Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-12-12
nesnntic Acts.

miles from Hlllsborough, orange County, IN Ihs
State, and hurried him off to Richmond, either
through Raleigh on Mond evening, or by way of
Danvile. We do not know what Mr.. Graves al
legged offence is, but we learn he is the same gentle
man who wrote the account Of the state of opinion |
and feeling in the North the subject of the war,
which appeared first in the Richmond Enquirer, the |
organ of the President and which was copied into |
this paper. Mr.. Graves was for time prisoner |
at the North and it is said that while there he posi-
lively refused to take the oath. On his return hav-
ing been regularly exchanged he gave his views in
relation to the war; derived from his association with
Northern people. The account referred to was
furnished at the request of friend and was in no
respect disloyal 1t contained simply the writer's
impression as to the state of feeling in the North
and the determination of the people there to prose
cute the war to the last extremity, with statement
of the means at their command for so doing; and
on the other hand his views as to the and
power of the South, and his opinion that the South
would ultimately triumph, though the odds seemed
to be greatly against her.
We learn that Mr.. Graves is a Presbyterian min
lister in good standing and that he is the pastor Of
Bethlehem Church, near The Oaks in Orange Coun-
ty. Immediately after his arrest, Mr.. William
Bingham, with or near whom he resides, telegraph
ed the fact to Gov Vance, but the dispatch did not
reach the Governor until late on Monday night
The Governor being obliged to leave for Whining
ton on Tuesday morning, addressed note to Capt
W. H. Harrison, the Mayor of Raleigh, requesting
him to attend at the Depot on Tuesday morn
ing and arrest and detan the parties until his re-
turn. The Mayor promptly attended, and proceed
ed some ten miles down the CASTOR Road, so as to
examine the cars for .McCubbins and his prisoner,
but he found they were not on board. They must,
therefore, have passed through on Monday evening,
or gone by way of Danvile.
This reaching out of the arm of Confederate pow
er from Richmond and arresting our citizens, with
out civil warrant and without regard to and in de-
iance Of the civil magistrate, is of the very essence
of despotism. 1t is gross and palpable violation
of the Constitution of the Confederate States of the
Constitution and Bill of Rights of this State and Of
the first principles of liberty. 1t is unadulterated
Lincolnism. 1t is just what the Kings of France
were in the habit of doing through their lettres de
cachet it is what the Queen of Great Britain dare
not or would not do with reference to one of her
humblest subjects. If any Of our citizens guilty
of treason let them be arrested and tried here at
home by jury of their peers, and not hurried off
by McCubbins, or some other Baltimore Plug
Ugly, with revolver .t THAR breast to be Immured
and tortured in the filth and vermin of Castle Thun-
der If Mr.. Davis directed this arrest to be made,
under the circumstances which We have detailed,
then has Mr.. Davis played the tyrant and hence
forth no citizen of the State is safe.
The following eloquent extract from the message
ofGov Vance will show his opinion and the opinion
of our people, of these military arrests. The Gov
ernor says:
"There are confined in Salisbury by the Confel-
| crate authorities number of citizens os North
Carolina, arrested for alleged political offences
! How long they to remain incarcerated, no one
can say but those who apprehended them What
their guilt really consists in, do not know; but
this much it becomes both you and me to know, in
view Of the oaths we take upon entering into office
that they not arrested by lawful process, and
as citizens of North Carolina they are entitled
under the Constitution, to speedy trial by jury
of their peers and to be confronted with their
sers. have laid their cases before his Excellency
the President of the Confederate States, and when
his reply is received yeu will be informed thereof
Should there exist any grave State reasons why
they are denied trial. it is due, at least that we
should be informed Of them. have not seen an
official copy Of the act but learn from the news
papers that Congress has conferred upon the Pres-
dent the power to suspend the writ of hdbeas corpus
in all cases of arrests made by Confederate authori
ty. If this be once admitted, no man is safe from
! the power of individual He could at pleasure
seize any citizen of the State with without excuse
| throw him into prison, and permit him to langush
there without relief-a power that l am unwilling
to see entrusted to any living man. To submit to
its exercise would, in my opinion, be establishing a
precedent dangerous and pernlcous in the extreme.
Among people so united and faithful to their cause
as ours, where disloyalty is the and solitary
exception to the general rule, can see but little
good, but vast tide Of in1oving evil from these
inordinate stretches of military power which are fast
disgracing US equally with Northern enemies.
free Republic that must needs cast off its freedom
in every time Of trouble, will cast it off for
ever. Freedom cannot be embraced to-day and
spurned tomorrow: steadfast and constant wor-
ship can alone secure her countless blessings. Her
| chosen instruments-the Constitution and the laws
| were made the sure covenant of her everlasting
residence, among us; our delight in times of peace
and prosperity, and guide and shield in the day
of trouble and calamity. Now, if ever is the TING
when we should abide strictly by their stern de-
crees aad walk uprightly in the narrow path they
have marked out for our footsteps We should
least of all forsake the helm and compass when the
vessel is driven by the tempest and clouds and dark
ness obscure the way"
This arrest of Mr.. Graves was made in the face of
these views of our Governor and with full knowl.
edge on the part of the President that Gov Vance
had thus Indignantly protested against such treat
ment of our citizens.
Let the Richmond Enquirer reflect but for a mo.
ment on this high-handed act, and then read the
above extract from Gov. Vance's message, and he
will see for himself the difference between Conser-
sdtipes and Destructires.
We learn also that an agent of the Confederate
government has seized a quantity of iron belonging
to the Wilmington and Rutherford Railroad, to be
appropriated to the use of the government proba.
bly, to be used in finishing the Piedmont Railroad
The fact of the seizure has been communicated to
the Legislature by Mr.. Guon, the President of the
Road. Under a recent mortgage the State is deep.