The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-20
10 the Editor:

The death of Hon Thomas Il. Bayard
during the engrossing political campaign,
ought to occasion more than casual no.
tee in North Carolina. Aside from his
ability, the purity of his character ana
the conspicuous services he rendered the
country at large-hc was in Il special
sense the friend Of North Carolina. This
| State owes to his memory II debt of love
and gratitude unknown to the younger
generation. As at later period Virgil
mans warmly claimed our own Vance as
Senator for North Carolina and Virginia,
so in our hearts and in our histories
| Bayard should be known as Senator for
Delaware and North Carolina.
In 1870 the people of North Carolina
broke in upon the carnival of corruption
which has distinguished the Reconstruc-
ton period and elected n Democratic
General Assembly. An immediate result
was the restoration of quiet and good or
der. In December impeachment pro-
cecdings were instituted before the Sen
ate against Governor Holden. Within
less than week the United States Sen
ate on December is, 1870, adopted IA
resolution;
THAT the President be requested to
communicate to the Senate all informa.
tion that he may possess relative to or
ganzed bodies of disloyal and evil-dispos-
cd persons in the State of North Carolina,
which have in view or threaten resistance
to the execution of the laws of the Uni
i ted States. or denial to citizens of the
United States of the equal protection OF
the laws and the free enjoyment Of the
rights and liberties secured to them by
the constitution; and also what murders
and outrages for political purpose have
been committed by such organizations Of
ldisloyal persons"
On January 10. 1871, the President
having on the 18th responded to such
: resolutions, n committee of the Senate
were charged with an investigation of
the condition of affairs in the South"
Senators John Scott, Henry Wilson, u.
Chandler, BENZ. +. Rice and James w.
i Nye were the Republican members, and
Senators Frank T. Blair and Thomas II.
; Bayard the Democratic. The investiga-
ton was confined to North Carolina and
the report of the majority indicated their
full willingness TO believe all i'll of a peo-
pie who failed in appreciation of Holden,
Kirk and Bergen. 1t reflected most in
iuriously upon the character of the
State.
Mr.. Bayard for himself and Mr.. BlaiI
. submitted a minority report, declaring
themselves unable to agree with ma,
iority of said committee in their report
accompanying the testimony, or in the
: conclusions they have drawn from it. y
! Though nearly thirty years have now
! passed few men could read this report
unmoved The following are some ex-
tracts:
1--WE desire to attract the attention of
the Senate to the scope of the resolution
under which the committee have acted
? TO inquire into the truth or falsehood OF
, crimes and outrages of a political charac-
ter in the Southern States.' Here is an
unlimited field of general allegation,
qualified only by the word POLITICAL and
conveying nothing definite to the com
! munities whose domestic affairs were,
: without notice or specified charges, to
have Congressional drag-net thrown
over them, and be hauled before the com
mittee, and the closing paragraph of the
resolution only aggravated the danger
: and difficulties of such an investigation
by inquiring whether there be in those
States security for persons and proper
/, ty"
But considering the case as proposed
find the State of North Carolina UNI
covered to these general, indefinite at
!, tacks upon her fidelity to the Union and
; its laws, and her ability and disposition
to protect life and property i'll her society.
These charges take no shape, and are
sent broadcast against her people. There
is no process of law, no information pre-
scented, but an opportunity simply gwen
for any one to come forward and assal
the State and her people in any mode. by
any character of testimony, and upon any
point, without notification, that prejudice
or animostiy can suggest.
''But all this is manifestly the result of
plan cut and dried by conspiracy
, formed of disappointed politicians who
have lost the confidence of their people,
and have been cast out of office by the
almost unanimous voice of betrayed and
injured constituency.
At the head of this conspiracy plainly
stands William w. Holden, the Governor
of North Carolina, and now undergoing
trial by process of impeachment for
gross abuses of his official power and
high misdemeanOrs by him committed III
color of his office; and we annex hereun-
to the record of the Superior court of
Chatham county, North Carolina. proving
his completely in the crimes of arson and
murder. He has bcggared the
treasury of his State. and plurdered, out
ragged and betrayed her people: and now
looks to the strong arm of the Federal
Government as the only means of res
lcuing him and his followers from the just
punishment due to their crimes. The
voice of the people of North Carolina at
the last elections declared their opposi-
ton to him and his party, and his last
and desperate resort is to infiame the
party passions of Congress, and induce
an exercise of unlawful power i'll his
behalf. In furtherance of this scheme.
the present measure was instituted. and
this committee raised. The two Sena-
tors from North Carolina abbott and
POOH have efficiently aided it, suggest
ing witnesses and supplying interrogato-
ries for their examination, and sometimes
esc0rting them in person to the door of the
committee-room. And what is the char
acter of these witnesses, found ready and
| in attendance for examination? Joseph
w Holden. the son and accomplice of