NORTH CAROLINA. 



661 



prescriptive secessionist, and the other desired 

 one who was radical and thorough on secession, 

 and who would sustain the Confederate Gov- 

 ernment, even at the expense of State rights. 

 Both parties sustained the war. The candi- 

 dates nominated for the office were William 

 Johnson, of Mecklenberg county, and Zebulon 

 B. Vance, of Buncombe county. The grounds 

 of opposition to Mr. Johnson were thus set 

 forth: 



Who is William Johnson of Mecklenberg;, the demo- 

 cratic nominee for the high and responsible position 

 of governor, is a question which is daily asked. Mr. 

 Johnson is nominally a resident of Charlotte, Meck- 

 lenberg county, where hs owns a considerable prop- 

 erty. He is president of the Charlotte and South Caro- 

 lina railroad, which runs from Charlotte to Columbia, 

 the capital of South Carolina, where the business of- 

 fice of the road is located, and where Mr. Johnson re- 

 sides, in which city he has made large investments 

 and becomes thoroughly identified with the interests 

 of South Carolina, and more especially is he identified 

 with her political heresy of secession, in which he is 

 most completely indoctrinated, and is what might be 

 called a forward student in this new school of political 

 science. He is a lawyer by profession, but has never 

 risen above the sphere" of a county practitioner in repu- 

 tation. He has been a member of the Legislature, 

 is a member of the sovereign convention of this State, 

 and was among the first to vote in favor of secession. 



Col. Vance, on the other hand, was opposed 

 as "failing to enjoy the confidence of the 

 friends of the Confederacy," and was thus 

 spoken of: 



Unfortunately, there appears to exist a belief 

 (doubtless obtained from the course of the " Stand- 

 ard") among the troops that the election of Vance 

 will bring peace, which will give him (Vance) all the 

 votes of those who have been pressed into the ranks, 

 which, including the votes from the opposition regi- 

 ments, made up wholly as they are from the opposite 

 party, may elect Vance. 



The friends of Mr. Vance thus described their 

 position : " "We belong to the people's war party. 

 Vance is the leader of it. It is for the war, 

 and, at the same time, for liberty, conserva- 

 tism, and reform at home." 



The following is an appeal made by the 

 friends of Mr. Johnson to the electors, urging 

 them to vote against Col. Vance : 



A governor and Legislature of North Carolina are to 

 be elected Thursday, August 7. It will be the most 

 important election held in the State. The duration of 

 the war, and the faith of the South, hang upon the re- 

 sults. Whether Col. Vance or Mr. Johnson, as indi- 

 viduals, shall be elected, is a matter of small import- 

 ance; but it is of great importance for the South to 

 triumph in this war, and for North Carolina to con- 

 tinue true to the cause to the end of it, without mani- 

 festing the smallest signs of backing out and deserting 

 the sisterhood of the Confederate States, after all their 

 united sacrifices, when success is almost ready to 

 crush the common foe, rendering independence and a 

 nationality won by stout arms and brave hearts certain. 

 Mr. Johnson, emphatically, is the Confederate or 

 Southern candidate the issue having been placed 

 upon that ground by the press in the interest of Col. 

 Vance, and likewise by political meetings held in his 

 behalf and stump orators that have spouted around 

 during the canvass. That is the issue which has been 

 placed before the people of the State by the advocates 

 of Col. Vance. And the question which the people 

 will have to decide in this election, as thus presented, 

 is, shall the State recede from the position which she 



assumed to her Southern sisterhood when she with- 

 drew from the United States, and again join the Yan- 

 kee nation ? The election of Col. Vance would indicate 

 the popular will of the people of North Carolina to re- 

 enter the old Union, and we desire that thej will vote 

 upon the question understandingly. 



Then, of what avail will be the "sacrifices which the 

 people have made in prosecuting the war, of life and 

 treasure? What will be thought of the State by the 

 world ? Can the people pay the State's share of the 

 immense Yankee debt, amounting to more than all the 

 property in the State would sell for? How could they 

 wipe out the disgrace which such an event would en- 

 tail upon the State? Have the people pondered the 

 demoralizing effect which it would have upon our 

 army. Consider well these things and vote accord- 

 ingly. 



The result of the election was the choice 

 of Col. Vance as governor by a large ma- 

 jority. In forty-three of eighty-nine counties 

 his majority exceeded 19,000. A majority of 

 the members elected to the Legislature were 

 of the same party with the governor. 



On the 17th of November the Legislature 

 assembled at Raleigh, and the governor deliv- 

 ered his Message. He urged a vigorous prose- 

 cution of the war, but complained of the bad 

 faith of the Confederate Government in send- 

 ing agents into the State to obtain clothing and 

 supplies, after agreeing not to do so, if the 

 State undertook to clothe her own troops. He 

 condemned the conscription law ; stated that 

 the soldiers were suffering greatly for want of 

 shoes and clothing. (See AEMT, CONFEDERATE). 

 The debt of the State at the beginning of the year 

 was $2,098,361. Flour and corn commanded 

 such prices as to be used only by wealth y persons. 



The Legislature adopted the following reso- 

 lutions on the 27th of November : 



, That the Confederate States have the 

 means and the will to sustain and perpetuate the Gov- 

 ernment thev have established, and that to that end 

 North Carolina is determined to contribute all her 

 power and resources. 



Resolved, That the separation between the Confeder- 

 ate States and the United States is final, and that the 

 people of North Carolina will never consent to a re- 

 union at any time or upon any terms. 



l^ohed,'Th&t we have full confidence in the ability 

 and patriotism of his Excellency President Davis, and 

 that his administration is entitled to the cordial sup- 

 port of all patriotic citizens. 



Betohed, That we heartily approve of the policy for 

 the conduct of the war set forth by bis Excellency Gov. 

 Vance to the General Assembly, and that he ought to 

 be unanimously supported in the manly and patriotic 

 stand he has taken for our independence. 



The number of men obtained in the State by 

 the conscription law was stated to exceed forty 

 thousand, three fourths of whom were reported 

 by the examining physicians as unfit for mili- 

 tary duty. The destitution of the people in the 

 interior of the State was very great, especially 

 of salt, shoes, clothing, and corn. The expor- 

 tation of the former from the State was for- 

 bidden by the governor. The removal of the 

 conscripts did not leave men enough in some 

 parts to gather a crop. In the seven days' bat- 

 tles before Richmond, Xorth Carolina had in 

 the field forty-two regiments of infantry ; one 

 of cavalry, and one company of artillery ; the 



