Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1861-11-20
FORM OF MEMORIAL.

FORM OF MEMORIAL.
To the State Oonrsntion Of NortA Carolina:
The undersigned, citizens OF - county. State
OF North Carolina, would respectfully Nemorialise
your Honorable Body, for the passage of such Ordi-
nanees as in your judgment and wisdom may be ne
cessary, to protect the citizens Of the State from the
heavy burdens inflicted upon the people Of North
Carolina.a and which threaten to become even still more
grievous and ruinous, arising from the following
causes:
1st-For the purpose of protecting the good people
OF the State from tho grinding and ruinous e~xactions Of
SPEcULkroRs, who are buying up and monopolising
the nscessaries of life in the way Of food and wearing
apparel, and demanding therefor a most exhorbitant
and unjust price-a most intolerable per centum upon
the prices paid by said Speculars and Dealers, for
these articles of prime necessity, thereby placing them
out of the reach of all but the wealthy and opulent:
and @
2dly-For protection from the Distilleries which
have been established, and are now going up by hun
drsds and thousands, for converting the Breadstufs
OF the country into ardent spirits, and thus pervert-
ing their use rs the staff of life into that which will
prove injurious to our people, and cause such an adj
vance upon corn, wheat, &C., as will soon place them
at such high and exhorbitant prices, as to put them
out OF the reach Of the poor and needy of our people.
Your Memorialists do not deem it necessary to SUBJ
nit to your Honorable Body any statement of facts,
or enter upon any argument, to prove the necessity of
sach protection as that we crave at your hands. You
are doubtless more generally conversant with these
things than are your Memoralists. All classes of citi-
zens have seen and felt the grinding, unpatriotic and
intolsrablc cxactions ~practised upon community blythe
Spectators who are fattening upon the wants and
necessities of the people. And you are also doubtless
aware OF the hundreds and thousands of Distilleries
that are going up all over the State, for diverting the
Grain which God hos blaoaad ua Nth forn THAR N a.
as breadstufs, into ardent spirits-and which will con-
sumo millions of bushels of corn, wheat, rye, barley,
&c.,-evsry bushel Of which viii be needed to feed our
brave soldiers, and our citizens generally and if thus
perverted, must cause such an advance in these ar.
ticles of indispensable necessity for man and beast,
as will produce want and suffering, if not famine and
starvation among q large portion of the people of the
State.
We therefore leave it to the superior wisdom and
Judgment of your Honorable Body to devise euch
means as in your judgment may be called for by the
extraordinary exigencies and necessities ofthe times,
for the protection of the Government ana the people
from the exhorbitant and unjust ~exactions Of specu-
lstors and Dealers in the articles of prime necessity
for the support or life; and also pray that such q Tax
be imposed upon Distilleries, during the war, as will
make it Improbable for any one to engage in them
or in any other manner discourage or prohibit them, as
In your wise, prudent and just discrimination nay
seem right and proper.
And your Memorialists win humbly pray.
The above Memorial is submitted to the people O.
the State, and it is earnestly recommended. that citi
gems of each county favorable 10 the objects thereof
will copy the same and procure as many signatures al
they possibly can and forward said signed Memorial
to their respective Delegates in the State Convention
with All possible despatch, as the Convention will pro
badly be in session but q short time.
And it Is also proposed that a similar Memorial b.
gotten up, signatures procured, and then forwarded te
their respective delegates in the Provisional Congress
OF the Confederate States, soon to assemble in Rich
mond.
All the Papers in the State are respectfully rsques
ted to copy the above.
We shall only call the attention of our readers t
the above Memorial, with the simple remark, that a.
who desire protection from the evils complained OF
should set themselves bnsly to work. with the hop
OF obtaining redress in a legitimate and legal way.
IKrEHPERANcE is an unmi igated evil, the ban
Of domestic and social happiness, the blightin
curse Of the nation, that fills onr jails and PEN
t~entiartss With felons, and our cities with "a lper,