Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-01-08

con- "'" the curious Investigations: Of the anti,
b.oas, hut let us have no more Of them IN fhe
l.lrhtenh legislationo Of a free people
NJ President ,Aere is one diversity u Tue W.
H M, which when brought to notice, must
.ynce all shat there is the least analogy 'magna'
trvEases and that is in the: persons called to
sm ~ <Ipon the change of government Our an.
ms wouL as soon have thought Of electing Lord
sZth tn the office of Governor as Of recalling Gov.
5,nor Martin or Governor Tyon, and bringing over
Lord Ma,stld with his high tory principles 10
their chei usticeshp, as to have re-appo,nteo one
" the late Kings Judges Whereas our State ON
cers as we have, seen. have been unchanged IN
single particular sand in appointments to onces un.
dar The Confederacy, it has been no o6ectlon lhat
The appontee held similar appointment with reg
,l,r commission and oath of office ann received its
emoluments from the Federal Treasury 10 tne 'ass
: nav DAY, before the Proclamation Oh Tue sc'i -
t.nrl Now Sir. in the Revolution OF 1T76, this
u,ould MOI. have been permitted. The Hrst persons
on whom the act of III, to which the committee
refers in terms of such high appreciation, laid its
hands and REQUIRED to be sworn, were all the late
,,tfcers OF the King of Great Britain They we're
nut before the 'raders who had been making voyages
to England within ten years then last past mere
are many copies Of lredells heVlsa' s.o~eu away ~
tbe houses Of the people Of the country; and when
thew are informed that the precedent for this ord
nance is to be found there they will brush the dust
,,n the old book and read it for themselves ana
SINCE Yiis law is to he executed so vigorously on
.s TEN. My Ki dsmafd 10 know whe'hcr you began g
sxtsshsbegnning and cleared out all who held once
,,s,,s the fase-govcrnn and when they are told
- Sartas 5ssssos have been considered eligible to
,lss+| usIefeihe new government, and no questions
ADD Ffhffswi scoat the precedent OF liif, ana
zs.x5;1 we are to be purged with this great Gath or
le.se The country, thosa who held the Offices, and
ycSeissd their compensations under the old govern
s. aseat should take dose that would unbreach a
I. L. a., nd
pprcf Iapprehend, Sir, when the subject IS view
ea - xhis fight, that many, though they have not
,ss mr. He last. year like Rip Van Wrinkle, may
b., q, the conclusion that there has been no very
s,.isM rsyoluton after all and that If there has,
such stefssEle swearing is not Chrstlan-hke or
= president, the first and second sections of this
Il, lsntessre scarcely less Objectionable than what
? Ne been considering. The report of the CON-
., IL infoytns u.s. that the offences therein enumer-
y land which the committee calls seditun, were
he actsof III, called miSprSion OF treason. 1t
terefsre, revlving old obsolete crime under
6,w and inilder name. The American world, at
I, Has made some progress as to these crimes OF
;sss RlH.y, treason, misprision OF treason, etc.
&i7f7s$ 1t was great point gained for human
~, md iiberty that in the Federal Constitution Of
-, trehstn was defined to consist only in evying
- anarEA the United States, or in adhering to
nor, easaniss, giving them aid and comfort; pro-
,s;,p sfas has been literally copied in the Const
| t,,,ion bfsiac Confederate States-and by an ord
nance ftas body. into that of this State also 1t IS
,ru IA 90 make the blood run cold, now to review
n. b!stoI% OF what were at different times denomi
"a AID adiudged treason in England, and to re-
menher vhat hecatonbs of human victims the f1uc-
tnatpg state of the law, and its plant and corrupt
administration to favor the views OF the regnIng
sovereign OF his mnions carried to the sca0ld and
the eibbet. An extraordinary instance OF treason
ty words, was mentioned in our discussion of this
subject at the last session. where man of note was
nut to death for declaring in moment OF irritation,
on hearing of the shooting by the King OF his favore
stag that he wished the horns of the stag were in
the King BELLY" As Plutarch relates of Dionysius,
the tyrant that he captally executed subject for
relating that hc had dreamed he killed the King,
saying it was proof that he thought of 1t while
awake. Sir. the fate of Sidney and RUSSELL and a
hundred other martyrs Of that very freedom, which
doomed out in the English revolution of 1888, and
assumed its full proportions in our American Con-
situations century later, will rush upon our MEN,
cries at the suggestion of this theme and illustrate
the wisdom Of the Constitutional provision. While
it sufficiently secures the government from treach
crous and parricidal hands, it protects the citizen
from that vortex of constructive and exploded trea
sons, which has engulphed IN bloody and premature
graves - many innocent men. ITO prevent the
possibility of these calamies which result from the
extension of treason offences Of minor importance
tsays Chief Justice Marshall) that great fundamen
tai law which defines and limits the various depart
ments of our government, has given rule on the
subject both TO the Legislature and the Courts Of
. America which neither can be permitted to trans
cend" With this limitation upon charges of trea
son. and the experience of that national freedom es
5tablIshed by the Constitution of the State, came
more liberal views in relation to the inferior crimes
of its class Misprsion Of treason has entirely dis
appeared from the statute book of the State. 1t il
4 found in that of the United States covering only
single offence according to its literal meaning tina
! of concealing and not disclosing and. making known
to the public authorities, the commission of any
treason that may come to the knowledge of the per
son charged Sedition is found in our Revised Code
as the heading Of particular offence, that of ex
citing slaves to isurrecton. In this connection,
isa sautary part of our law according with publ
sentiment, and can be executed with effect when
ever AN offender may he found This was abund
antly proved in the case of Daniel WORTH and
oth.l> This law applies to attempts to excite re
belon in degraded caste in our society, who'll
devoid of all political power
4 But among freemen, every one of whom is equal
/ IN consultations and at the balot-box if restraint
Ipon the freedom of speech and of the press may
| imposed, beyond those provided by the commo
Law it has been found necessary to call thcr
inio operation heretofore There seems to hay
therc were attempts CORRUPTION imbecility
been general acquiescence in the doctrine OF Je
fersan in his inaugural address. "If there be an
among lis who would wish to dissolve this Unio
iCcJifederaey or to change teepublican form, le
tItn santi undisturbed as monuments of the safet
with which error of opinion may be tolerated, wher
TEE on is left free to BAT it." l have myse
beea accustomed to associate statutes of seditio
wifi, those indictments .pr seditious libel, wher
tavoritisn and the nsolens of office, by crimins
= sscs,ions against persons who exposed them an
re- the aausntry. Of Erssine Curran, Ard athe
dgocates Il The EaglHh a, d Irish bar wes
:, SankAes in wrestling with a domiDeeriAg md sui
t4aatsbo,AtkSssoplSa nor iG l3TSllleg, La \!
!. iHpg insthe CONTEXT have Seen aceus5d
,oot nnon fhat6 ac k-;n a; "a, snt;vr