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ALFRED MOORE SCALES.
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ADDRESS
ALFRED MOORE SCALES.
|.| ! IV ( 1(1 • 1IY
R. D. W. CONNOR.
(Seen k Historical*
I TIIK
WAKE COUNTY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION.
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ID. I«M)7.^
I IALL Ol HOUSE OF REPRESENTA'I IVES
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ALFRED MOORE SCALES.
Four and forty years have gone since the Bpiril "I Stone-wall
Jackson passed over the river and rested in the shade <»f
the trees. The flighl of this heroic bouI marked the tenth day
of May as an anniversary to I"' forever hallowed in the grate-ful
heart of the South. The career of Stonewall Jackson
p than the career of any other man personifies the South-ern
( lonfederacy. As the ( lonfederacy by one bold stroke rose
to a place among the powers of the world, so Stonewall Jack-son
al one bound leaped from obscurity to 8 place among the
immortals of history. The Confederacy in a brief 3pasm of
glory dazzled the eyes of mankind by the brilliancy of its
achievements; and Stonewall Jackson Like a passing meteor
across the dark clouds of war dazzled the eyes of the world
by the brilliancy of his genius. And a- the English poel
declared of the < lonfederacy,
"No Nation pose bo white and fair,
( >r fell so pure of crime ;"
30 Stonewall Jackson, like a stainless knighl of chivalry, rose
to a foremosl place among heroes, and, facing death with
inspired heroism, lefl to fame a name untarnished by a single
blot. In him, too, were besl epitomized those qualitii
fearless courage, dashing enthusiasm, and steadfasl loyalty
which made the soldiers of the South the wonder and the
admiration of the world, and won for them in defeal more
splendid laurels than crowned the brows of their foes in
victory. What, then, could be more fitting than for the
daughters of the South, searching the calendar for a day to
consecrate to the memory of 1 1 1
*
- Confederacy, to selecl the
I A I l l;i D MOOR] Sc \l.l-.
anniversary of t 1 n day on which Stonewall Jackson Grave his
life in defence of their homes and firesides?
Forty-one years ago the women of this city mel for the
first time to dedicate the tenth day of May as Memorial Day.
Moved "by simple loyalty to, the besl and puresl dictates of
the human heart," they mel in sadness, ye1 in gratitude, to
render their tributes to the soldiers of the Confederacy, nol
in stilted phrases and sel forms of speech, bu1 in wreaths and
garlands of the sweel flowers of spring. With simplicity and
dignity they inaugurated this beautiful ceremony which the
years have crystallized into a custom. Forty times since
thai hour, with the annual return of this May day, your asso-ciation
has fulfilled the sweel and gracious duty t<> which it
is dedicated. So many times have you listened while elo-quent
comrades of the dead rehearsed the story of their
achievements. We recall the names of Hampton, the gallant
soldier and wise -talesman of our sister State; of Ransom, a
soldier a- brave as the bravesl in the field, in the forum an
orator as eloquenl as the most eloquent; of A.very, whose
career among us illustrates the virtues of a long line of
distinguished ancestors; of Ashe, who hears with added
honor- an honored name; of Waddell, whose name recalls the
splendid fame of another Waddell who followed the early
fortune- of Washington : of Scales, who carried into the halls
of legislation and into the executive's chair the same rare
courage which had won for him the honors of the battle-field ;
these you have heard, and others worthy to -mud by them.
tell this splendid story with splendid eloquence.
And what a splendid 3torj it i- ! a story of duty to coun-try;
of < 'age in the field; of endurance in suffering; of
patience in defeat ; of fidelity in temptation ; and of loyalty at
all times. No people could hear the annual rehear-al of such
ry without an elevation of character and an increased
devotion to country. Thus not only by reason of it- original
purpose to honor the dead, but also because of it- power of
Aii bed Moore Si
good i" the living, the annual observance of Meraoria
has '-"in"' to be one of tin- most gracious and n il of
the historic customs "t our people. Public ann
commanding the attention of tin- | pie from their daily pur-
-nii- to tin- contemplation "i' 'he greal events and characters
.if their Past, are the guide posts along the public highways
of a self-governing people. They keep us in mi ml of the con-tinuity
of human life and warn as "t" the danger of any efforl
to live in the Presenl withoul regard to the Past and the Fu-ture.
"Sometimes we think it i- a pity," as Dr. Mel • r
"thai a good man who has learned i" be of service to In- fellows
Bhould be called oul of the world. So sometimes we may
think aboul an enterprising and useful generation; bu1 after
all, tin- generations of men are bul relays in civilization's
march on its journey from savagery t" the millenium. I
generation owes it to the Pasl ami to the Future that
no previous worthy attainmenl or achievement, whether oi
thought ot deed or vision, -hall be lost." For all human life
whether organized or unorganized, whether "t" communities
or of individuals, involves all the three elements "t" time.
The Presenl i- born "t" the Past and is the parenl of the
Future A- fatal a- death will prove any attempl to separate
any one <»t' these elements from tin- others. The Revolution-tried
the experiment in France in 17'.':; and deluged the
world in I>1 1
'. 'hi' Reconstructionists tried i' in 'he South
in 1868 ami filled our land with woes innumerable. Hut the
English people, filled with the wisdom of tin- ages and
sciouslv building on a thousand years of history, wrought a
revolution in 1783-1784, ami again in 1832, a- profound as
the Reign of Terror, ami yel shed no drop of human l>h»><l
ami broke no human heart. No more valuable lesson than
this <-an he impressed upon a free people, a' ally upon
the-,, into whose hand- i- commitu d the guidance "t* the S
Indeed, no man i- tit to be entrusted with control ->f the
nt who i- ignorant of th< 1' -
; and no people wl
6 A i i 1:1 i> MoOBE SoALl B.
indifferenl to their Past need nope to make their Future
great.
"Love iii"u thj land, with love far-brough1
From oul ili«' storied Past, and used
Within the Present, bul transfused
Thro' future time by power of thought"
So nobly wrote a noble poet, and I offer you bis beautiful
thoughl so beautifully worded as the sentimenl for this day
and occasion.
