| From the Raleigh Standard |
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| June 22, 1863 |
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| The appointments just made of State
Directors in the different R. R. Companies of this State, show that
the "powers that be" have determined to make a war of
ruthless proscription on all who will not shout for
"conservatism," and swear by the Standard," --
on all who are disposed to stand by the Confederate Administration and
resist those who would embarrass it. Gov. Vance has repudiated the
promises made in his inaugural address, and is now fully in the hands
of those who have done so much to detract from the renown that North
Carolina has won in this war. He will live to see the day when he will
bitterly repent his course. With one or two exceptions, these R. R.
Directors are all new men, without any experience whatever in railroad
matters. Register |
| So far as the North Carolina Railroad is
concerned, Gov. Vance has fed his political opponents from the same
spoon from which they had fed his friends. He found one moderate
Conservative, Mr. Gorrell, a Director, and he has appointed on
moderate Destructive, Mr. Everett. All the others were Destructives,
as all the others are now Conservatives. This is commending the
chalice of proscription to your own lips, Mr. Register. If the
contents are bitter, so were the contents of your cup bitter to the
Conservatives. You commenced proscription; we retaliate
and do ourselves justice, and then you complain. Your course,
and the course of those for whom you speak, proves that any liberality
which Gov. Vance might have shown would not have been appreciated. If
he had bestowed one-half the Directorships in the Road on
Destructives, they would have complained at not getting all of them. |
| Gov. Vance found two Conservative
Directors in the Atlantic Road, and he has appointed three
Destructives. Is there any "ruthless proscription" in that? |
| He found Three Destructive Directors in
the Raleigh & Gaston Road, and he has appointed three
Conservatives in their places; and yet he is censured by the Register
for doing just what the Register's party itself did. "Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye: and then
shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's
eye." |
| In the Western N. C. Road the Governor has
appointed several Destructives, and among them W. W. Avery and N. W.
Woodfin, who are bitter enough politically after that order of public
men to answer for fifty ordinary Destructives. |
| And yet, after all this liberality, he is
charged with "ruthless proscription," and with having
repudiated his inaugural address. Surely his situation is not a
desirable one. Following the dictates of his own honest judgment,
after diligent inquiry and consideration, he appoints a number of
Directors, some of whom are with, and some of whom are opposed to him
in politics; and for this he incurs the complaints of friends in
certain quarters, and generally the censures of his opponents. The
Governor has no doubt done the best he could, under the circumstances,
and the people will sustain him. |
| The Register says Gov. Vance is
"now fully in the hands of those who have done so much to detract
from the renown that North Carolina has won in this war." Our
reply is, that but for those with whom Gov. Vance is associated
politically, the Confederate flag would long since have trailed in the
dust. The old Union men, as a general rule, have fought the battles,
while the original secessionists have remained at home to grow rich at
the expense of a suffering people. North Carolina is indebted for but
little of her renown to the corrupt and cowardly set for whom the Register
speaks. They had the wickedness to get the people into this war, and
then they had the meanness to get out of it, or kept out of it
themselves. Every neighborhood can bear testimony to this truth. If
the "renown" of North Carolina were in the hands of the Register
and those for whom it speaks, the pure gold of the old State's
character would soon become dim. Freedom of speech, of the press, and
even of the pulpit would soon cease; the common soldier and the common
people, as they are called by the oligarchs, would soon have no
rights; and one chain of darkness, fastened by despots and their
minions, would bind us all. But thank God, we still have some measure
of freedom, -- Zebulon B. Vance is still Governor, and our Legislature
is Conservative by a large majority. Our neighbor may ululate,
but it will do him no good. The "renown" of the State is
safe, and, what is much more important in his eyes, the offices and
patronage have finally passed from him and his friends. This is what
troubles our neighbor. He ululates over it mournfully and long,
but the winds mock him with their echoes, and the reply is, the
"renown" of the State is where the people have placed it, in
the hands of Vance and the Conservatives. They will conserve,
not destroy that renown. |
| But the new Directors, it seems, with one
or two exceptions, have had no experience in Railroad matters. This is
not so. We have examined the list carefully, and we can say with
strict truth that on no former occasion have men been appointed who
possessed more practical talent, or more experience in Railroad
affairs. We know them all, and we are satisfied of the truth of what
we say. The appointments, so far as fitness and qualifications are
concerned, are certainly excellent. |
| We think it probable, from what we have
heard, that some of the Railroads have been used to advance the
interests of certain officers at the expense of the public; and if
this should turn out to be so, these officers should be discharged and
more honest ones put in their places. There are rumors that whiskey,
and brandy, and others articles have been sent through by officials on
speculation, while regular freights have been delayed; and that
subordinates have been compensated by speculators for promptly
forwarding articles from point to point. A commission appointed by the
Legislature will soon assemble, and will investigate these and other
alleged abuses. We trust and believe the investigation will be
searching and thorough; and if such abuses exist, we feel sure that
the Directors appointed by Gov. Vance will see to it that when once
exposed and checked they will not be allowed to spring up again. The
interests of the State in these corporations require incessant
attention. We fear they were neglected, and that abuses were permitted
to take root during the sleepy administration which preceded that of
Gov. Vance. |
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