Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-09-10

scattered to their homes. And this during the very
darkest days in the history Of the war. Fort Dom
nelson and Nashville had fallen; Gen. Halleck with
an overwhelming and victorious army, followed by
vast fleet Of iron clad boats, was pressing into the
very heart of the South; the great and magnificent
" equipped army Of Mcclellan, was in the act OF
springingIas tiger, upon Richmond, and to make
his success douby sure, was waiting for this very
thing of disbanding our regiments; Roanoke lsnno
and Newborn with all their dependencies on our
coast were in possession of the enemy, as was much
ofSouth Carolina and Georgia, imagine the re-
suit! The Confederate government having; failed
to provide in time for this terrible emergency utter
ruin was at the door and mast DO averted the law
was passed, and the country was saved 1t fell har-
dest upon the patriotic soldiers in the ield-they
had already served twelve months most of them
without furloughs and they had looked forward and
counted the days. slowly revolving as they seemed,
to the time when they should home and all that
was dear to them. Sorely were they disappointed out
how did they behave? Resist the law, as with arms
in their hands and doubling its constutionalty they
could have donep Nc, indeed they swallowed down
their bitter sorrow they dismissed all hopes OF see
ing their homes and families, grasped their muskets
and set again their resolute faces toward the fash
ing of the gnns God bless them for it! An exhi'
bition of purer patriotism has not been seen on the
continent and our government can never sufficiently
appreciate it
Ill
tbs gallant men l so lately was honored by COM
mauding. They too, were dscontented, and spoke
loudly and bitterly against the harshness Of the law
l called them together and simply laid before them
the necessities of their country, and appealed to
their patriotism to sustain it, made them no prom
ises, held out no hopes; even told them that
though they were promised furloughs by the law,
they would not get them; that there was nothing
before them but fighting and suffering. They qui-
and fOi,rh N,,
the regiment was reorgan:zed for the war! This
will answer for history of our whole army.
If they who went out first and have suffered and
bled from the beginning, could thus submit oh
cannot those who have so far reposed in peace in
their protected homes, give the remainder of their
time to their country! Our brave regiments have
had their ranks thinned by death and disease; will
you not all 60 cheerfuly to their help? They have
struggled for you and now you are needed to strug-
gle with them Let the law be executed impartially
upon all, rich ard poor high and low.
Any proposition for the further increase of our
army should and under our present prosperous cir
cumstances, might safely be treated with more de-
liberation, and that method sought out which would
be mos: acceptable to the people. Then let those
of us who remain at home, bend every energy to the
task Of clothing and feeding our defenders in the
field and providing for their wives and children
They should constitute our first care All the
retrenchment and reform should begin in our house.
holds, and extend to everything public and private
Now is the time for an imitation of that heroic self
denial by which mothers Of the first revolution
| rendered their names worthy of bright place in
history and doubt not shall see we have seen
examples in North Carolina that will put our boast
| ed manhood to shame
Fellow-citizens there are also other dangers which
beset US, besides those which come from the foe
Bloody revolutions have necessarily chaotic ten
dency. Yielding ourselves up gradually to martial
law-accustoming ourselves by slow degrees to SUBJ
NIT to the exercise of arbitrary power in militia
ry leaders, and looking with less and less concern
upon the disordered morals which state of war al
ways must produce, We may endanger both civil
liberty and the framework of society. The time
honored principle in the charter of liberties,
that the military should be subordinate to the civil
authorities" should still be honored and maintained.
1t should never be departed from except in Of
most obvious and undeaiable public necessity when
the safety of the State would otherwise be impcr-
| lied 1t was won through centuries of strife by
our English, and re,baptized in the blood of our
American ancestors Exorbitant grants of power,
to any man set of men, are dangerous in the ex-
| IRENE. The generations of the earth have seen but
one Washington, and the sun may pursue his great
journey among the stars for many centuries, before
his counterpart is seen among the sons of men,
The Judge, the Magistrate and the Sheriff should
travel regularly the path of their accustomed du-
ties, and all respect and obedience yielded them-a
custom for which the good name of North Carolina
has become proverbial Let all the complicated
machinery Of the law, with the numberless auxilia-
ry organizations of society be kept in unremittng
action. Beware of infringements thereon under the
plea of necessity; none mas ever been found so
plausible and specious by which to rob the people
Of their liberties. 1t is the complacent excuse Of
the despot the world over. The people must keep
watch at this post Their officers responsible
to them, and must be held to strict account Sc
far as am concerned, next to the preservation o.
the State itself, shall regard it my sacred, para
mount duty to protect the citizen in the enjoyment
of all his rights and liberties.
Most assuredly nothing can be done by our rulers
unless we give them cordial and hearty support
beg it at your hands, fellow citizens in the grea
task which you have set before me, as shall rem
der it most cheerfully to those BY whom it is ex
pscted of me. Without it, 1 shall be utterly pow
erless. Yet'that slavish subserviency to those il
power, which Injuries both gver and recipient, is t.
be avoided and despised. shall need true friends
manly friends who will both warn and censure, a
well as praise when it is due, and with such shall
find my labors lightened and the path of duty les
difficult
We have every reason to believe that the grea
heart of the people of North Carolina is deeply dc
voted to this struggle. None in the Confederac
have made greater sacrifices to maintain it, and,
am convinced their patriotism will not fail. Gu
intrepid and heroic soldiers in our sister States
though praised with a grudging spirit and ofte
overlooked or quite sandered, have yet borne GU
standards with undying glory in the front Of ever
deadly charge, and death has spread no feast t
which they have not sat down by hundreds Th
spirit of our glorious women has exceeded, if poss
BILE, the gallantry of our soldiers in the field Ga
laws, test oaths, and sedition ordinances, have
} thank God, been uncalled for; and mob violence
that dangerous offspring of revolution, has bee
equally depressed by the conservatism Of our people
} To continue this happy and commendable state {
things, let all good citizens exert themselves.
3 Fsllow-citizens, the future depends on ourselves
7 The skies are radiant with the signs Of promise,
We do but hold faithful to the great work we hav
undertaken. Our victorious Generals are every
, where driving our enemies before them, and tn
r vast armies which invaded us at the beginning
the year, have melted away like frost before th
steady valor Of our troops until six hundred thou.
and men are called for to replace them. Let thsr
come too, and fear them moi, with shot, shell an
3 bayonet q free people will welcome them to tn
bloody graves Of their predecessors. The womb {
the future, am confident holds for us bright an
It glorious destiny. The boundaries Of our youn