This day could come during no year, and this ceremony
could be celebrated on no day, withoul bringing to ns number-less
sweel and helpful messages. I Jin this year il seems to
me Memorial Hay comes freighted with messages of especial
significance which il is impossible for us no1 to heed: Follow-ing
close upon a season of fierce political strife wherein
passion too often usurped the seal of judgment, hackneyed
oratory wore the disguise of thoughtful debate, and unre-strained
indulgence in gross personalities dethroned consid-erations
of public welfare, this Memorial Day. calm and
sw< el and peaceful, comes upon ns like gentle sunshine break-ing
upon a troubled world through angry storm-clouds. ( tam-ing
in the hill beauty of the springtide, with all its wealth
of fragrance and of blopm, it hid- us, forgetting the strifes
;iinl tumults of selfish ambitions, join in brotherly love and
peace to render an unselfish homage to those who unselfishly,
though vainly, died thai their country might live. Enrich-
,i- lives with 3wee1 and noble memories, it brings, it'
possible, m yel greater wealth in whal it commands us to
forget. It commands thai in remembering men's virtues, we
forgel their vices. It commands thai in praising their gri at-forgel
their weakness, h commands thai in honor
ing their successes we forgel their failures. It commands
thai in eulogizing their patriotism, we forgel their selfish
ambitions. In the long calendar of the year it is the one
day <d' worldly significance during which men by common
consenl forgel the ugly passions aroused by strifes for polit-
A.LFBED M ;i SCALE8. 7
ical spoils; forgel the animosities born of struggles for indus-trial
supremacy; forgel the enmities engendered by clashing
ambitions for professional distinctions; forgel the petty jeal-ousies
bred by rivalries for ~< <
i ; 1 1 honors; th< • day, in
a word, in which men forgel themselves in honoring otners,
who, ;il-" forgetful of self, exemplified before ;ill the world
the highesl ideals of patriotism. ( >u this day, personal accu-sations
and denunciations of the living by the living are
hushed in the sweel music of eulogy to the dead, [nto Buch
sen ices as these, hallowed by the memories of departed heroes
and by loving tributes to their virtues, no man dares intrude
his own narrow personality or selfish aspirations. For to-day
we breathe a purer and serener air; to-day we refresh our
Bonis with more unselfish joys; to-day we reach upward to
nobler visions; to-day we live and move and have our being
'less in the spiril of the age and more in the spiril of the
ages."* Poor indeed are a people into whose life comes no
such day as this; barren of noble ideals the mind in which
it- annual return does no1 lighl the fires of a patriotic pride;
and mean the soul in which it does nol arouse emotions of
gratitude] Happy, doubly happy, the people who can turn
aside from their annual pilgrimage through life to Buch an
oasis of peace and resl and inspiration!
To such an oasis it is my happiness to direct you to-day in
the contemplation of the life and character of the gallanl
soldieT and eminenl statesman, Alfred Moore Scales. I
cannol refrain from quoting here the words of Carlyle : "We
cannot look however imperfectly upon a greal man. without
gaining something by him. He is th<- living light-fountain,
which it i> good and pleasanl to be near. The lighl which
enlightens, which has i nlightened the darkness of the world :
and this nol as a kindled lamp only, bul rather as a natural
luminary shining by the gift of Heaven; a flowing light-fountain,
as I Bay, of native original insight, of manhood and
heroic nobleness; —in whose radiance all souls feel that it is
Oration btf ••ty nt Cambridjff. Mas
Ai.i bed Moore S< mi s.
will with them. On any terms whatsoever, you will nol
grudge i" wander in such aeighborh 1 for a while." But,
perhaps, we may qoI apply to Governor Scales the term
"great" in the sense in which < !arlyle used ii : yel ii is certain
we eannol deny thai bis career among men was "a living
fountain of manh 1 and heroic nobleness."
Words thai may better be applied to him are those of I lharles
Francis Adam-, who -aid : "The older L have grown and the
more 1 have studied and seen, the greater in my esteem as an
elemenl of strength in a people, has Character become, and
3s in the conducl of human affairs have I thoughl of
capacity or even genius. With Character a race will
become great, even though a- stupid and unassimilating as
the Etonians; without Character, any race will in the Long
run prove ;i failure, though it may number in ii individuals
having all the brilliancy of the Jews, crowned with the
genius <•!' Napoleon. * * Yei it is aol easy to put in
words exactly what i> meanl when we agree in attributing
character to this man or to that, or withholding it from
another: conceding it. for instance, to Epaminondas, Cato,
and Wellington, bul withholding it from Themistocles, ( laesar,
ami Napoleon. Though we can illustrate what we mean by
examples which all will accept, we eannol define.
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I will contenl myself with quoting this simile from a disciple
"i Emerson: "The virtues of a superior man arc like the
wind: th<- virtues of a common man are like the grass; the
grass, when the wind passes over it. bends.' " h is no1 then
so much because Governor Scale- was a greal man that I
• i" speak of him to-day, a- because he was firsl of all
a Dian "t character, of real "man] I and heroic nobleness,"
ami a- such it i- "g I and pleasanl t" l»c near" him. It i-good
i" turn for a while from the artificial political excite-in.
q1 oi the day, when men t >ften seem to surrender their
judgmenl to passion, I ntemplate the career of one whose
Cent< Celt bration of birth of Robei ill .-. al
A I I BED M""i;i S<
polar-star was judgment, qoI passion; who Btood in the real
excitemenl of n really great struggle for political freedom
and racial purity always clear-eyed in vision, calm-minded
in judgment, firm-footed in conviction. In a day when men
cannot give expression to their views on questions of public
policy questions which have divided mankind since th<
ation of the world withoul denouncing one another as
corrupl and perfidious, il is pleasant to look upon the charac-ter
<>l ;i man who was, in public as in private life,
wholly true to dream untruth" in others. Hi- career was
Hue of gradual advancement from one posl of trusl and honor
in the next higher, characteristic "t' ilw- career founded less
i>n brilliancy <>t' genius than on force "t" character.
This force of character we find displayed t" a remarkable
ii gr< • by the founder of the Scales family in America. Like
the origin <>(' most American families, the origin of the Scales
family in the New World is partially hid midst the <-l<>n«l-of
tradition. The story ;i- preserved by tradition is one of
those romances of real life which give so much human interesl
to American history and in which li*'- its chief glory. The
Ik ro was an English lad of twelve, the offspring of an ancienl
Anglo-Xorman family, of honorable rank, whose estates had
been sunk in the shifting sands of English politics. To this
sturdy English boy the outlook seemed to hold Bmall hope of
his ever regaining the family estates and family dignities in
< )ld England, and, thrilled with the wonderful stories be
heard daily of the wonderful New England in the far West,
he resolved
"To sail beyond the Bunset, and the baths
< >r nil the western stars,"
to -ick whal fortune tin- New World held in trusl for the
adventurous spirit and the dauntless heart. "There lies tin'
port; ili«- vessel puffs her -nil:" her prow turn- westward;
()]i| England -ink- from sight; and ;ill around "gloom the
Ki Aii i.i d Mooee Scales.
.lark broad seas/' Crouching in some 'lark and secrel corner
bid the youthful bu1 stout-hearted stowaway, fearful only of
discovery while the shore-line could yel be seen, heedless
fears: bis native land had faded forever from bis sighl when
be was dragged on d< ck before the angry captain, who threat-ened
to cui short his adventures by tossing him overboard.
This dire calamity was averted only by a hard bargain of
the lad's own proposing. He well knew thai a stoul boy
could make himself useful on shipboard during a long At-lantic
voyage, and young Scale- proposed such terms as
made his passage a g I investment for the captain of the
sel. It was a long term of hard service, bu1 faithfully
performed. Landing in Philadelphia, ragged, hungry, penni-less,
the boy refused the charity of benevolence, determined
to build his American career upon energy and independence,
or no1 at all. It was ai terrible undertaking, and he learned
to "drink life to the lees." Bu1 though the tesl was search
ing, the metal proved true. Master of himself, the greal
Xew World lying before him with all its unknown possibili-ties,
the English lad carved his own pathway to success and
earned the rare and proud distinction of becoming the founder
of a family. A brief story this, bul significant in its lessons
of courage, of patience, of fidelity, of honesty, of steadf
in-- noble virtues, a fortune in themselves, transmitted by
the founder to ihe late-' of those who Wear hi- name.
