Year: 1866

any other spot upon which lne suii-hSu NJ u
heaven has fallen.


In reconstructing our State government
we must adapt our constitution and laws to
the emergencies of the times, and then we
must faithfully enforce and obey them. The
wealth and prosperity of our people can only
be restored by labor. We must all go to
work in earnest With energy and intelll-
gent industry we must deyelope our agricul-
tural, mechanical and mineral resources


We have the same great treasure, house OF
God, out of which our ancestors dug the
wealth which they transmitted to us, and If
we will labor we too can gather the rich gifts
of prosperity. In society and in legislation
we must create inducements to prevent the
emigration of our people and invite foreign
capital, energy and enterprise. We must
give glad and cordial welcome to all those
who come to help us. We must not treat
them as strangers and Aliens but we must
take them into our houses, and esteem them
as our friends and benefactors.


We have great work to perform, and it
ought to call forth the highest qualities of the
mind and heart. Our noble old State cloth
ed in the sackcoth of mourning, is PROSTATE
in the dust of humiliation and poverty, and
we must restore her to the high position
which shedeservest to occupy. If we will do
our duty as men, as patriots, and as citizens
the great work can and will be accomplish
ed, and decade will not pass before the
waste places ofour land will rejoice in beauty
and abundance, and although our peoplemay
be saddened by many dark memory they
will be content and prosperous.


Mr. President, now propose to take
brief survey of the field of present political
discussion and try to show the true position
of North Carolina, and reply to some OF the
objections made to her restoration to the
benefits and privileges of the Union. She
was once member of the Union and enjoyed
to the full extent her constitutional rights.
She entered into that compact Of States by
the free and voluntary act of her people, and
she had no reserved right to secede there
from at her own will and pleasure. A con-
trary doctrine would be perfectly suicidal to
any government formed by confederation
of States.


The Articles of Confederation had proved
by short experience to be complete failure
in uniting, harmonizing and Strengthening
the various States that composed that form
of government The wisdom of our fore
fathers had been enlarged and matured by
the experiences of the revolution, and they
plainly saw that the new republic could not
be permanent, prosperous and powerful
without stong Constitutional bond of
Union, With the eye of political prophesy
| they looked down the distant future, they saw
the difficulties and dangers that were in the
way of the nations prosperity andgreat-
ness, and they with confidence and hope es-
/ tablished the Constitution, to make a perfect
Union. Their object was to make perpet-
ual Union, and no reasonable man can be
lieve that they incorporated in the Constitu-
ton the principle of secession, the very seeds
| of death.


l have always believed that the doctrine
of secession was wrong, and any attempt to
carry it out was high political crime. The
right of revolution is inherent in the people
in every form of government, but the exer-
else of that right can only be justified when
the people are suffering from intolerable
grievances and unwarranted oppression. The
recent rebellion was an effort to carry out
the doctrine of secession, and was never
claimed by our leaders as an attempted revo-
luton, as they well knew that it could not be
justified before the world for the constitu-
ton was observed, the laws were faithfully
administered, and the Southern people en-
joyed an excess of happiness, wealth and
/ liberty.


A large majority of the people of North
Carolina were opposed both to secession an6
revolution, as they loved the government o
their fathers with an ardor of patriotism
which was excelled by no other people. A
combination of circumstances which coulC
not be controlled forced North Carolina into
the rebellion. / will not now enumerat,
these circumstances, as they are matters O
public history, but venture the assertion
that there is no State, care not how loya
it may claim to be, that would have acte(
differently under the same condition o
things. There are stern laws of necessit,
which neither States nor individuals cal
successfully resist. Selfpreservation is tn
first great law that nature teaches to man
and States if true to themselves will obey il


The storm of rebellion had risen in th
surrounding States, and if North Carolin
had resisted, she would have been the frs
victim of its fury. Civil war would hav
filled the land withconhagration and slaugt
ter, and the devastating armies of both SCI
tions would have made her place of smou
deriDg. ruins.


North Carolina, by her act of rebellion
did not dissolve her connection with tn


Union. This was the position OF Presider
Lincoln, and it was maintained by his &C


ministration during the progress of the rt


bellion. This was the rallying cry tha


gathered the immense masses of the Nortl


ern army The object of the South was t


destroy the Uniou-the object of the Mort


was to maintain it. and the North was SUI


cessful, and the Union was preserved


North Carolina is still in the Union, but 81


does not occupy the same position as tt


loyal States, for the rebellion has tempor


rily restricted her privileges and paralyze


her powers, and she can. be properly held


that condition, until her people, by act an


spirit, have shown themselves truly loya


and then she ought to be restored to all h


rights. 1t is wellestablished principle


the law of nations, as laid down by Waite
in his learned and elegant treatise on TIN


subject, that it is the paramount duty of


government to preserve itself from destru


ton, and when that is done, as soon as pc


sible, restore all of its parts to full vigor.-


As soon as North Carolina establishes Il


fact of the true loyalty Of her people, it


the bounden duty of the Federal COVER
: ment to accord to them all the rights ar
privileges of the Constitution and the Unio
also believe that it is the duty of the 60
ernment to crush out every vestige of sece
sion and disloyalty. The Union of Il
States must be preserved The peace pre-
perity and happiness of this great natio
and the sacred principles of human liber
, depend upon it. 1t must be alike defend
! against the attacks of secession and t
: spirit of morbid fanaticism. The Uni
will not be preserved and its operation W


not be perfect until all the States are