Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-05-28

port an ordinance providing the ways and means;
and SO that gentleman, on his own motion, was ex-
cused from service as chairman, and Mr. Gilmer was
put in his place, who reported an ordinance pro-
viding for two millions 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 men over thirty-6ve,
who were to be discharged, were to have their
bounty; and it was on this account that Mr.. Ray
ner emphatically declared, that if the Convention
issued treasury notes and contracted debt for this
purpose, the debt ought to be repudiated by the
people, and lie hoped IL tOOuld 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, uere to receire no
bounty? Surely not. By what authority, then,
is Gov. Clark prescribing a condition to the ordi-
nance? 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 10th Of
February. 1t could not disregard that pledge with
out repudiatng sacred obligation of the State.
BountieS, it must be borne in mind 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 fulfls 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
request, before the three months have expired I'M
der the conscript act. They have not yet been
mustered into Confederate service, and not
therefore, under the operation of that act They
are State militia, and he has right, as Comman-
der-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 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 re-
turn home to make CROP he applied to be dis
charged He acas required to pay back the fifty dol
lars as denied his tsco months cages and told to
get home hebest 1Oay could Transportation the
Railroad even was denied him. He has gone home
penniless to suffering family and with little pros
pect 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
Convention in yrn of all he facts
knowing that these men over thirty-fve would be
poorly reimbursed for their losses incurred by vol
unleerng by the fifty dollars bounty, express
ly intended and prooided Ito say nothing of the sol
emn pledge of the State,) tint they should at least
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
not their bounty any more in three months
than in one hour. If they remain three month.
they will receive three months wages not from this
State, but from the Confederate government; bu
this fifty dollars bounty is Stnte matter and they
are entitled to it they volunteer. If thu!
entitled to it. the Governor has no right to with
hold it from them, or to compel them to refund it
| If bounty is to be paid to these men only in thu
| event of their serving during the war, will TIN I
months service entitle them to it? No. TIL,
bounty is due volunteering, as We have here
tofore stated, and is only inducement to vol
unter, and not part Of the contract. The trutl
| is, this whole matter is in nutshell Every sol
dier thrtyfive is entitled, under the conscrip
| law, to be discharged at the end of three months
and Gov. Clark, in the exercise of his discretion a
! COMMANDMENT. Chief, has thought proper to dis
charge some of these men nOw. But he couple
this discharge with condition that the men shall
| give up the bounty to which they justly emit
tied and thus pay their toay out!