Threading their way through the forests of \ irginia, de-scendants
of the tir-i American Scale- found homes on the
banks of the river Dan in North Carolina. Here we sel
fool for the lir-i lime on secure historical ground. In the
early part of the nineteenth century Nathaniel Scales was a
man of some note in the State. During the twenty years
from 1803 to L823 he represented Rockingham County in the
General Assembly for ten term-. While he was serving in
the House of Commons in 1817 hi- colleague in the Senate
- General William Bethel, whose term of service in the
A i i i;i i> M tE Scales. II
General Assembly was longer even than thai of Scales. The
blood of these two united in the veins of the future governor.
Roberl II. Scales, son of Nathaniel Scales, married Jane W.
Bethel, daughter of William Bethel, and by her I':'--;! 1 1
n
-
father of ten children.
One of their seven sons was Alfred Moore Scales, born
November 26, l s i'7. al [ngleside, the old family homi
in Rockingham County. He was fortunate in being born into
a family in which education was regarded as one of the essen
tials of lit*—a view however universally accepted uow, thai
found few advocates then. The "old-field schools" of thai
day, so much praised by those who know nothing aboul them,
were poor institutions of learning, and the "lighl of knowl-edge"
was kept burning in North Carolina by a few private
high schools, then called "classical schools," of real merit.
Perhaps the mosl famous of these scl Is was the Caldwell
[nstitute, through the doors of which many of North Caro-lina's
eminenl men passed into the State University. From
Caldwell [nstitute Alfred ML Scales entered the University
in the fall of I s r». where he remained only one year, leaving
without graduation. Following the example of many other
men distinguished in the public life of the State, he soughl
his firsl employment in the schoolroom, where his princely
salary teen dollars a month doubtless recalled to his
mind the village preacher who was
* * * passing rich with forty pounds a yen-."
J Jut young Seal.-, though entirely successful with bis -
work, had no intention of d< voting his life to teaching. He
used the schoolroom merely as a stepping-stone to the law.
Who thai is familiar with the history of North Carolina does
not recall the long lisl of strong and vigorous men who have
lured from the schoolroom by the greater inducements
of the Counter, the Bar, and the Pulpit? Had the scl 1-
room been able to hold it- own asrainsl these rivals, who
L2 All &ED MOOEE S< \i.i iS.
estimate the tremendous power such men would have gen-erated
in the youth of this State? Bui now ao man can tell,
and Done will dare hazard a guess, of the loss of power, and
efficiency, and wealth which North Carolina has sustained
by adhering to a policy which make- it almost impossible for
nun to find in her schoolrooms competent Livelih 1- and
opportunities for the gratification of wholesome ambitions.
Such a policy, pursued even to this day with doubtful wis-dom,
if ii has ao other virtues, must a1 leasl be allowed those
which belong to age: mere than half a century ago it enriched
the political annals of the State at the expense of her educa-tional
development, by forcing Alfred M. Scale- from the
schoolroom to the Bar. Entrance to the Bar was then to an
even greater extent than new the necessary firsl step in the
progress of these who soughl the honors of a political career.
Scales had the good fortune to read his law course under the
instruction of Judge William II. Battle, one of the ablest of
the justices of our Supreme < !ourt. Ee was admitted to prac-tice
in the county court in 1852, and in the superior court in
L856. Hi- industry, his unfailing application to the demands
of his profession, and his sterling integrity, won for him a
place of leadership and honor at a Bar which counted among
it- members such lawyers as Dillard and Gilmer, Dick and
Kiiiiin. the Settle- and the Moreheads. In politics Scale- was
a I democrat. It is no1 accessary to follow in detail the course
by which he attained a place of distinction in the political
life of the State. The steps by which he climbed were the
usual ones which may be found enumerated in the biographies
nv of • public men. ( lounty solicitor in 1 852 ; member
of the Genera] Assembly in L852 L853, and again in L856-
I 857 ; clerk and master of the courl of equity in Rockingham
aty in L858; three times his party's candidate for the
I deral Congress, once successfully; presidential elector for
the State a1 large in 1^;<>; ::
' candidate I'm- the convention
I me I icket.
Ai.i i;i D M'OOEE Sc LL] 3. L3
which was defeated in i
x, '>i
; bo runs the Btory of the first
decade of his polil tea] career.
He came upon the political stage ai an exciting epoch in
the history of the country. The In-each between North and
South, started in the convent] f L787, had been gradually
widened and deepened until the two sections could be held
together no longer save by the bayonet. In common with all
real patriots, North and South, Scales beheld with deep cod
cern and profound sorrow the onrush of the greal crisis.
Hoping- with all the fervor of his intense soul thai the two
sections would find some way ou1 of their difficulties and the
Union would be saved, he never doubted wli.it position both
duty and honor required of North Carolina if the conflict
should come. The secession of' South Carolina in December,
ls<»o, and the certainty that other States would soon follow
hor hasty example, brought the question of North Carolina's
position in the struggle directly before the people. CJnwise
men indulged in much wild talk, coupled with criminations
and recriminations, charges and counter-charges, mosl of
them, like campaign charges of our own day, as false as all
of them were useless. Bui the greal mass of the ] pie
wished to mow slowly and cautiously and deprecated the
needle-- agitation which made a sane and unimpassioned dis-cussion
of the greal issues almosl impossible. In January,
18G1, the General Assembly brought the discussion to a point
by passing an act which required the governor to cause an
election to be held February 28 to determine whether a con-tention
should assemble, and at the same time to elect dele-gates
to it. The act declared thai the purpose of the conven-tion
should be "to effed an honorable adjustmenl of existing
difficulties whereby the Federal Union is endangered, or
otherwise determine whal action will besl preserve the honor
and promote the interests of North Carolina." The issue
presented to the people of the State was not the right of
sion, but the expediency of it. < Mi thi< momentous question
11 Alfred Moore Scali b.
men losl their former political bearings never again to find
them; Whigs arrayed themselves by the side of Democrats
and Democrats followed the leadership of Whigs; and polit-ical
parties were torn asunder never again to be reunited.
In .mtv county, convention meetings and anti-convention
meetings were ln-ld and candidates without regard to former
political affiliations were nominated and senl oul on a shorl
bul mosl intense campaign. Such a meeting called by the
advocates of the convention me1 in the court-house of Rock-ingham
County a1 Wentworth, February L3.* Scales was
present, and also his future competitor for the convention,
Thomas Settle, then solicitor of his district. Securing the
floor, Settle spoke earnestly againsl the convention and for
the Union, declaring thai he would no1 sit or acl with Dis-unionists.
