The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1910-11-24

every power and every right that was
not in that contract specifically dele
gated to the United States. These
States reserved their sovereignty and
under that sovereignty every citizen
Of this country owed his first allegi-
ance to his State and not to the
United States and the whole world
recognized it, the United States itself
recognized it. Under that principle Of
State sovereignty each State had the
right to shape it's destiny in all gov
ernmcntal or political matters. Each
State had the right TO withdraw when
ever she got ready to do so for any
cause which in her judgment seemed
sufficient. 1t may be useless and idle
words to refer to the great question
of secession, the question which has
been forever settled, settled by the
bloody power of the sword,-by the
overwhelming might-but when the
Star of the COnfederacy rose in the
Southern skies, that question had not
been settled but on the other hand
the right of secession had been main
tanned in every other part of the
Union.
As early as 1914. when many of
the signers of the Constitution We're
still living and the true spirit of
American Union was known and rec
OgniZed the New England States, not
hOt-headed South Carolina and Louis
anna but Maine, Rhode Island, New
Hampshire, Connecticut Massachu-
sets and Vermont, met in a great
convention at Hartford, Conn, and
sOlemnly resolved to withdraw from
the Union on account of the LOuisi-
anna purchase and the war with Eng
land. But the War with England soon
closed and the other causes were not
deemed sufficient by these New Eng
land States to carry out their threat
of secession. AS late as 1914 or 1S45
the Legislature of Massa chusetts
again threatened to withdraw from
the Union, to secede on account of
the annexation of Texas In those
days the right of secession was not
generally disputed and when North
Carolina first voted against secession
and when many were opposed to Sc
cesSion they did not oppose it on the
ground that the State had no right to
sec"de but because they thought it
was unWise. From 1925 to 1910, the
text book was taught in West Point
Military Academy was a book written
by a celebrated Philadelphia lawyer
and that book distinctly and repeat
edly taught that the right of State to
seccde whenever she saw fit to do so
and while this text book was
taught there, many of the
SOuth's great leaders, including
jefferson Davis, Robert f. Lee
Albert Sydney Johnson were educated
at West Point and were instructed
upon the constitution in accordance
with the views of this Philadelphia
lawyer. William Rawles. One of the
clearcst cut speeches | ever read was
jefferson Davis farewell address to
the Senate (and that speech of JEFF
fersOn Davis. only 15-minute speech
every man ought to read). While
repudiating CalhOun's doctrine of null
LITIGATION he clearly set out and in my
judgment in an unanswerable man
ncr the right of a Southern State to
secede and a great body of Southern
people shared the views that Senator
Davis expressed in that speech; but
why should any man undertake to
justify the conduct of a great sOver-
eign State? Shall a great people
render excuses for their deliberate
deeds? Who can call North Carolina,
Texas and other great States to ac-
count for what their people did in
those times the acts speak for them
selves. Free men acted, they spoke
not in whispers. they met not in cor
ners. they avoided no scrutiny, they
wore no disguses-in the daylight, in
great conventions, in solemn fashion,
in the presence of a looking, listening
world, they acted. 1t was not the
lawless element that shaped our
course. it was the law abiding citizen
ship which led our people. Ladies
and Gentlemen, young and old, I say
to you that traitors had no part in
the creation of the Confederacy; trail
tors sung no songs at it's birth; trail
tors shed no tears at it's death and
when at last with the tears and sOr-
row of our Southern people it was
forever laid away in histOry's vault
among the things that were, the sob
er sence of the North knew that no
criminal purpose inspired our leaders:
that no immoral principle actuated
them; they knew that Lincoln and
Grant standing before the great
white bar of conscience would not
dare not claim for themselves any
more unselfsh motive than those
which filled the hearts and nerved
the armies of Lee and Davis.
In 1861, when Lincoln was inaug-
urated President. South Carolina
Florida. Georgia. Alabama, Louisiana
Mississippi and Texas had already Sc
coded and established a government
at Montgomery on February 28th
North Carolina by a small majority
voted against secession. On April Is
President Lincoln called for 1000
volunteers to COerce our sister States
back into the Union and called upOI
Governor Ellis to furnish North Car
oIina's quote of these troops Gov
ernOr Ellis called the Legislature to
gether. the Legislature called a con
Vention that met on the goth day o
May. BY that time Virginia had Sc
ceded then North Carolina had t
decide | for one am glad the Oh
State had the courage to make TIL
sacrifice, and join her fortune witt
her sister States of the South. NOrt
Carolina knew that the North had
greater number of men and unmeas
ured capital; larger resources AM
that she was mistress of American
waters an army already drilled and
equipped. North Carolina new all
that and North Carolina knew the
difficulty that confronted a new gov