Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-07-24
Paw the Soldiers.

diers who have taken their lives in their hands to
fight for North Carolina and the South. We can
forgive and forget all the assaults upon personally
politically, if the authors of them will shoulder
their muskets draw their swords and go forth to
battle But our soldiers must be paid All over the
land they complaining. We find the following
in a late Wilmington Journal We advise the au-
thors to come up with their bills properly authenti
Gated, and our friend, Maj Lewis, will, no doubt
foot the bills:
Messrs. Editors Of The Wilmington Journal:
1t is generally thought that Editors of newspapers
know, or ought to know, more than other people,
and it is for this that apply to you for in
formation which we have been unable to procure
elsewhere If you can give the necessary instruc-
tons and directions we will give you creditor know
ing more than all the officials, both civil and militia
nv, of the State of North Carolina, and you will not
only be entitled to the gratitude of those who have
been long seeking for without finding It. but will do
good service towards increasing the military strength
of the Southern Confederacy.
QUERY LIST. Are the volunteers who have been IN
the service of the State at the Forts other sta
tions, entitled to pay, and if they are how they
to get it?
QUERY End. Are those officers of State Troops
who have their companies full and regularly mus
tered into the Servce-who have paid the bounty,
for the equipment of all descriptions, and in many
in camp hold themselves ready to march at any mo-
ment, to be reimbursed for the money actually paid
out and If by what process is it to be accomplish
ed? What vouchers are required, and to what de-
partment departments of the State applications
to be made for settlements?
Now, Messrs. Editors when you have answered
these queries, there are many more with which we
should like to trouble you and as we do not now
propose any pecuniary return for your trouble we
will suggest as a speculation that you publish
"hand book" for the benefit of those who have adj
vanCed to the State, either money, labor mate
rial with directions and forms necessary if full and
explicit so to obvate the necessity of visiting
Raleigh and after having time and time again called
az every Department and on every official, from the
Military Board at the South end of Fayetteville to
the Act Quarter Masters Office at the West end of
| HillSboro Streets We have to return home minus
our time and expenses. We will guarantee the book
| great run and quick sale at panic prices
We have not time to say more at present, but eX-
| pect to say great deal more many times, unless
| there can be some remedy found for the circumo-
cutiOn " process with which every one having any
settlement to make with the powers that be, have
been heretofore disappointed, perplexeda annoyed
MANY WAITING"
Wilmington, July 10, 1861.
The above article was prepared for our last issue,
before we saw Col. Branchs statement in the Regis
ter. We gladly give place to his expose below, and
feel grated that article has elected at least that
amount of information. So many and frequent were
the complaints which came to our ears that we felt
| it incumbent upon US to call the attention of the
Governor and public officers to it.
The reader will, however, perceive, from the above
article, that the information furnished below by Col
Branch does not fully meet the case According to
the letter of the Quarter Master General of the Con-
federate States, that government assumes the pay
ment of or promises to pay soldiers wages, from
the time they enter the service of the State or Con-
federate States, the transfer of the muster rolls,
| &c This it would seem fixes the time phen they
to be paid, j. soon as the Muster rolls are
transferred. But Col Branch's comment leaves out
that important item, and merely reiterates what we
stated in our former article, that the Confederate
States assume the payment of the soldiers from the
time they enter the service.
We think we cannot be mistaken as to the cor
recneSs of statement of the terms as stated by
our Commissioners, in Convention upon which
the Confederate States accepted the transfer of our
troops, &c. We understood them distinctly to state
that the Confederate government would begin to pay
the soldiers soon the transfer was made, but
that the State would defray all expenses incurred
prior to that time, to be reimbursed at the close of
the war. The arrangement, to our mind, was most
buSiness-like, Just and proper. Whether the Con-
federate government has changed its position not
cannot say. As the State became responsible
for the payment; soldiers knew no other
party in the contract but the State; and as it was
important to them that they should receive their pay
monthly quarterly at farthest, the most natural
conclusion that the State was to pay them and
all other debts incurred up to the time of the trans
fer; especially when the State had the money to pay
and was paying Paymaster and other officers to
pay off the debts.
But who pays the bounty money, and the expen
incurred by the officers individuals, or Countes
Does not the State? We learn that many have moi
received their bounty had not short time
ago? A great many orders have been issued but
many people are still ignorant as appears from the
above article to the Wilmington Journal as to achom
and when they are to apply for pay
Now, we deem it of the first Importance in order
to successful prosecution of the war and to pro
mote the ready enlistment of our people as volun
teers, that the government be prompt in paying its
liabilities and that our brave men shall have no gooC
cause of complaint This was our object in calling
attention to it,
But our brave soldiers will fight pay or no pay
They will never desert their flag nor have we omit
ted to urge this duty upon them, whatever may b.
or may have been the course of our public officers
We regret that our officers should have withheld
from the public important information for fifteer
days, when they must have known the public need
ed and desired it.
But VIC will detain the reader no longer from Col
5 Branch's statement
OFFICE QUARTERMAsTER AND
S PAYMAsTER GEN., N. G.
RALEIGH, July Sth, 1861.
The following letter has been received at this OF
flee and is published for the informaton Of all con