When asked if he thoughl it fair for him to
speak in the meeting if he did no1 intend to abide by the
result, he acknowledged the (ova- and justice of the question,
and immediately withdrew, followed by a Large number of
Union men. After this withdrawal the following resolutions
were adopted :
"Whereas, the presenl disturbed condition of our country is alarm-ing
in its character, and requires, in our opinion, atfull and honesl
expression of public sentimenl <>n the pari of the people: therefore,
"Resolved, Thai we approve of bolding a State Convention, believ
[ng thai the masses, whose interesl is al stake should be allowed an
expression <>r their views on the crisis which aow distracts and dis-turbs
the peace and harmony of our common country.
"Itesolred, Thai while we are devotedly attached to the Cnion,
when it i-xists according to the Constitution, we believe thai unless
Borne compromise be made between this and the meeting of the con
mention, or during the session thereof, by which all the constitutional
rights of the South are secured, then it will he the duty, and to the
resl of North Carolina, i<> dissolve her connection with the Union.
/,,,/. Thai our delegates to the sine Convention are Instructed
to Hf1 BO llfl In I'elleel tile above views."
011 the unanimous adoption of these resolutions Gov-ernor
David S. Reid and Alfred M. Scales were nominated
M i 6, 1861.
Ai.i'i;ki> Moore Scales. 1
5
as candidates for the convention. Governor Reid was absenl
in Washington serving on the Peace Commission, bnl Scales
was presenl and accepted the aomination, declaring i1 to be
the duty of every man in such a crisis to obey the call 6j
his countrymen.
In the meantime the Union men who had followed Settle
had organized in the streel and adopted the following peso-
Ini ion :'"
''Resolved, That in the opinion of tliis meeting, the State CJonren
Hon, If assembled, should use every effort to reconcile the present
unhappy differences between the two sections of the Confederacy,
and if possible to re-establish the Union of these states, and to this
end the said convention should exhaust every honorable means before
entertaining propositions for the withdrawal of North Carolina from
the Union."
Dr. E. T. Broadnax and Thomas Settle were then nom-inated
as candidates for the convention. In accepting the
nomination Settle declared that he would shrink from no
responsibility, though the canvass would cost him a greal
loss. "The Dis-unionists" he had learned had nominated
two gentlemen of high character, and although the canvass
would doubtless call forth much feeling, he had no idea thai
it would be of a personal nature. Governor Reid was bound
to him by every tie that hinds one man to another. f while
Mr. Scales had been through Life his friend and companion.
The burden of the canvass fell upon Scales and Settle, and
perhaps in no county in the State were the two prevailing
views of the political situation better represented. S
urged forbearance. Vigorously and earnestly opposing seces-sion,
he declared thai he had even less sympathy with the
views of the now Republican party which had arisen in the
North. If his voice could be heard in the North he would
appeal to the people of that section to ren unco their fanati-cism
and uphold the Constitution ami Union of the fathers.
•The Standard, March 6, 1861.
^Settle had been Governor Reid's private secretary. Reid married Settle's Bi
L6 Al.i i;i D Mm >KB S< ai.i .>.
JJut he could do1 be heard in the North, and he was forced
to address his plea to his own people, begging them to dis-card
passion, to tear prejudice from their hearts, even to
forget their wrongs, and to come forward and save the Union.
The "conservatives," he declared, in both sections of the
Union musl rise in their mighl and save the country from
the hands of those who were trj ing to destroy it. Ee did nol
belong to the "No Hope" party; his heart was full of hope,
and he would work with the inspiration of hope to save the
Onion and, if possible, prevenl North Carolina from being
"dragooned" into secession. Bui he wished it to be distinctly
understood thai his own fortune and fate were inseparably
involved in the fortune and fate of his native State, and if
North Carolina solemnly declared for secession he would ask
no more questions, but, obeying her sovereign voice, would
2:0 to her defence with fully as much zeal as any of those who
were foreraosl in plunging her into difficulties.*
At the bottom there was really very little difference be-tween
this view and the view taken by Scale-. Settle was
opposed to calling any convention ai all; Scale- favored the
convention, bu I for the purpose of withdrawing the State
from the Union. He did no1 favor immediate secession, or
3eci ssion ai all if it could be avoided with peace and honor.
Bui in his judgment, and his judgmenl was rarely ai fault,
the crisis demanded a convention in which the people oi the
Siaic could be heard, firsl of all. for the Constitution and
the Union, and if the preservation of the Union according to
the Constitution proved an impossibility, then for secession;
for if war came, as he thoughl war would come. North < !aro
I
i
dm could not with honor even hesitate as to her course. *'ll
I tnusl ahed my blood in battle," he declared solemnly, "1
will shed it for the South and my people and nol againsl
them. "I
• trch 6, 1861.
\ is 80, 188 I.
A i i bed Moore So sjles. I 7
So far as the personal bearing of the two men was -
oerned, it was a model canvass, Bach discussed his vriews with
candor and force, like men familiar with their mbject, with-out
indulging in personalities; there was no questioning
of each other's motives or integrity, no criminations and re
criminations which small men. ignoranl of their subject,
mistake for debate. They knew how to separate the per-sonality
of an opponenl from the views he advocated. Were
all political canvasses conducted in the same spiril and with
the same intelligence they would become educational cam-paigns
in reality ami the stigma attached to the term "poli-tician"
would be exchanged for the resped everywhere ac-corded
to the term "teacherf
" It was uphill work for Scale-.
At th«' beginning of the canvass the sympathies of at Least
two-thirds of the people were with his opponent, and this
opponent was as able a debater, and as fertile in resources,
as any who ever took the stump in North Carolina. The
debate was a battle royal, and royally waged. Scales was
defeated by a small vote, bnl as the convention was also
defeated in the State his successful opponent never took the
seat to which he was elected.
lint the march of events soon justified the view taken by
Scales. Lincoln was inaugurated, and declared that the
Union must be preserved. The Confederate Congress met
at Montgomery and adopted a permanent Constitution for
the Confederate States. Fort Sumter was bombarded and
the American Hag hauled down. Lincoln called for troop-.
proclaimed a blockade of the Confederate ports, ami de-nounced
the
•• * * sword and lire.
Red ruin, and the breaking up of laws."
against the seceded States. These event- -truck from under
the Union men their last support, and they rushed forward
with enthusiasm to the defence of the Smith. A striking
illustration of the change wroughl in the situation by the fall
is Aii bed Moore S< mi s.
of Fori Sumter is found in the following narrative from the
pen of the late Judge George Howard.* Says he: "On Mon-day,
April 13, L861, I held courl in Danbury, Thomas Set-tle,
solicitor. Messrs. J. M. Leach and Settle asked for the
use of tli«' court-room for political speaking; both were
Whigs, seeking the Congressional nomination by appeals to
the Union sentinu nl of the district. 1 granted their request.
After reaching the hotel, A. M. Scales and Roberl McLean
came over and remarked thai it' they believed the rumor
which they had heard, that Fori Sumter had been tired mi,
they would reply to Leach and Settle, and asked me whal L
thoughl of it. 1 told them whether true or not, 1 was sure
something of like character would soon occur. They returned
i,, the court-house, and soon I was informed that they and
Hon. .1. A. Gilmer had concluded to speak. All -poke
—
Leach, Settle, and Gilmer as Union Whigs; Scale- and Mc-
Lean a- State"- Rights Democrats. Courl adjourned in a
few days, and I left Danbury in a buggy with Settle for his
home- the road passing near. Km not through Madison.
