The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-05

nOll0C1nS every L viz wv
not vote with. them as an abolitionist.
In truth this old faction had become
q despotism long before the war. !
know these are not the sentiments OF
the southern people-for the South
ern people belonged to the democratlc
party, the leaders of which involved
us in the war. The last thing we
look for in parties or IN men IS sell
condemnation.
Rut few democrats in the South
will take this view Of the origin Of
| the war eau Of the se1f-condem-
| nation which follows. They attribute
the war to president Lincoln and
the black Republican party as they
call it.
Many union Democrats of the South
who stood upon the or
9S-9-voted for Breckenridge, the Sc
| cession candidate, and even taught Sc
cession, now say the war was brought
| about by Extraordinarily the slave
ocracy." By these false means they
think to absolve themselves from the
guilt Of their party, by attributing a
false origin to the war.
The largest shareholders in North
Carolina were wings and much op-
posed to secession Il war.
In the counties decidedly Demo
cratic such as Warren, Wayne, Edge
combe, Duplin and New Hanover the
| vote for secession was over
whelming Ito his there were some
exceptions). In all the counties that
were decidedly Wing, such as Gull
ford, Randolph, Davidson and DAVE,
the vote was Overwhelmingly against
secession and war. (To this there were
no EXCEPTIONS
l deem it proper to state that these
opinions were not formed since the
war. but were expressed in the Sen
ate in 1860, as we'll as before the peO-
pie. l never failed to charge that the
democracy were going to Involve the
country in war because they were de-
feated in the Presidential election. No
man ever heard me ascribe any ether
origin to the war. l forbear to state
in full the part I toe in the ON
federate Congress for peace and negO-
tiatiOn in 1S64-65. | was moved to
the part I acted by the firm convic-
ton that we were whipped; that the
contest was hopeless and that it would
be criminal on the part Of the Con-
federacy to open the campaign OF
1865. [ urged Congress before that
campaign was opened to make peace
taking such terms as we could get,
did not mean to play false to the
Confederacy or to rebel against re-
bellion. I had staked all upon the
| issues. l desired independence to
dNOId lIio
s~ubjugation.
I espoused the cause of the South
not that I was convinced by Jefferson
or his resolutions of 9S-9 or the de-
bate in convention. The truth is that
convention only half performed it's
duty. They put it in the constitution,
tina the General Government could
execute all its laws, yet they recorded
themselves against coercing a State,
they declare for coercion in the Con
%stitution by giving 60 Congress the
army and navy to execute It's laws,
but they declare against coercion IN
the convention. They left room Tor
the States to doubt debate and dis
pute with the Federal Government as
to it's powers and authority.
T have omitted one fact which
should have found place elsewhere. |
am credibly Informed that when the
Alabama democracy met at Montgom-
cry in the winter of 1860 to send dele
gates to the Charleston convention,
Edmund Ruffn, of Fort Sumpter noto-
riety, addressed the convention and
about breaking up the Union until you
first broke up the democratic party.
That night the labama resolutions
figured SO largely in the charleston
convention, were drawn for the pur-
pose of breaking up the party, When
they should aSSemDle at oIdileo'oh'
and upon this suggestion Of a crazy
old man. The Alamabs delegates to
Charleston were instructed to secede
or ithdra if the convention did not
adopt the Alabama resolutions, which
were intended to be SO to
the North, tina Northern delegates
could not vote for them. and thereby
drive the Alabama delegation from the
convention.
r coSt nv LOT with the SOuth not
because I justified or approved their
action, but I had to do that or do
worse. Men must often do what they
do not approve in order to avoid a
worse evil. The war being upon us
against my efforts and advice, | had