The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-10

have been if he had been a Demo
crat,"
During the first year OF Vauce's ad-
minfstration he received Holdenfs en-
thuslaStic support. But in 1868 they
parted company on the peace issue.
ana III 1864 Holden was a candidate
Ior Governor against Vance. At one
time feeling between the two was
very intense. and il IS interesting to
note Holden's estimate OF Vance as
expressed in his Memoirs" Vance.
ne declared, Showed no party spirit
and NJ spirit OF faction in his high
once may say. and do
say in the most emphatic manner
that | have never questioned his in
tesrity. nor his honor, nor the sin
cerlty OF his devotion to his princi-
pies, or TO the people whose servant
he was and is. have
~ransacked repeatedly all the cham
bers Of my emo and | here
state unreservedly that history con-
talns no account of a people who
have endured more for the axe of
principles and liberties. as they
understood them, than the people Of
North Carolina. Modest, unSelfsn.
brave beyond the commo run OF
men. they have never demanded what
was not by right their own. and never
submitted c~ravenIy TO injustice or
y oAAd I'll liz IlClp u w ttSS
never Will. And l also state unre-
~serveG1y, having said thus much. that
Zebulon Baird Vance. their leader in
all these hingS was and is their fore
most man in all their annals, old and
new. [ know whereof | speak Cen
erOuS words, these. of one whose sue
cess in the PAST had meant to a large
degree the failure and more than the
failure of the writer,
Chapters " and V of the Me
noirs' relate to Governor Hefden's
administration as Governor under the
Reconstruction Acts. the Ku kluX
Khan, the kirk-Holden War, and the
Impeachment. There are many state
ments of considerable interest in these
two chapters. but of course it is i'm
possible in this brief review to refer
to them all. The Governor opens his
account Of his impeachment as fol-
lows:
The trial Of William w. Holden,
Governor Of North Carolina, on Impeach-
ment by the House of Representatives. for
High Grimes and Misdemeanors, Publish
ed by order of the Senate These vol
umes thus entitled contain three thous-
and five hundred pages (3,JoO, Let those
who can obtain j copy and read for
themselves. The whole proceeding on the
part of the State against the respondent
was thoroughly partisan. The counsel
for the State pressed the charges against
me with as much particularly and vehe-
mency as they would have done had l
been arraisned for murder. have
throughout the whole proceedings, all
their examination OF the witnesses; and
/ here and now declare with the utmost
solemnity, that 1 am not guilty of the
charges preferred against me, and ought
to have been acquitted on all Of the eight
as l was on the first two. There is no
person so well qualified to say | am not
guilty as myself. ! know l am not gull
ty."
Governor Holder was. naturally
enough. fully persuaded at the time
of his trial that the Whole proceeding
was political and partisan. To a GER
tain extent perhaps this may be true.
Impeachment proceedings must al
ways in the very nature Of the case
be more or less partisan. 1t has al
ways been so in England and in
America. But to say this does not
say that such proceedings are OF ne
cessity unjust or i'm A pro-
Iceeding may be Partisan in its nature
and yet be in perfect conformity with
justice and right. The test Of a par
tvs action in impeachment proceed
ings is its motives. It's motives may
be to rid the State of a tyrant and
yet be partisan. If the motives Of a
party be just and proper, and the re-
~tSpondent shown to be guilty or I'M
peachable offences it is nc defence Of
t his course nor is it a condemnation OF
the course of his opponents to say
that they acted as a party. OF course
the respondent cannot be expected to
| see tina the motives which move his
enemies are high. just, and patriotic.
Nor was Governor Holden an excep-
ton to this rule. I'm my own case,
said he. 1T was calculated and be-
IIieved that if I could be in1peached
land silenced the Republican party in
North Carolina would gradually and
surely cease to exist. was
certainly ~inpeached by party an
ayers and party counsel. by a party
House Of Representatives. and by a
party Senate. And to show their fear
Of me az a party mar ] was declared
unfit to hold Office in my native
/ State This WAS the most u~nkiEdest
cut Of all
1t was perfectly natural Of course.
for Governor H0sten to feel so. but
at the bar of History Judgment must