A- we approached Madison, chatting pleasantly, suddenly
Settle sprang np and peering into the distance, exclaimed:
•What'- that V I looked and could ju-t distinguish a flag
floating from a building \\\ Madison. Settle in a highly
excited tone: it i- a secession flag something has hap-pened
Madison has been a strong Union town.' Jus1 then
we -aw several persons riding toward us. Settle hailed a
gentleman on horseback, reading a newspaper, asking, *\\ hat s
the matter?' Promptly came the answer: 'Haven't you
heard the news? Sumter attacked Lincoln ha- called for
75,000 troop- everybody i- for war Governor Eleid is
speaking al Madison volunteers are enlisting.
1 Settle, turn-ing
to me: i mii.-t goto Madison and gel right.' 1 objected,
telling him he needn'1 hurry there would be both time and
'Written on the fly-leaf "f '"/'/-. South Since t>,, War." Before his death
H. G (' lor, i. ..in whom the
ed it.
Alfred Moore Scales. 1
9
occasion. He insisted. At Last we agreed to go, he to speak
five minutes and then go on. As we drove up, we could hear
Governor Reid in the upper room of a building, while aboul
i lie door nt the ground entrance there was quite a crowd. A-soon
as we came Dear, Settle sprang up and waving his hands
aloft, cried out: '1 was all wrong! I was all wrong! You
are all right ! You are all right !' and leaping from the buggy
he mounted one of the buttresses to the doorway, and until
I called 'time up' poured forth a most passionate appeal for
every man to stand by the South. We then went to his home.
While en route he said he would resign his office and go into
the war. I pressed him not to do so until the end of the
circuit; but he would listen to no delay, insisting thai he musl
resign, and soliciting the appointment of Hon. .John Kerr.
"The next Monday at Rockingham (court) soon after court
met, the sound of fife and drum was heard from several direc-tions,
and there marched into Wentworth aboul L50 volun-teers.
At recess I noticed both Scales and Settle in the ranks.
An amusing' incident occurred. A Mexican War veteran, one
Hancock, was commanding. As he faced the long line, he
called out, 'Right face!' Everybody faced right, save Scales
and Settle, and both of them faced about. Thereupon two
companies were formed and Scales and Settle were elected
captain-.
"In a week or two I returned to Greensboro. As I was
passing the residence of Hon. J. A. Gilmer he called to me,
and, coming out to the buggy, said with deep emotion: "On
my return home, T found that at the very hour when I was
speaking in Danbury, my son was donning his uniform and
hastening away t<> Fori Macon. We are all one now.'
'
War had come, then, and the people of North < larolina did
not stay the formal ordinance of secession, but springing to
arms hurried to the side of Virginia and South Carolina.
The General Assembly was forced to call the convention that
Scales had urged the people to call. Differences of opinion
20 Ai.i i.-i d Moore S< ules.
vanished and all patriots rallied to the defence of the State.
Reid ami Broadnax, l>ut lately rival candidates, forgol their
differences and entered the convention together; while Scales
and Settle, fresh from their joinl canvass, unsheathed their
sword- and stepped to the heads of their companies. They
were all one now.
The companies of Scales and Settle were offered to the
governor, accepted, and ordered to a camp of instruction at
Garysburg. They were enrolled in the Third, afterwards the
Thirteenth Regimenl of North Carolina Volunteers, under
the command of Colonel William I >. Pender. In September,
L861, Colonel Pender was transferred to the command of the
Sixth North Carolina, and "after several days' balloting"
Captain Scales was elected to succeed him in command of
the Thirteenth.*
Though trained to the duties of civil life, Captain Scales
possessed many of the qualities of the soldier. Obedienl bu1
uol servile, he was an efficienl subordinate, winning the con
fidence of his official superiors. Po-itive but not domineer-ing,
lie was a capable leader commanding the respeel of his
followers. Strict bul not harsh, he preserved the discipline
;irv for efficiency without forfeiting the t'riend-hip of
his men. Enthusiastic bu1 not reckless, he stimulated and
inspired his soldiers without losing their confidence in his
judgment. Brave bu1 oo1 foolhardy, he knew when enough
had been dared for honor and when common sense required
respite from effort. IIi< democratic training and tastes made
hi in popular as a captain of citizen-soldiers. His fine bearing
and dashing courage made him an ideal regimental com-mander.
Ili- calmness and coolness of judgmenl made him
a skilful brigade lender. Ili- own ideal of the true soldier
he pave years after the war in these word-, speaking in the
National Congress: "With the true 3oldier covetousnes is
contemned, avarice is despised, and illiberality is regarded
A i i bed Moore Scales. 21
as meanness. Careful of their own honor, they infringe qo1
the rights or honor of others. Quick to resenl an insult, when
avenged they are equally quick to forget and forgive. Prompl
to guard and defend the life and honor of the Nation, when
done they arc the best conservators of peace."4 This ideal
description of the ideal soldier, drawn Long after the speaker's
sword had been forever sheathed and with reference to those
againsl whom he had drawn it, was in reality an unconscious
reflection of his own bearing both in the battles of war and in
the battles of peace.
I have said thai Captain Scales's democratic training and
tastes made him popular as a captain of a company. It mi
be remembered that the soldiers whom he led were drawn
from the ranks of a democratic people, citizens in arm- for
the defence of their country, and not paid soldiers of a regu-lar
army. They were the companions of his boyhood, his
friends and neighbors, and he enjoyed his superiority of rank
only by their suffrages. The war once ended, captain and
men would return to their ordinary pursuits, all artificial
differences created by temporary rank would sink and vanish
away, and they would mingle together in daily intercourse,
equals. It was of the first importance, therefore, that cap-tain
and men should be on terms of mutual friendship and
respect. Scales himself had enlisted a- a private in the ranks ;
his companions made him their captain. His fellow officers
approved hi- bearing among them ami, before he had ever
-nil a battle, made him their colonel.
I have said that Colonel Scales's fine bearing and dashing
courage made him an ideal regimental commander. Witness
his conduct at Williamsburg, Gaines's Mill, or Cold Earbor,
Malvern Hill. Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. At Wil-liamsburg
hi- regimenl was under tire the tir-i time, and it
would have been no matter for surprise had the men hesitated
and wavered. Bill not so: the Thirteenth rushed into a hand-
*From speech on Indian Affairs in Congress March 23, 1876. Congressional Record.
Vol. IV, 1919.
22 A 11 i;i D M' >ORE Si \i.i s.
to-hand conflict with the steadiness and coolness of veterans,
and, though "suddenly and fiercely attacked/' as a critical
historian says, "under the stimulating example of Col -I
Scales and Lieutenant-Colonel Ruffin, held its own until the
of the contest.""1 General Longstreel fell constrained
i" mentionin his reporl of the battle both Scales and Ruffin
among those who "discharged their difficull duties with
marked skill and fearlessness. "f At Cold Harbor, too, his
gallantry elicited the applause of the commanding general.
