Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-04-05
oaoer,, Commissions. .

49,. ss,s RALEIGH, March 81 1862
w. w. HvIDEN, ESQ. - ~ $500 - =,
SR: In the last issue Of your paper. I noticed an
article to this effect: Is IL true that company aud
field officers who are commissioned by the State,
required to pay 81 each for their commissions
If so, where is thu Law for i'll We wish 10 do no.
one Injustice and therefore ask for information"
In justice TO myself, deem It necessary to say
few words in reply, As much as dislike to have
my name brought before the public, even in mat.
ter of explanation. Field and Company officers are
charged two dollars each for their commissions,
which fee has in very few instances been paid
The law for such charge is found in section - Of
chapter l02 Revised Code, which regulates the fees
of the Governors Private Secretary by reference to
which viii be found the following: For any COM
mission for place Of profit two dollars Ger
taihy If the authority not perfectly clear to my
mind, no fee would be charged. The only question
is, whether these Offices are places Of profit Upon
that point have not doubt. For the large num-
Der of Militia commissions issued, ! have never
made any charge, there being no pay allowed, and
therefore not Offices of profit
Very respectfully, p. C0WPER-
The fact that 50 was charged for the commits
sions CT officers of the army. has been frequently
brought to attention, not that we supposed the
compliments cared about the amount of the charge
but because they believed it was contrary to law,
or the result of msconstruction of the law. Hence
our inquiry concerning it
Injustice therefore, to the Private Secretary fthe
Governor, we very chesrfully give his letter of ex
PLANTATION above. The practice Was initiated while
Mr.. Oowpers predecessor was in office and We
satisfied that both the young gentlemen felt fully
justified in making the charge not only under their
Interpretation of the law but under the interpets
ton of others.
But We must be frank to say, that we do not
think our friend, the Private Secretary, has made
out his case; as will be readily seen, think by
an examination of the section of the law cited BY
him. The section reads as follows:
"The Private Secretary of the Governor shall be
allowed the following fees and other to be paid
by the persons for whom the services rendered,
namely for the commission of judge four dollars;
of the attorney general two dollars; Of solicitor.
two dollars; Of Senator in Congress, two dollars;
Of a representative in Congress- two dollars; OF
notary public, two dollars Tor any commission for
place Of PROFIT, tsno dollars for testimonial one
dollar; for suspension of grant, seventyfve cents
for afhxing the seal TO grant, twenty-five cents"
The above section evidently refers to ciril and
not military Offices and the intention to in
clude commissions for any civil Office Of profit not
mentioned in the section, that might thereafter
be created. For example, under this section commits
two dollars each for their commissions, and pre-
sumo are so charged; and so of the delegates from
this State to the Montgomery Congress, and the DEL
egates, whose terms have recently expired, to the
Provisional Congress at Richmond. There are
doubtless other civil offices of profit which might
justly be charged the two dollars; but the trainers
of the above section never supposed for g moment
that military Offices would be regarded as Offices of
profit and their occupants charged two dollars each
for a commission. If they had SO intended, they
would not have provided that the second Lieuten-
ant, who receives eighty dollars per month, should
pay as much for his commission as the Colonel who
receives one hundred and ninety-ive dollars per
month. Mr. Cowper says he has not charged for
militia commissions; but it must be borne in mind
! that militia officers when actively engaged in the
field, are entitled to the same pay as the socaled
regular officers; and therefore, if Mr.. Cowpers in
depreciation of the law be correct he has right TO
GO upon the militia officer for the two dollars as
soon as he is called into active service
| 1t was doubtless omission of the Legislature
in passing the military bills not to provide for ad.
dtonal pay to the Private Secretary for the addi-
! tional LABOR imposed upon him by the issue of so
many commissions but it hardly be correct that
the Legislature designed the section alluded to- to
| apply to military commissions, which if enforced
! by the Private Secretary would by this time-less
! than a year. have up his commissions from this
source alone to the snug sum Of So, 500!-a sum
greater than the salary of the Governor any other
! officer Of State.