The state chronicle., 1892-12-20

"0 oou'hern people In seeding and de
lending themselves against the armies
OF the United States was to protect
slavery, whereas perhaps not one
Southern soldier in ten owned slave.
Slavery was simply the exciting cause
OF a contest for vital principles of gov
ernment, viz: the right and duty of
sovereign State to defend her SOW
reignty and to have her citizens pro-
tected in their property and other rights
IN accordance with the Constitution of
the United States as interpreted by the
Supreme Court. do not say that the
Southern people we're wise in the man.
ner in which they contended for these
rights, but l am simply emphasizing
the real reason for their action. AS
to secession, it may, however,
be said, with propriety 1 trust, that
from the very beginning of our gov
ernment it was boldly claimed by many
statesmen that State had a right to
withdraw from the Union whenever
she thought her interests required such
action. Whether or not such right
existed, the leaders in the Confederate
movement thoroughly believed it did;
and so believing, they denied any
authority en- the part of the United
States government to send armies to
coerce the States that seeded, and
they did not expect that any such
course would be taken. They were
specially confirmed in this view because
in the Convention that framed the
Constitution of 1887 a resolution
''authorizing an exertion of the force of
the whole against delinquent State"
failed to pass Upon motion of Mr..
Madison it was unanimously post
poned, and it was never again pre-
sented.
Our forefathers of Revolutionary
fame took up arms against England,
to whose sovereign they owed un.
doubted allegiance, not so much on &C.
count of the amount of taxes imposed
upon them as because they claimed
that there should be no taxation at all
without representation. They then,
as we in the late war, contended for
great principles. Why not have all
these things taught, and taught in a
spirit to do justice to brave men and
allay sectional strife?
A State or country without his
tory that succeeding generations of its
people will be proud of and defend will
not be respected and defended by 9th
ers, and it will hardly rise to the high
est development in civilization. Th,
South in all her history has much tt
be proud of, and it should be fought t.
the children. Especially has Nortl
Carolina much to be proud of. N
State has more. Having been in ad
vance of all other States in open hos
: tility to tyranny and in love Of liberty
she can point with pride to her battl
of Alamance and her Mecklenbur
: Declaration of Independence. AS t
deeds of valor, surpassed in fact and il
good results by no other State, she ca
7 point to Germantown, Stony Point
Kings Mountain and Guiliford Cour
House. Her whole history durin
, colonial times and the Revolutionar
6 period is one to be proud of; while he
=. record in the late war, in defense {
princi oles which she believed to
right and to be the bulwark of con
6 stitutional liberty, is not excelled b
h that of any State or any people i
- ancient or modern times. Let thes
= things be taught to the children, let n
:, book that treats of them at all be use
in the schools that does not fairly en-
. phasize them, and let no teacher /
employed who is neglectful of them {
unwilling to teach them.
= If, in retiring from the office
State Superintendent, l had last wo,
. Of advice to give, it would be that tt
State through its General Assemb
. guard the textbook question; an
- rather than take any risk in the matte
q undertake the publication Of its ow
books, at least in the common scho
branches.
:. And further, and in line with wh
- | have said about the Importance
n recording and teaching our history,
, would most earnestly advise that Il
70 inches in our beautiful Capitol and Il
grounds surrounding it be filed wi
,t statutes representing our great M
! and commemorative of the wort
10 10 deeds Of our people.