1 onel Scales, Thirteenth North Carolina, was conspicuous
for his fine bearing," wrote General Garland. What man
with red blood in his veins can read without tingling nerves
of the condud which won this high praise! The regiment,
advancing in the face of a rain <<\' lead, was suddenly ordered
to change front. The movemenl was critical ; enemies pressed
on fronl and tlank; success depended on the coolness of the
colonel. "Seizing the colors," Colonel Scales "rushed in fronl
of the Thirteenth, as < 1 as it' he had been on drill," and
called upon his men to stand to them, "thus," as Genera] Gar-land
saySj "restoring confidence and keeping his nun in posi-tion.":]
"His voice rang clear," says an eye-witness. "He
gave the command, 'Battalion, lefl half wheel!' The old
Thirteenth swung around like a d<><>r mi its hinges," and.
incited by the voice and bearing of their leader, the men
charged fiercely on the advancing enemy and routed them.§
At Malvern Hill, in face of the severesl artillery fire thai he
ever sawexcepl at ( rettysburg, ( !olonel Si -air- led his men again
and again againsl the enemy's line, and by his tremendous ex-ertions
so overtaxed his strength thai after the excitemi q1 of
tin battle was over, he collapsed from sheer exhaustion, and
f( r several weeks lay ill. nigh unto death. Ai Fredericksburg
he held his men in position in the face of "i si destructive
shell, solid shol and musketry," "from early morn until
Vol. IV. 51.
bellion. Seriei I. Vol. X I
Hi i.l. . 639-45. ii Forth Carolina
A i.i>'bed Moore Scai i
.
23
laic in t lit* evening." Chancellorsville broughl his career ae
a regimental commander to a close. Be followed Jackson on
thai famous think movemenl which cosl the greal 3oldier's
life. In this movemenl he led his regimenl to "the most
advanced position" of the Confederate troops, "a long dis-tance"
after the others had fallen back. Near the close of
the charge while urging his men forward he was 3truck down
by a shell, "and thus," says Pender, "I was deprived of as
gallanl a man as is to be found in the service." • Thirty per
cent, of the totaj loss of Pender's brigade fell to the -hare of
the Thirteenth—unimpeachable testimony of the gallantry of
men and leader. After the battle, when the officers of the
brigade gathered in the general's tent to hear his criticisms
of their conduct during the battle, Pender said to the officers
of the Thirteenth: "1 have nothing to say to you, bu1 to
hold yen all up as models in duty, courage, and daring."!
I have said that General Scales's calmness and coolness of
judgment made him a skilful brigadier general. Promotion
to the command of a brigade was the merited reward of his
gallantry and a just tribute to his skill. "His military title-were
all won where the sword alone could win them: they
were worn where it was danger's self to wear them. ":J: Scali -
fought his way upward under the sharp eye of one of the
severest of military critics. ( Vrtainly the Confederate Army
contained no severer critic, and perhaps no abler one. than
General Pender. Penetrating in his criticisms, he was -par-ing
in his praise; the officer who received the praise of Pen-der,
desi rved it. Scales won it and Pender gave it. Scales
began his military career as a captain in Pender'- regiment.
He succeeded Pender in command of the Thirteenth. Ee
fought a1 Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville in Pen.:
brigade and under Pender's eye. At Pender's requesl he
assisted in command of the brigade at Fredericksburg. Pen-
•Official Records. Series I, Vol. XXV. 935-7.
tConfederate Military History, Vol. IV. 349-50.
tJudge R. M. Douglas.
2 ! Ai.i bed Moore S. lles.
der fairly eulogized his conduct a1 Chancellorsville. Twice
Pender pecommended him to Presidenl Davis as worthy to
command a brigade. When his own promotion came after
the death of Jackson, Pender urged upon the president the
appointment of Scales as his successor. Such an endorsement
from Pender, trained and critical soldier, was no trifling
tribute. A. P. Hill joined in Pender's recommendation and
Robert E. Lee endorsed it. The officers of the Thirteenth re-quested
the promotion and the North ( Jarolina delegation in both
Souses of Congress joined in the request* Williamsburg,
Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville —all spoke aloud for this merited recognition of valor and
skill, and Colonel Scales had not yet recovered from his
Chancellorsville wound when he received his commission as
brigadier general. Gettysburg followed within less than a
month to test his ability to command a brigade. Forming the
left of Pender's division on the afternoon of duly 1, General
Scales led his brigade down the Chambersburg Turnpike, re-el
a Confederate regiment overpowered by numbers, over-took
tlic front line of the Confederate Army, passed it,
charged up Seminary Ridge, routed the enemy opposing him,
dashed down the opposite side of the ridge, drove the enemy
from their fortified position, and pursued them into the town
of ( r( "; sburg. The official report of the battle tells us that
Scales's brigade "encountered a mosl terrific tire of -rape and
shell and musketry," hut ••-till pressed forward at
double-quick" until the bottom of the ridge was reached.f
Genera] Scales declared thai c\rvy discharge from the ene-my"-
batteries made -ad havoc in his line. "Our Line had
been broken up." he says, '•and now only ;i squad here and
there marked the place where regiments had been. Every
field officer in the brigade save one was wounded,"^—
a
glorious record of valor and gallantry. General Scales him*
Serie I. Vol. 1. 1. Pari II. pp. 831, 846.
Serie 1. Vol. \XVI1. •
tlbid.. 669.
Ai.i'UKi) Moore Scali 3. 25
self was everywhere along the whole line, cheering, inciting
and directing his men, until, as at Chancellorsville, al the
very moment of triumph, a shell struck him down, inflicting
a painful and dangerous wound.* Throughoul the cam-paigns
of Lee and Grant—in the Wilderness, al Spottsyl-vania,
at Cold Harbor, around Petersburg—General Scales
led his brigade with the same dash and skill thai marked bis
leadership at Gettysburg, winning a constantly increasing
reputation with constantly decreasing numbers. Sickness
prevented his being with his men at the sad close at Appo-mattox,
and when the news reached him at home he sheathed
his sword and laid aside his uniform with that calmness and
dignity which are founded in a consciousness of duty well
and faithfully performed.
With General Scales the war closed April 9, 1865. Four
years before he had declared to his people that if he had to
shed his blood in fighting he would shed it for the South and
his people, and not against them. He had now made good
that declaration to the very letter. ~No apology for his com se
arose to his lips to belie his conscience ; no vain regrets lin-gered
in his heart to embitter his spirit. He sheathed his
sword and returned to his civic duties feeling "malice toward
none," but "charity for all"; ready to lend his hand to the
task of binding up the Nation's wounds ; and determined to
contribute by voice and conduct toward achieving and cherish-ing
a just and lasting peace between the torn and bleeding
sections.
