Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-05-07
TIE NORTH CAROLINA sIAN .l'l


! Mr. Rayner advocated the passage o. .ne olol 4
Ml. - s,ch earnastnessL not believe u
.onid ,,oss;blv give rise to such evils as scMe ss.-
.,a.,ar seemed "a fear Il did not NY p'oc c
,ss to nun;sh mar, for criticsing the eenaucs -
p,,hc oicers-if he thought it y sun
an INTERPRETATION ne would be the las. tran ~
yocate il; he himself felt free to erieo'.s that he
~ my that nn,c affairs had been very badly
$500 ond cited some instances to SUSTAIN Nae
ueI M. Sna.d ,eked "dd understand the gentle
man from Hertford to say the Conscr'pt'oh sc' IS
unconstitutional !. ;. .s ,,ncorst;.
.,,t;on.I Int il was an nfraction Of State rights
hut while he might believe this, or even that it vas
,nconstitutionaL he would not act upon his own
on;n;on. until it should be sustained by decision
| Of the proper tribunal
Mr.. Brown said, that if this ordinance were now
in force, the gentleman would be subjected TO It's
nenaltes for expressions used in this debate
Mr.. Satterthwaite said she desired to submit
few remarks, stating the reasons why he could not
| snnport the ordinance He said he had given it
dspassionate consideration, and he said he could
see no qood but eun continually, to follow from its
| adoption This ordinance proposes to create new
offence in our State and without clearly defining 1t,
to leave necessarily very great latitude with those
| who may sit as judges, to administer it, and IN
these times Of high party excitement and prejudice,
it is dangerous power to invest in the hands OF any
man or set of men, and there is nothing in the con-
dition of North-Carolina to require it. Our State
has, from the beginning Of the war, responded with
alacrity to every call by the Confederate govern
! ment We have now over fifty thousand soldiers
in the field, and if necessary We Will send fifty
thousand more We have done what no other State
in the Confederacy has, to aid in maintaining the
war; We have equipped, fed and clothed our own
soldiers, relying upon the Confederate government
to reimburse US, when the war shall be oyer, and
in a condition to do So And what have We received
in return? The most shameful neglect, which has
resulted in giving the enemy possession and control
of the wealthiest and most productive portion OF
our State And no one has used stronger language
in denouncing the authorities for it. than my friend
| from Hartford
North Carolina is the only State so far as have
seen heard that has been insulted with proca-
nation demanding of her citizens to give up their
private arms. And North Carolina is the only State
where it has even been attempted to fasten upon her
people an odious sedtion law, whereby her people
to be deprived of that liberty Of free speech,
which is guaranteed to them in the Constitution,
and which the people in all the other States enjoy.
Sir there is necessity for any such law in North
Carolina Our people are as loyal and true to the
South as can be found in any State. There may be
few in some localities that disoyal and few
more may sometimes act and talk imprudently, but
venture the assertion, that there is no State in
the Confederacy which is not affected with fully as
many disoyal people as can be found in NorthCar-
DINA. The Confederate Congress did not think
proper to pass any sediton law. As | said before,
no other State has thought it necessary to pass any
such law. Why then, should insult our people,
and by it. publish to the other States and to the
enemy (what is not true) that such law is neces
sary to keep down the dsloyalists in our State.
Sir, the passage Of this ordinance WILL in my opin-
ion do incalculabe mischief The CONSUMPTION law,
the law taking possession of all the railroads and
telegraph lines, the order for the impressment Of
GU: private arms, has caused our people to feel
alarm; and now for US to pass this ordinance,
strainng the freedom of speech will create feel
ing of apprehension in our people which fear the
struggle in which we engaged will not keep
down. Sir, it is great mistake to suppose that
this ordinance will give security to our people, by
restraining our military from the exercise Of such
tyranical power they have recently been ndulg-
, Ing in In my opinion, it will give them encour-
agcment in their work Of oppression, in arresting
our citizens and sending them off beyond the limits
Of the State, to be imprisoned, nsulted, and then
tried by drum head court-martial, away from
friends, and without the benefit Of their own wit
nesses. SIR, that work has been carried far enough.
| do not want to see it encouraged. The military
must be taught that they are subScrvient to the
civil power; our people should never have cause to
| fear that they are fighting for anything but cirH
day by the gentleman from Wake, and you will in
| spire confidence IN our people, and in our cause;
but to pass this ordinance will have the opposite
| effect. feel satisfied that 1t cannot pass in any
shape in which it can be modified. We do not be-
leve that there is any necessity for any ordinance
on the subject, and move its indefinite postpone
ment"
Mr.. Gilmer said that many Of the ofcnses named
in the ordinance were already provided against by
other laws, but they are here put in a new phase,
and are left for the construction of the Judges be-
| fore whom they may be tried. 1t is bloody law,
and will stir up strife and distraction and disorder,
and do no possible good
! Mr.. Howard believed some such law was necessa-
nv, but not for the reason that had been given by
other gentlemen. 1t would have the tendency to
prevent disorder and supercede the necessity of the
Lynch law in such the one alluded to in set
! of resolutions now on the table. He thought, how.
ever, that the only really important feature Of the
ordinance not provided for in existing statutes was
that which forbids citizens attempting to persuade
others to return to the government Of the United
| States.
Mr. Leak of Richmond, did not think the ordi-
nance infrnged the right of speech, as that right
was understood in constitutional government any
more than enactments against SANDER are-thls is
only intended to restrain SANDER against the gov
ernment and if some such law is not passed he be-
lieved Lynch law would be put in operation in many
parts of the State.
Mr. Badger said similar ordinance was before
the Convention at former session, and was ndefn-
itely postponed by an overwhelming majority. He
believed there was no necessity fer any such law and
thought the Convention was of the same opinion ;
the question of indefinite postponement would settle
that point He saw no evidence of the fact that the
people of this State are so mischievously inclined
so dlsoyal as to require such restraint but that
the evidence was all on the other side.
The question on the indefinite postponement of
the ordinance was then put and decided in the afr
native, yeas 45, nays %, as follows:
Yeas-Messrs. Allison, Atkinson, Badger, Bagley
Barnes, Battle of Wake, Berry. Boyle, Brown, Bry-
son, Galloway, Cannon Christian, Dick, Donnell
Doutht Filler, Foster of Ashe Foster Of Randolph
Gilmer, Graham Greenlee, Hamlin, Hearne Holden
Jones of Rowan, Joyce, Kittrell, Leak of Anson
Lindsay. Long, Mann, Mitchell Phifer, Sattertn-