Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-01-08

cont nent Let them both be consigned where taey
he,onc to the curious Investigations Oh the auS
ouaran; but let US have no more OF enen :" ''0
enlightened legislation of a free people.
M President there is one, diversity 10 Tue wv
,.voint;ons which, when brought to notice, must
onv;ncc ali that there is the least analogy lmaghA
IJ =; ,o cases and that is in the persons caileo 10
en- ofaco unon the change of government ouI At"
a,o-s ,onlI as soon have thought OF electihg Lo1u
Nortb m the office of Governor as OF recaiihs Wv
ernor Martin or Governor Tryon, and bringing over
Lord Mansfield with his hlgh tory p'I"S.p,S ~
.ba;r chief justceship, as to have reappohteo one
or the late Kings Judges. Whereas our state ON
oo-s as we have SEEN have been unchanged IN
single particular; and in appointments TO o'nceS I'm
a. he Confederacy it has been no o6ectlon tnaI
the appointee held similar appointment with reg
Mar commission and oath of office, and received lts
o.ao,nments from the Federal Treasury to the last
,. Jar bernre the Proclamation of the 18th of
I'll Now Sir, in the Revolution of l776, TINS
zanld not have been permitted The first persons
ON whom the act of TIT, to which the COMMITTEE
rsfars in terms of such high appreciation, iain ls
bands and REQUIRED to be sworn, were GH the I0ee
otscsr, Of the King of Great Britain They were
mt before tue traders who had been making
n England within ten years then last past IheIe
are many copies OF lredeps Revisal stoWeo away III
the houses of the people of the country ana "ne.i
tbov are informed that the precedent for tins oru
nance Is To be found there they will oruSn ths uuns
from the old book and read it for themselves anu
s;nca the law is to be executed so Vigorously vi
them they will demand to know whetner you oesa"
at the beginning and cleared out all VINO heiu onIs
,,n5er the late government and when they are tolo
uN Sr,cb persons have been considered eligible to
,Iace under the new government, and no questions
aaSked they will scout the precedent oil lIIi, ana
cav If we are to be purged with this great oath or
leave the country, those who held the oniceS, ana
received their compenSations under the oiu govern
p,ent should take a dose that would unoreach
cannon at least before they are trusted with omc'a
nower. | apprehend, Sir, when the subject Is view
I'd in this light that many, though they have not
slept for the last year like Rip Van Wrinkle, may
come to the conclusion that there has been no very
violent revolution after all, and that II there mas
such terrible swearing is not Christan-lIke or
decent. -.
Mr. President, the first and second sections of this
,.3;n,nce are scarcely less Objectionable than what
7 have been considering. The report of the CON-
,nttee informs u.s. that the offences therein enumer-
otad and which the committee calls seditlon, were
in the act of l777 called misprSion OF treason. 1t
:; therefore reviving an old obsolete crime under
a new and milder name. The American world, at
least has made some progress as to these crimes oil
LseM Hajesty treason, misprision Of treason, ETC.,
since 1777 1t was a great point gained for human
life and liberty that in the Federal Constitution Of
7s7 treason was defined to consist only in levying
war AGAINST the United States, or in adhering to
their enemies giving them aid and comfort; pro-
vision that has been literally copied in the ConSti-
tuition of the Confederate StateS-and by an ordl-
nance of this body into that of this State Also 1t is
enough to make the blood run cold, now to review
the history of what at different times denomi-
mated and adiudged treason in England, and to re-
member what hecatombS of human victims the tuc-
tuating state of the law, and Its plant and corrupt
administration to favor the views OF the reigning
sovereign or of his mnOns carried TO the Scaoid and
the gibbet An extraordinary instance OF treason
by words, was mentioned in our discussion OF this
subject at the last session, where man of note was
put to death for declaring in moment OF irritation,
on hearing Of the shooting by the KING, of his avorte
STAG that he wished the horns of the stag in
the Kings belly" As Plutarch relates of DiOnysuS,
the tyrant that he capitally executed subject for
relating that he had dreamed he killed the King
saving it was proof that he thought of it while
awake. Sir, the fate of Sidney and RUSSELL and a
hundred other martyrs of that very freedom, which
doomed out in the English revolution Of 1888, and
assumed its full proportions in our American Con-
situations century later, will rush upon our men,
cries at the suggestion of this theme, and illustrate
the wisdom of the Constitutional provision While
it sufficiently secures the government from treach-
erous and parricdal hands, it protects the citizen
from that vortex of constructive and exploded trea
sons, which has engulphed in bloody and premature
graves so many innocent men. 40 prevent the
possibility of these calames which result from the
extension Of treason to offences of minor Importance,
(says Chief Justice Marshall) that great fundameu-
tai law which defines and limits the various depart
ments of our government has given rule on the
subject both TO the Legislature and the Courts of
America, which neither can be permitted to trans
cend" With this limitation upon charges of trea-
son. and the experience of that national freedom es
tablished by the Constitution of the State, came
more liberal views in relation to the inferior crimes
of its class. Misprsion of treason has entirely dis
appeared from the statute book of the State. 1t is
found in that of the United States, covering only
sing lie offence, according to its literal meaning that
of concealing and not disclosing and making known
to the public authorities, the commission of any
treason that may come to the knowledge of the per-
son charged. Sedition is found in our Revised Code
the heading OF particular offence, that of ex-
citing slaves to Instruction. In this connection it
is saIutary part of our law according with public
sentiment, and can be executed with effect, when
ever an offender may be found This was abund-
anty proved in the case of Daniel Worth, and Of
others. This law applies to attempts to excite re-
bellion in degraded caste in our society," wholly
devoid of all political power
But among freemen, every one of whom is equal
in consultation and at the balot-box, if restraints
upon the freedom of speech and of the press may be
imposed, beyond those provided by the common
law, it has never been found necessary to call them
into operation heretofore. There seems to have
there were attempts to screen corruption nbeciIity
been general acquiescence in the doctrine of JEFF.
ferson in his inaugural address. IF there be any
among us who would wish to dissolve this Union
[Confederacy to change its.republican form, let
them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety
with which error of opinion may be tolerated, where
reason is left free to combat it" | have myself
been accustomed to associate statutes of sedition
with those indictments for Seditious libel, where
tavortsm and the insolence of office, BY criminal
prosecutions against persons who exposed them, and
where the gallantry of Erskine, Curran, and other
advocates at the English and Irish bar won mmor-
tai names in wrestling with domineering and SUBJ
servent bench, that never forgot the hand that ee.
waited 1t above the people, its favorites, and pre-
valilng in the contest have beep accustomed to
look upon them as bringing into active employment,
II not producing vile of parasites and syco-
phants Titus Oateses Bedlows etc., thronging
the gates of office and patronage in the character of
spies and informers, ready to discover Meal-tub