The Nation owes to no class of its citizens a debt greater
than it owes to that class of southern soldiers of whom Gen-eral
Scales was a true representative. They fought the war
in good faith, they laid down their arms in good faith, and
they accepted the result in good faith. Their wisdom and
prudence, their saneness and patience, during the terrible
decade following the war, entitle them To a warm place in
"Official Records. Series I, Vol. XXVII, 669. See also "Battles and Leaders of the
Civil War," Vol. Ill, pp. 355, 424.
26 Ai.i'i;i:i» Moore Scales.
the Nation's hearl forever. We all kno-w the conditions in the
South after the war. We know also the attitude those con-ditions
forced the southern people to assume inward northern
men who came to make their homes among as. We know,
too, bow almosl impossible it was to differentiate between the
good and the bad, the genuine and the dross, and we know
how seldom any such distinction was drawn. This knowledge
makes doubly emphatic the following words spoken of Gen-eral
Scales by one of those who came from the North at the
close of the war and east his lo1 in with us—one who proved
himself to be a courteous gentleman, a pleasant companion,
a scholarly jurist, and a capable public servant. Say- he,
General Scales "was singularly free from bitterness. Of
strong political convictions, and open and bold in their ex-pression,
he yet could separate political sentiment from the
individual, and respect the one while he antagonized the
other. ::' * * Radically differing upon the essentials of
government, we were of necessity widely apart upon nearly
all political matters: but we have long been friends. He
had kindly words for me when kindly words were needed."4
What breadth of mind, what catholicity of spirit, these words
portray! And what a noble eulogy: "He had kindly words
for me when kindly words were needed." The spirit ex-pressed
by this epigram, displayed by a few rare leaders,
North and South, is the cement which holds together our once
divided bu1 now reunited country. May such a spirit so per-vade
the hearts and mind- of all our countrymen, in all sec-tion-
of our country, that every unpleasanl memory left in
the wake of sectional strife -hall soon be forever eradicated,
and everywhere throughout our greal country honor -hall he
iorded to those, whatever banner they may have followed,
who unselfishly answered the call of duty as Cod gave 'hem
to -co and understand it.
•Judtce Robert M. Douglas: Address at memorial meeting of Greensboro Bar.
Alfred Moose Scales. 27
Such was the spirit which General Scales carried with him
into the National Congress, to which he was elected in L87 1.
The same qualities of character which won for him honors
on the battle-field won honors for him mi the floor of Con-gress.
He was democratic in his bearing, and "amid the
splendor of Washington society lived the simple and decent
life befitting a Tribune of the People." He was brave, and
always openly and frankly expressed his convict imis mi public
questions. He was "truthful even in politics." "lie was
honest," and his "political income was absolutely limited to
his lawful salary." The extravagance which had sprung up
in government circles after the war received his severest con-demnation:
a government, he declared, which collects from
the people more money than it needs for an economical ad-ministration
of public business is guilty of robbery. He
wraged relentless warfare against the corruption in high
government circles which disgraced the country with the
scandals of the Credit Mobilier, the Whiskey Ring, the
frauds of Belknap, and of the Indian Bureau. As chairman
of the Committee on Indian Affairs he did noble service in
exposing the frauds of the Indian Bureau and led the cam-paign
for the protection of the Indians from the robberies of
thieving agents—a campaign which resulted in the cleansing
of that Augean stable. The Internal Revenue Svstem bore
hard upon his people struggling under adverse industrial
conditions, and he labored strenuously but vainly to have it
abolished. In the signs of the times he read the dangers
which even then threatened the industrial life of the country
by the merging of great transportation companies, and he
advocated an Interstate Commerce Commission to control
their operations. He made no set speeches "for P>nnconibr,"
but engaged frequently and effectively in the debates of Con-gress,
always speaking plainly and to the point without using
any of the tinsel ornamentations of the orator.- Though
'Congressional Records from 1875-1884.
28 Ai.i i;ki> Moore Scales.
thoroughly southern in bis political sympathies and convic-tions,
be served his country in the National < 'ongress noi as a
southerner, bu1 as an Ann rican. Through all his speeches
in Congress runs the spirit of nationalism. When an nnre-constructed
Yankee from Vermonl opposed the granting of
pensions to veterans of the Mexican War because some of
them had been southern soldiers. General Scale- rebuked the
sectionalism of bis utterances; declaring his belief that this
spirit was no1 representative of the real spirit of the North,
and expressed his joy that the heart from which such senti-ment-
could emanate was not the heart of a native-burn Ameri-can.
The people of the South, lie declared, came back into
the Union in good faith, and should the United States ever
again become entangled in war he pledged that his people
"'would not be found behind that gentleman and his constit-uents"
in rallying to the deb nee of the llag.'::
' The great war
through which the Nation had just passed had taught both
section- "to know and appreciate our own people, their valor
as well as their devotion to principle. The soldiers
who fell on both sides were martyrs to principle; and if it
be true thai the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church,
then surely the blood of those brave men, so freely shed all
over our land, will water afresh the tree of liberty planted
by our fathers. It shall grow and strengthen and spread until
its shadow shall be east over all Nations, furnishing shelter
not only to the unborn millions of our own children
but to i he oppressed and downtrodden throughout the world, "f
Prophetic word- ! the "tr f liberty planted by our fathers"
and watered by the blood of the thousands who fell for prin-ciple
during the great ('Ail War, ha- grown strong in its
trunk and spread wide its branches because the American
people throughout our broad Union have cultivated it not in
the chilling and blighting temperature of the sectionalism
of the •eeonstructed Yankee politician, but in the warm
I ii ioi ai Record, Vol. VII. 1326.
: 11,1,1.. V,,l. IX. 792.
Ai.ii;i:i» Moork Scai.ks. 29
and nourishing soil of the nationalism of the reconstructed
( lonfederate soldier.
From the halls of Congress, after a decade of service, the
people of NTorth Carolina called General Scale- to the gov-ernor's
chair. They expressed their approval of hi- splendid
record in Congress by giving t<> him the largest majority over
given until the year 1900. to a candidate for the high office
of governor.* That he appreciated the honor and understood
the obligations this flattering triumph imposed upon hint the
opening sentence of his inaugural address attests: "I am
deeply and justly sensible of this honor, remembering always,
as I trust I shall, that duty and honor go hand in hand,
and that as honor fades in neglect of duty, so duty well per-formed
alone perpetuates honor."f His term of office began
at an interesting period in the history of the State. Wearied
and worn with four years of war and fifteen years of political
strife, the people of North Carolina needed more than all
things rest and quiet and peace. Fields were to be cultivated,
manufactures to be established, commerce to be encouraged,
schools to be developed, all great works requiring cessation
from strife and agitation. In his inaugural address, in his
messages to the General Assembly, and in his public speeches,
the new goyernor took high and advanced grounds on all
these problems. Some of his utterances are worth quoting
and remembering. Xo school teacher could express more
forcibly or more earnestly than he did the duty of State
and parent toward the education of children. "'Intelli-gence
is the life of liberty,' " he declared, "and republi-can
institutions cannot be maintained without it." We
should "infuse into our people a spirit of education and so
manufacture public sentiment in it- behalf a- to make it a
reproach to every parent who refuses to send hi- children to
school, and to every child ten years of age and over who can-
*Official Records in office of secretary of state.
tLegislative Documents, 1885.
