enjoy in representing
| : State <ssoee character is un,uliled and
whose people are unsurpassed for moral
| purity; no insensibillty to the heavy
debt of gratitude that rests upon me for
the many marks CT confidence and
the uumerited favors [ have received
not even the conviction feel OF nv own
|
mighty duties of the station fill induces
me to resign it. On the contrary, the
proudest retrospect shall ever have is,
that the representatives of one Of the
noolest States Of the American Union
thought me worthy to represent her in
the most august body under the sun
and the most cheering consciousness |
shall ever experience, will be that of
having discharged the duties Of the sta
ton with fidelity measured only by my
ability.
My political principles have never been
disguised, and they were we'll known not
only to those who elected me, but
to every other citizen of the State With
whose acquaintance I was honored. No
one can say that | have given vote ia
the Senate of the q. S. which could
not have been foretold by every man at
all conversant with public affairs Those
votes have, firmly believe, been just
such as the people Of North Carolina, or
their representatives by whom | was
elected, would have instructed me to
!. give, yet, since my election, a general
election for members Of the legislature
has taken place and made some change
in the complexion Of that body, whether
or not fairly representing the sentiments
of majority Of the people, is aquestion 8
which the people themselves must decide,
: At their last session majorities of both
branches Of that body were pleased to
adopt resolutions expressive of the opin-
ion that my course was not in confor-
. nifty to the wishes Of the people. From
that opinion some respectfully differed.
| Ha1 haA #
possibility and instructed me, | should
;, have either obeyed those instructions
y literally, or forthwith resigned The
. mere expression Of opinion left all ths
responsibility upon my shoulders, onl,
; increasing thereby its weight and deli
cacy. | was not ignorant that there
% was design in some to use these reso
> lutions as snare in which [ was to be
. caught and my political death &C
. complished. Nay, many believed
l. there was no way for me to escape. /
. | treated the resolutions as instructions
. and resigned (for the terms Of the reso
y lutions rendered obedience impossible
. and thereby insure my place being fille(
- by an opponent of the administration
! | should bring upon myself condemna
u ton as a traitor to those who had truste,
L me, or as a cowardly deserter OF N
!, post in the hour Of trial. IF, on tn
~ other hand, | neither resigned nor obey
"a ed, should be denounced as one VIII
IL disregarded the vi of my constituent
5. and set at naught their right to instruc
% me. | saw the dilemma in which
should be placed, and resolved to escap
a from it by throwing back the respons
aC bility where it properly belonged.
lg was we'll convinced that I could not wit
10 proprlety treat the resolutions as IL
a stractions, and SO respectfully informe
q. the legislature, requesting, at the sam
's' time, that if was wrong, | might (
set right. Ny conclusion, If wrong, w
Sc not corrected, and | might have CO..
iIs tented myself in my position until j
US term expired. But | knew the publ
re mind was much stirred concerning tx
III doctrine Of Instructions, and that u
generous persons would, ,notwithstandir
er the pains | had taken to set M
no self right, impugn to me the design
III holding under constitutional forms
y; place for which, according to its spir
90 and substance, | was unfit. 1t had bee
said by high authority that was su
ne porting an administration to which n
is. constituents were opposed. [ am amor
ooI the last men to question the represent
IL tive character Of our government, or
! deny to the people the right Of settil
ne up and pulling down at pleasure, al
vi I would sooner perish than avail mys'
las Of d position in which their genero
confidence had placed me to thwart tLe
laI wishes. Believing that the Leglslatl
are elections had not taken place in reff
9ut ence to any such result, and that the a
Ine poiutment Of my successor could not
SIS SIS made in conformity to the express
Vne wishes of the people, my immediate !
70 signation would not have secured obe'
ence to their will. But, | determin
AK and accordingly promised to resign
time for the people to avail themselS
Of the first occasion of indicating tn
choice of Senatorial representasl'
That pledge is now redeemt
| return to private life with
bosom glowing with the sa
zeal for my country, and the same COZ
dence that the people will do right
IA when [ accepted at their hands a tr'
j Il