The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-08-28

We're engaged in desperate strife, and the
Sleamln@ of bayonctS, the roaring of
cannon. the thunder of charging squad
rons and the light Of burning cities. he
clVl power mtaintained its supremacy
over the military, THE judge Was obeyed
and "inte arma andiebantur leges."
The following is an instance Of his
prompt and r~esolute manner in dealing
Win infringements on the rights Of Gill
zens and the dignity Of the State. In
the fail of 1861, the Raleigh Standard.
edited by w. w. Holden, subsequently
Governor of the State, during the period
Of reconstruction, was thought to be hos
tile in spirit to the Confederate cause.
and to be looking toward peace BY
separate State action. On the night Of
September 9th, Il Georgia regiment OF
General Benning's brigade. passing
through Raleigh. stopped long enough to
lead 4 mob and destroy the Standard of
flee of the State Journal, a paper Of
strongly opposite views. Governo'
Vance at once telegraphed The facts to
President Davis, and in Il letter to him
next day used the following vigorous
language: AS it is my intention to en-
force the laws rigidly against all citi-
zens who participated i'll the second
mob. 50 | feel it my duty to demand that
punishment may be inflicted on the Of
ticers who assisted or countenanced the
first. Should this not be done, | shall
feel it my duty to demand the persons Of
these officers Of the State OF Georgia to
answer the demands of justice. | feel
very sad 1T these outrages. The distance
is quite short to either anarchy or des-
potism. when armed soldiers, led by their
officers, can with impunity outrage the
laws Of 4 State. \ few more such eX-
additions viii bring the North Carolina
troops home to THE defence of her W
State and her institutions. | pray You
to see that it does not occur again.
Should any neWspaDer in the State COM
init treason. | would have its editor ar
rested and tried by the laws. which
many of us vet respect. | thank you for
your prompt orders Ivy telegraph to Maj.
! Pierce concerning the passage of troops
through the city. LaoY are now beng
enforced. and neace can be preserved if
they are rigidly obeyed.'
This threat of separate State action,
made to emphasize his determination to
have the laws of State respected. as offset
by an incident over twelve months later.
when stout hearts began to quail ut what
they feared to be the approaching down
fall Of our cause. | had some knoWl-
edge of it at the time; but years after
Governor Vance gave it to me i'll its de-
tails. \ gentleman Of the highest char
actcr and standing. and whom Governor
Vance greatly respected for his wisdom
and patriotism. was here from Ilch-
mond. He called at the executive office
and informed the Governor that he was
commissioned to deliver an important
message to him, and wished an audience
with him alone. others having retired
from the room, the gentleman informed
Governor Vance that certain members
of Congress from this and other States
had recently held Il conferences. and III
view Of what appeared to them the utter
hOpclcSSneSS of the cause, resolved that
steps should be taken to prevent further
effusion OF blood and loss Of property
and that North Carolina was, by It's
Il lnrltin1 in rnS1prt 10 invading arl0ltfS, IL
ii position to bring about the result; and
their message conveyed Il request, ilai
he should issue an order recurring the
North Carolina Troops II The field 10 re
turn home. and so end the war Toy
ernor Vance rose from his seat. III -r"a.'
excitement, and standing with his bacf
to the fire. asked his companion. coErtn-
ously, whether that was his advice; amt
receiving as a reply, No only dellvel
the message / was requested to bring,
he swore. in his wrath, Il great oath.
NO! | would see the last one of them in
perdition before | would DO it. Were
to do that the last of it would not ht
heard for generations to come. 1t Woule
be charged that the Confederacy NIGH
have succeeded but for the treachery OF
North Carolina. SO far as the honor Of
: the State is in my keeping, it shall be UNI
furnished. She must stand or fail VIII
her sisters" His friend replied, Il an
rot sure but your are right and. OF
his return to Richmond, reported to those
, who sent the message, that they meet
not expect anything by separate actions
from North Carolina.
5 In 1864 Governor Vance was again {;
candidate and elected Governor, his OPP
[ moment being Mr.. Holden. who was un
: derstood to favor peace on almost any
! terms. If the value of the currency o.
l the country was an indication OF thI
:, probability of its making good
l lis i~ndependence then its chances O.
success must have been considered very
: slim, ot best: for. from January to Au-
gust in tina year, the average value OF
3 Confederate money was 100 dollars {,
7 Eve dollars in gold. Mr.. Holden had
2 many followers among the tlmld ant
/ d~esnondpnt at home and in the field, ano
: psnpciolly in those sections where de
~serters were hiding IN mountalis or II
forests. They generally had little to say
though in some counties secret socletleS
known as Red Strings, were organized
Governor Vance had to meet and over
} come These secret influences. and he dc
# nv n remarkable campaign. HIS re
+ co1rcpfuIness was exhibited as never be-
FORE. and | doubt whether any orator
! of This country before or since has dis
6 nIaypd greater variety in his speeches OF
, nnuhlic issues. Speeches he made, TO-
example. in Wilkesboro ana IayeLte
f vile. within a fortnight OF each othe'
,rare nublished almost literally, ana !
). =; ~ hard for a reader, who did not know
Coyarno. Vance to believe the same ma
: oonId make both speeches. but analyZe'
49, ~ r,'nI,e not Inconsistent. He spoke a
:, va nrolific as that town ha'
y hoan in gallant Confederate o1lcers an
Il Il % ~ cuch as Gordon. BARRIER. Brown
- mmoulas and others to many VINO Wer