Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-06-29
RESIGNATION OF GEN. ERWIN.
10 the People Of the
Forty Ninth Senatorial District:

10 the People Of the
Forty Ninth Senatorial District:
Ihave resigned my seat in the Senate of this State.
and take tie earliest opportunity have had since
determined to do so To inform you Of the fact. in
or1ler that YOU NAV elect some person tn iii the
vacancy Occasioned by my resi- gnttion. The Con-
venti"n now in session has be entertaining prop
us:ion to abolish the present Legislature and to take
upon itself all the duties Of legi luton which the
General Assembly if It should reaSSemble would he
called upon to perform. This think, would he a
wise and prudent course. The Conv repre-
senIS the sovereignty Of the peoplc-iS fresh from
the people, and is, in my Judgment, entirely CON-
potent to transact the important business which will
aune make called session of the Gere al Assem-
bly, at all necessary. The difference in the cost to
the people is an important and ought to br con-
truiiing for the transaction of the pubic bns
ness hy the C"nveni ion.
Let the action ui the Convention upon this snhiect
he it may, feel 1t to he my imperative duty 10
serve tie cause Of Southern independence in the
army of NV country and leave the business Of leg
iSlStinn to others.
Whatever may have been nv faul.s-and know
they are manv-however may have disappointed
You in the execution of the important trust you
charged me with, no man can accuse me of not CIV
ing timely wrrning to the people to prepare for the
terrible conflict in which we are engaged. l
urged the secession of the State the time South
CaIolina, Alah IN AMI Mississippi wen! out of the
Union. plead Ior the immediate and thorough
armament Of the State in the early part Of the first
session Of The General Assembly last winter. de-
cared in the Senate and mt of il NV return home,
when secession seemed to have rcc,ivrd it, death
blow that never would SiIhmit to the domination
Of Abraham Lincoln. and that | would resist his
authority by every means which nv mi III nd
conceive or nv arm execute. The differences which
existed then have endeavnred to forget The SIAN
dererS who stgmatI>ed me aS a traitor and rehel-
who laughed at n hera'Ise predicted that Iincnin
would call upon North Carolina fnr troops to >uh
jugate the seeded States. AMI would gather his
abolition hordeS at Washington CITY, upon flimSv
and false pretex in orlei to meade South"rn SOIL
I shall try to forgive. Some nf them, however I
still hold in remembrance and hone to live to have
day of reckoning with them. Our people are nnw
united I shall not revive the past to prodnce dis
cord and strife among them. The Union men, with
as much alacritv AMI zeal the SecrssOniSts have
turaed out in defence Of the country The slave
holder and the non slave holder stand side by side
in the ranks of our brave and patriotic Soldiery.-
The mechanic, the farmer, the lawyer, TIE doctor
the rich and the poor, OF all classes and all cangs
in life, have focked to the standard of Southern
independence Determined to resist the tyranny
and usurpation of an ignorant. corrupt and cruel
administration Of the Fe leral Government our peo-
pie certain to be the vcorS in the present strug
gle OF the action Of the people of this State of all
parties nobody can complain. In a moment they
buried all old party differences. Before the echoes
from the can ,oaade of Snmter were huShed they be-
gan to rally for the defence Of the South. Thou
sands left their business their friends. their wives
children their homes, everything, to enlist in the
armies q! their country, and not a man among the
many hundreds TO whom have talked in the monn-
tains ever asked what pay he toas 10 recrire. Pity
it is that sSne corresponding vigor energy. and
intelligence have not animated the directors of our
military aft IirS in this State, so that due advantage
might have he taken Of the military ar1lnr Of the
people. Such not the case Disease preying
upon naturally feeble mind and great events pres
sing for instant decisive action upon an rresolute
and timid diSposion-theSe, and the perplextieS
occaSioned BY the ceaseeSS opportunities of thon-
sands of greedy office hmnters-among whom fgur-
ed conspicnorSiv and successfully the most noto-
rious snb,niSsioniSts in the Stae-utterly untitled
his ExcelIeIcv the Governor for the discharge Of
his duties. The crowds who beSirgcd him day and
night for office would not permit him to know the
truth. He was impnsed upon in some cases, mis-
taken in others. and in very many others driven to
extrcmities by the perthacious solicitations nf those
who stuck t him like lecches. lie was absolutely
frced to make appointments he might. perhaps not
otherwise have made. The confusion Of IDEAS which
naturally and necessarily prevailed in the Governors
mind aud which I suppose still prevails will no
douht account fer some Inconsistencies in his con-
Guct which hive hecn remarked upon here. For
instance: his failure to arm the Bnncomhe Ri1emPn
as he promised p,c last winter to do lis permit
ting the rifles which onr Buncombe company had TO
he taken away from them ard given TO a company
commanded l.y brother Of his Adjutant General,
after his Adiu'art General had expressly promised
me and Cant McDowcll that the Buncoinbe company
should retain tho arms which they had been accus.
toned TO Use. His crgnnizing and disposing of
Regiments so rs to throw our monntaiu men upon
the sicklv coasts "f Virginia. to die Of disease
gendered ny bad water and hot climate, when the
protests of the soldiers and their representatives in
the Legislature were madr known to him against
such proceeding His breaking a c,mp Of in
struction at this place and marching men off to
Raleigh at great expense to the State. when they
could have been organized. chpaplv SubSSt-
ed and as we'll drilled here they have been at
Raleigh These are hut a few instances Of the
troubles into which the Governor has got himself
and the soldiers not it is to he hoped, from any in
competency or incapacitv on his part hnt because
things have got generally mixed up Raleigh since
the war, and they have not yet found the man to
untange them. Moreover the Governor was not
elected for war. When he conquered ad valOrem
his mission was accomplished.
cannot close this communication without at
tempting to answer the enquiry. "IIave we an Ad
iutant General?" It is believed by well informed
persons at Raleigh that we have. He must be an
important parsonage it has been reported that the
Convention had gone into secret session on him
Nobody knows what he does, or what he ought To
do The militia system having heen broken up, and
most of the men subject to military duty having
volunteered and there being no militia now to mus
ter and nothing to do in that department. it is under
stood that Gen. Hoke has been relieved from all
other duty and assigned to the supreme command
of the militia The Convention no doubt will not
abolish him as it proposes to do the Legislature, be-
cause his Excelency the Governor will insist that
as he is unfit for any other kind of business, and
there is nothing to do in the office which he fills he
ought to retain it at a salary of 81, 500 year.
What is the use of being Governor if you cart
provide for your friends?