Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-02-05

attendance on militia drill, and persons excused |
under ths militia law" are exempt from militia |
duty, except in case of invasion. This is well |
enough in ordinary times, to most of the persons
above named and it is in accordance with the law
the subject, so far as the law applies to the per-
SONS thus exempted; bat we have before US another
order from the source dated January IT, 1852,
in which 1.-The persons referred to in the above
order, are exempt from tile present draft"
We have before another order from the same
source, dated January %, 1852, which We publish !
in full as follows:
ExECur1vE DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CARoLISA,)
-Adjutant GsnsraFs 0tfce, (Hiltia) :
RALEIGH, Jan. %, 1862.
COLONEL: The paragraph in General Order No.
l, dated November Is, 1861, which reads-"Ihe
commanding officer making the call shall dscri:n
nate III favor of those persons who are in feeble
health, or whose connection with public iusttu
tons, or other peculiar employment, Shall require
their presence at home" authorizes the Colonel to
exempt all persons whose health or bodily lntirmi
ties of any kind render them unfit for service;
also, those whose connection with the public busi
ness renders it proper they should remain at home
tor that purpose.
In large Slaveholdias communities, it is highly
important for the public safety and public good,
that proper discipline should be maintained among
the slaves and therefore where there is but one
white in charge of plantation of negroes, 1t
is proper that he should be exempted under this
clause for peace and security az home
Any person owning serviccable gun and who
selected shall oe required to take the place of
any one who has 10 gun and has been selected, un-
less he will give up his gun as loan, or to DC as
sesSed and paid for by the State.
The Colonel is further authorized to discriminate
in favor OF any district that has furnished large
proportion OF volunteers over any other district in
the County.
Each regiment will be credited with those who
have volunteered for the since the call for one
third was made. j. G.. MARTIN,
-1Jjt General.
Now, the militia law of the State, ratified Sep
tender 20, 1851 expressly provides that no one
shall be exempt igom militia duty, in case of inTa-
sion or insurrecton, except ministers Of the gospel
and the officers and necessary attendants Of the In
sane AS Ium. The Adiutant General or the Gov
ernor has no right III der the law, to exempt any
of these persons when call is made to repel inva-
sion They are all equally bound with others to re-
spond to the call But We learn the Adjutant Cen
eral the Governor has gone further than this and
! exempted Young men at College who had been
drafted, and Of plantations, anG the EN-
ployees of the daily press Such course, we feel
! hound to saw is calculated to create discomfort
among our people, and to injure the Southern cause.
There is no rtse reason for ezcusing young man
who is at College than there Is for one who Is at
any other school; there is no more reason for ex-
csins the employees of the daily, than there is for
the semi weekly and weekly press; and there is no
good reason for assuming that if an overseer IS
drafted, his place cannot be temporarily supplied
! by the owner of the plantation. Our domestic
peace, and the safety of the slave institution do not
depend upon few overseers, whose places can be
readily filled if they should be drafted; and any
statement or any inference from statement that
we are thus dependent, is not only unfounded IN
fact bu. is calculated to produce the impression
that the institution is in danger. And not only
this, but the exemption of overseers will excite
! some of those who do not own slaves against those
who do. Every one feels that "a proper discipline
| should be maintained among the slaves" But it is
the duty and the business of the owner himself to
maintain this discipline aided as he is at every
point by the law and if the overseer in charge
should happen to be drafted, let the owner employ
another or take charge of the plantation himself.
At any rate, whatever may be said, this will be the
light in which this exemption of overseers will be
viewed by the people generally; and it is exceed
ingly unfortunate that the order was ever made by
the Adiutant General or Governor.
Again. the instructions in regard to the manne,
of the graft and the exemptions, have been so nu
merous and contradictory that much confusion and
discomfort have been occasioned. No proclamation
was issued, explaining the reason for it and the
mode of conducting it. The result has been, that
companies in the same regiment bsve differed ir
the mode, and as to the persons to be included ir
the draft; and in some cases companies and ever
regimen are believed to have been drafted twice
The people are ready to suffer and fight for ths
country; but they want justice done at home, while
they stalking their lives against injustice abroad
Many of those arbitrarily exempted by the Adjutan
General or Governor, are ableboded men, with full
purses, who might go themselves or hire substi
tutes. Others, who are no more bound to 60 thar
they are, in of invasion, have been compelled
to employ substitutes hold themselves in readi
, ness to march at an hours notice. q
Again, under an act Of the Legislature, ratified
, to accept the services of eleven thousand volun
teers, "to be retained for the specific pur pose of de-
Tending the State from invasien." Why has THU
law been allowed to remain dead letter? If these
eleven thousand men had been raised and in thu
f field, there would have been necessity for th
. present draft. They would have bad tents, ans
arms, and would have been well drilled by thii