Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-05-28

port an ordinance providing the ways and means;
and 80 that gentleman, on his own motion, was ex-
cused from service chairmah, and Mr.: Gilmer was
put IN his place, who reported an ordinance pro-
y'dng for two millions more Of treasury notes, to
pay THIS bounty, with other bounty; and the ordi-
nance thus reported was unanimously passed. On
all hands it was said that the over thirty-
who were to be discharged were to have their
bounty; and it was on this account that Mr.. Ray
ner emphaticaly declared, that if the Convention
issued treasury notes and contracted debt for this
purpose, the debt ought to Be repudiated by the
people, and he hoped 1t Mould be. Would Mr.. Ray
'ner have used such language this if it had been
understood and if the ordinance about to be passed
had provided, that the men over thirty five, and
who might be discharged at once by the Governor,
as they are being discharged, were to recesce no
6ountys Surely not. By what authority, then,
is Gov. Clark prescribing condition to the ordi-
nance9 Even if the Convention had been disposed
to give no bounty to the men referred to, it was
estopped by its own solemn pledge Of the 18th OF
February. 1t could not disregard that pledge with
out repudating sacred obligation Of the State
Bounties, it must be borne in miEd, do not consti-
tute part of the contract with the volunteer: They
merely Inducements to him to enter the service
Being in, and performing service by the month, he
earns his monthly wages, and thus fulfls his con-
tract with the government; and the government,
on the other hand fus its part of the contract by
paying him his wages and feeding and clothing him.
1t will not do to say that the Governor, for con-
sideration, is dischargng these men, at their own
hofo &Io&
der the conscript act. They have not yet been
mustered into Confederate service, and are not,
therefore, under the operation of that act. They
are State militia, and he has right, as Comman-
dcr-in-chief, to discharge them. That right he is
exercising But their bounty was promised them
in February, and provided for them in May; and it
is his duty to see that they get it. We have heard
of many of peculiar hardship, the result of
this violation of the ordinance of the Convention by
the Governor, one of which we will give: A poor
farmer in Person volunteered. He was paid his
fifty dollars bounty. He had saved the amount
carefully for his family, and being anxious to
home as to make crop, he applied to be dis
charged. He required to pay back the fifty DOL
lars, mas denied his tsoo months ,0ages and told to
gethome the best way he COULD Transportation on the
Railroad even was denied him. He has gone home
penness, to suffering family, and with little pros
pcct of CROP And this man, poor as he IS, has
lost twice the amount of the bounty by volunteer.
ing and showing his readiness to fight for his coun
try. 1t was not his fault that the conscript Law
Was passed, on account of which he has been dis
charged. Neither he nor the Convention could
foresee that such law would be enacted; and We
repeat the Convention in view Of all the facts, and
knowing that these men over thirty-ive would bt
poorly reimbursed for their losses incurred by vol
un,eering, even by the fifty dollars bounty express
ly intended and provided Ito say nothing of the sol
emn pledge of the State,) that they should at leas
! receire that.
Neither will it do to say that they will receive
their bounty if they remain three MONTHS or unit
discharged under the conscript act; for they viii
than in one hour. If they remain three month
they will receive three months wages, not from thi
State, but from the Confederate government; bu
this fifty dollars bounty is State matter, and the
are entitled to it as as they volunteer If thu
entitled to it, the Governor has no right to with
hold it from them, to compel them to refund il
If bounty is to be paid to these men only in tn
event of their serving during the war, will tire
months service entitle them to it? No. Tn
bounty is due on volunteering as We have here
tofore stated, and is only an inducement to vo
unter, and not part Of the contract The trut
is, this whole matter is in a nutshell. Every so
der over thirty five is entitled, under the conscrr
law, to be discharged at the end of three months
and Gov. Clark, in the exercise of his discretion
Commander-in- Chief, has thought proper to d
charge some Of these men now. But he couple
this discharge with condition that the men sha
give up tine bounty to which they are justly ent
tied, and thus pay their s0ay out!