30 Alfred Moore Scales.
not read. '
x' '
::
' The obligation of every parenl to Look
after the mental training and developmenl of his children
i- qo1 the less in sight of God and man than the obligation to
feed and clothe their bodies. Be who does no1 provide for
his own, and especially for those of his own household, has,
we are told, denied the faith and is worse than an infidel, and
surely it cannot be understood thai in making the provision
the immortal pan of the child is to be neglected."* During
the t'otu- years of Governor Scales's administration one-third
more miles of railroads were buill than during the fifteen
preceding years -a sure indication of public confidence in
the government. Congratulating the people of Xorth Caro-lina
upon the development of railroad construction, he said:
"We have realized the dreams of our fathers, and have tun-neled
the mountains, filled up the gorges, and connected by
one of the grandest works in the world the extreme western
part of the State with the Atlantic Ocean. The mountains
and the sea have kissed each other. The people have been
brought into closer contact and sectional divisions will disap-pear.
The resources of the West, so rich in mineral- and
timbers, .-in- bring developed; the markets of tin- Eas1 opened
up. and we are fast becoming one homogeneous, united,
happy, and prosperous people."* The whole course of Gov-ernor
Scale-'- administration tended to this happy consumma-tion.
Hi- distinguished successor declared that the adminis-tration
of Governor Scales was "so wise and conservative in
it- character thai hardly a ripple disturbed the surface of
public opinion during his entire term/' for "the wisdom and
justice of her governor established peace and quid through-out
the length and breadth of the State. "f A splendid trib-ute
and veil deserved, recalling the well-known proverb,
"Happy the people whose an mil- are brief." During < rovernor
Scali ' term of office no greal dramatic events interrupted
the even course of life to arresl the attention of the historian:
i
1
1
. 1885.
ii a! Vddre . Lesri latlye Documents of 1889.
Au-'i;i:i> Mooee Sc \i.i-. :;i
his administration was no1 the tortuous dashing mountain
brook, broken in its course by foaming cascades and boiling
whirlpools, but rather the quiet meadow Btream, straighl and
even in its course, flowing gently through fields brighl with
flowers and grass and growing crops.
With genuine pleasure Governor Scales approached the
close of bis term and the end of his political life. Thirty-seven
years of bis life he bad given to the service of bis
people in peace and in war. Signally honored by them, he
bad always rewarded their confidence with signal service.
Further political honors had no attraction for him, but he
looked forward with great yearning to the quiet joys of
friends and family and home. Surrendering without regret
the honors of bigb public station be adopted Greensboro as
bis home, and in that city spent the remaining years of his
life happy in the honor of his people and the love of his
friends, but happier still in the quiet circle about his own
fireside. Himself, his wife, and an orphan niece—whom
be bad adopted—composed this happy home circle.* Mrs.
Scales was the daughter of a distinguished family—daughter
of Colonel Archibald Henderson, granddaughter of Chief
Justice Leonard Henderson and great granddaughter of .fudge
Richard Henderson—famous names all in the history of
three great States. Honored and loved by a devoted fam-ily,
respected and trusted by friends and associates, promoter
of the financial, industrial, and educational life of his com-munity,
organizer and presidenl of the Piedmonl Bank, rul-ing
elder in the Presbyterian Church and moderator of 'ho
Synod of North Carolina,f Governor Scales -pent the lasl
years of bis useful life in further usefulness to his fellow-men.
Those closest to him loved him besl and those who
knew him best trusted him most. Death was knocking at
his door when the day came fm- the regular annual meeting
'Governor Scales had no children of his own, but besides his adopted daughter, he de-frayed
the expenses of the education of ten others.
tHe was the first layman to be elected to this office.
32 An bj d Moore Scales.
of the directors of the Piedmonl Bank, "li was," aaya one
of them, *';i pathetic scene al the lasl election of directors and
officers of thai bank to -< < every rote casl for the dying man.
N .
. more solemn assurance could have been given by thai
corporation of its continued confidence in its founder and its
head, and its unaltered determination thai their relations
should be severed by death alone."
Death 'Mine to him February 9, L892, in the sixty-fifth
year of his age, and he faced it with the same serene courage
with which he had mel all the other problems of life. "Even
in his lasl days," says a friend, "when his active mind, worn
oul by honesl toil, gave way, there were no scenes of violence
or of strife. His mind wandered over to hi- old home at
Wentworth. The house he built, the trees he planted, the
friends of early manhood, loved scenes of bygone days, called
up by memory's fondesl dream, came back to bid him fare-well."
S<> died this "model of Christian manhood," leaving
to the world the inspiring lesson of his well-spenl life, and
bearing with him on his last journey the grateful remem-brance
of his native State, the love and gratitude of his fel-low-
counl rymen.
A people who keep in the forefront of their life men such
as he whose career we have followed may face the coming
years with hope and confidence. Those whom the people ele-vate
to the highesl stations of service and trusl are very apt
to represenl the prevailing thoughl and dominant character
of the State. I like to think thai Governor Scab- so repre-sented
the spiril and character of North Carolina. Be loved
domestic life, and in North Carolina the home is yel the
center aboul which the life of the people clings. He was
pure and clean and true in all the relations of private life,
and in North Carolina purity and cleanliness and truthful-ness
are yel the standards by which men's lives are weighed
ani lie was devoul and godly, and in North Caro-lina
men vel turn to Holy Writ a- the fountain of truth and
Alfred Moore Sc \ les. ''•''>
the guide of life. In his public life he was democratic, and
in North Carolina the voice < £ the people is .-till sovereign.
lie w;is sincere, and in North Carolina demagogery -till
lines an infertile soil, lie was honest, and public life in
North Carolina has net vet Ken blackened by the mint of
graft, lie loved North Carolina, and North Carolinians are
-till provincial enough to magnify and glorify their State.
lie was loyal to the lag of his reunited country. Keeping
ever in view the "harmony, peace, and happiness" of all .<(<•-
tions of his country, joining in the earnest desire of all ^ I
men everywhere to hush forever the "passions and preju-dice
s" of the war, disdaining to apologize for his own course,
or the course of the South, in that war, but willing to tru-t
for vindication to
"That flight of ages which arc God's
Own voice to justify the dead,"
he called upon both sections of his, country to "ignore now
and forever sectional issues," and to address themselves "to
the great work of restoring the Onion in heart and soul."^
In this liberal and magnanimous spirit, too, may he ever
remain a true representative of the spirit of the Old North
State. On tins Memorial Day, dear to our heart- for the
memories it brings, the spirit of this Christian soldier, and
the like spirits of his gallant comrades who so freely gave
of their best blood in the service of their country a- they
understood it, call to us to give as freely of ourselves to our
great, reunited Nation, and in the service of thai Natiou to
think the highesl thai is in us to think, to do the besl that i-in
us to do, and to bo the noblest that is in us to be.
*Speech in Congress February 25. 1879. Congressional Record. Vol. VIII : Appendix,
p. 126.
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