The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-11-22
Thomas F. Bauard.
A Friend to North Carolina in the Dark Days OF Revo-
luton.
luton.

JIts
/, bloody intent. In violation OF the Con
stitution Of his State. he made these two
strangers t his people officers of militia,
and having declared two countries lAla-
nance and CaewelD III a state OF lnSur-
rection. he ave the unhappy residents
over to the tender mercleS OF luese I"o
,,tfriaps x = Z
Following Kirk. Bergen ana Holden,
Jr.. we have William Il. Albright, com
misSioned a brigadier general by Holden.
a vindictivc. violent. INSCRIPTIONS man,
as he is termed hy hir neighbor>. whose
eXcitability of temperament Is proven no
less by his own testimony than the fact
of his being an inmate Of Il lunatlc aSy-
lum during Il large portion Of the time
embraced III the inquiry OF the commlt-
Tee This man actually dictated what
he called aud is now published as the
confession Of W. L. Bradshaw, and
put into that statement what he pleased,
and such stuff is called testimony.
But the majority of the committee
rely largely upon Mr.. James l.. Boyd.
whose sole testimony seems to justify
( them in the remarkable conclusions they
have come to in respect to the condl-
1lOIl VI SotlttN III -
testimony Of this witness is deemed
especially reliable, and attention is there
fore drawn to it. < $ s. The witness
is Il very young man, and, by his own
atemen has little or no
personal knowledge of the mat
tiers whereof he speaks. lie be
gins by stating that he was initiated by
his own law partner, Long and volun-
tarily. He took an oath of secrecy as
to these and other facts. which he seems
to have broken without hesitation. He
could not have left the order from amy
profound conviction of its dement's. as
he had 50 little knowledge of them.
| Raving attended but one meeting of the
order, at which nothing was said or done
but the initiation of members. No record
was ever made, and his knowledge is
based upon hearsay only. and the names
of his infornants not given. His i'm
pulse to confess seems to have been
! caused by Il mixture Of sheer fright and
bribery.
1T is Il matter of serious surprise and
regret that the majority Of the commit
tee. upon the testimony Of witnesses,
destitute of character. and against the
evidence of men Of the highest reputation
in the State of North Carolina, have
come to the conclusion that it is neces-
sary for Congress to intervene to pre-
| vent anarchy in that State. The under
signed believe that all the disorders
which exist in that State We're created
by the uniustifiable and unconstitutional
legislation of Congress III regard to its
government. The evidence taken before
the committee. meagre and partial in its
characterization in secret, and with lit
IL, a,,,,,,+,,;4, ,1lon-nI u. 1nlJ yyi+n,..a,
TO refute the falsehoOds manufactured
by the chief criminals in the recent dis
t~urbanccs to eXculpate themselves and
criminate whole communities of inno-
cent peOple-disclose. nevertheless. some
striking and important facts. The first
is that the State of North Carolina en-
lOyed comparative peace and quiet after
the wal closed, and until the reconstruc-
ton acts Of Congress We're put in force
by the army: and the second is. that
since the State Government thrust upon
them by Congress has passed under the
control OF the people of the State. in the
election of August. 1870, peace and quiet
and good order haye again assumed their
sway.
The period intervening. marking the
epoch of reconstruction. from August.
1868, to August, 1870. also marks the
~ i'A ~ tI4N dliti
crime; and it may be said. and the evil
dencc proves, that during this time the
State government of North Carolina was
Il conspiracy against the property, the
peace and the political liberties Of the
people"
Speaking of the carpet-baggers. 1T.
was through the influence of these men
and some few others. native to the
South. who confederated with them that
these laws were pressed upon Congress
to disfranchisc the body Of the Southern
people and disqualify them for official
position. and at the same time to give
the suffrage to the negroes. But the ne
grOeS thus made the masters Of the dcS-
TIMES Of these States. would no doubt
AVE ollowed the c~ounSels of their form
er masters if they had been left to them
selves. and hence. to gain their object.
1t became necessary for the carpet-bag-
gers and their allies to destroy the SYM
pathy and good feeling which had always
existed between the white people and
the black people at the South, and which
marked all their relations even during
the war, when the blacks worked cheer
fully and faithfully to support the wives
and children of the Confederate soldiers
at the front. and remained steadfast and
ohcdicnt to their masters to the last. In
order to accomplish their purposes the
Loyal Leagues were established. the ne
groes were initiated. bound by oaths,
h~arangllcd III their secret meetings. kept
from work by promises of dividing the
property OF the white people among
them. lnstlgated to steal the food they
needed. but which their political occupa-
tons prevented them from gaining by
their abor.
Thus was the reco~nStruction Of North
Carolina accomplished upon Il loyal basis
"a basis composed of ignorant negroes
and unprincipled carpet-baggers. &C.
mented and sustained by military power.
The result might have been forseen.
The majority Of the committee allude to
this matter as showing the latitude al
loWcd III the examination and are SEEM
lngly unconscious Of it's significance.
They do not appear to be aware of the