Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-01-08
Tho o.,o,y ...is.. ne co.rea,.o..

Our readers will bear Witness that We have not
beeuof those who ssye Sssailed the Legislature Of
the Convention. We hass aot approved Of an that
thesetwo bodies have sons 81 We regard them IS
having It heart the goo che State and as having
iabOr according " thsif bess Judgment, 70 con-
duct our afs;rs judiciously and properly. But an
cutlery has been raised especially against the Con-
vention and an attempt is now being made, by GER
tain partizans, to render that body odious to the
people. It is alleged, first that the Convention has
transacted but little il any business Of value except
the ordnance of secession; and secondly, that it
has usurped power in legislating for the State.
Nov, what are the facts2 The Convention, at
its first session, passed among others ordinance
to establish Board Of Claims, by which thousands
Of dollars have been saved to the Treasury also.
ordinance to raise battalion Of cavalry which is
now in the feld also, ordinance to tax all slaves
according to value, as land is taxed also, resou
tod exempting our soldiers from poll tax Also an
ordinance to secure to soldiers the right to voe
wherever they may be; also, an ordinance to pro-
vide money to carry on the war and meet the inter-
est on the State debt. The Convention, at its
ond session, passed among others an ordinance to
complete regiment (Col. Greens) of infantry, now
ready for the field; Also resolutions Of confidence
in President Davis and pledging this State to pros
ecute the war to the last extremity; Also resolu
ton requesting Congress to increase the pay Of our
soldiers; also, an ordinance appropriating hun
dred thousand dollars to make salt for the people,
now so much needed also, an ordinance providing
for the issue of three millions of dollars in treasury
notes-a measure absolutely necessary at the time,
to pay for supplies for our troops and to carry on
the government; also, All ordinance to prevent op-
pressve speculation in the necessares of life also
an ordinance to continue the Board of Claims, by
which the accounts of all disbursing agents will he
rigidly examined, and thousands of dollars thus
saved to the State; also, an ordinance to raise an
additional battalion or regiment of troops.
Now, all these ordinances and resolves, with one
exception are legislative in their character. Who
will say they ought not 10 have been passed? But
for one Of these, SALT instead of falling as it has,
would have increased in price; but for another of
them, the fine regiment Of cavalry, commanded by
Col Spruill would not have been in existence but
for another, thirty forty thousand of our brave
soldiers would have been deprived of their right of
suffrage; but for another, there would have been
but little protection against dishonest State agents
and, but for another, the meat, and bread, and
clothing of the soldiers would have been cut off, the
State would have repudiated the interest on her
bonds, and the wheels of government would have
stopped. And yet novices in politics. and partizans
who think of nothing but offices for themselves say
the Convention ought not to legsate and ought not
to re-assemble on the Goth instant.
We observe that Rev. John Alspaush, who is .
candidate for the Convention in Forsyth, takes the
ground that the Convention has no power to legis.
late; and that that body ought at to dissolve.
Now, in the first place. is only necessary to state
to show the fallacy Of Mr.. Alspaughs opinion, that
the people have clothed the Convention with sr,.
preme legislative, executive and judicial power
which power must he exercised for the people, and
subject to their will; and secondly, that if Mr. Al
| spaugh desires to come to the Convention for nc
other purpose than to produce discord in it by at
tempting to dissolve it, he had better stay away
The Convention, when it re-assembes, will find il
necessary to make provision for supplying the places
of some twenty thousand Of our volunteers whose
J terms Of service will expire by the middle of thu
present year. Would Mr.. Alspaugh have the Con
vention dissolve and leave this work unperformed
| Again, the Convention has commenced the worl
Of re writing and condensing the Constitution L
is very important to the people that this documen
should be put in such words and in such shape a
to make it plain in all its provisions to every vote
in the State; and it is important also to revise an,
settle it noa, such firm and Just foundations tina
the people will not be troubled again for man,
years with propositions for amer d,nents to the in
strument, or for a Convention Virginia has jus
rewritten and revised her Constitution and that to-
in the midst Of war, with the enemy threatenn,
her at almost every point; and the Convention O
South Carolina is now in session. But Mr.. al
spaugh thinks that North Carolina is too timid O
too troubled to perform this work at this time
He must know but little of what is going on il
other States or he undertakes the stability and sell
possession of his own State.
This outcry raised against the Convention is, 70
the most part, the work of persons who dislike tina
body on account of its conservative character, an
because it is determined, as its acts will show,
protect the public treasury and keep the military il
strict subo-dination to the civil power. Specula
tors, peculators, and punderers know that as lon
as the Convention Is III existence Inelr schemes Z
feather their own nests at the public expense viii
be exposed and exploded, and the guilty punished
while the honest will be protected; and such a
would impose upon or neglect the soldiers, or ne
gect proper measures for the defence of the State
also know that the Convention, acting for and i
the name Of the people. will bring them to accoun,
! Hence the outcry referred to- But the State ha
nothing to fear from the Convention. Its ord
nances and resolutions heretofore passed afford tn
best guarantee that its future action will rebound
the good of the people. 1t will no doubt dissolve
someperiod during present year; but its member
are not to be deferred from the performance Of thei
duty by inAammatory appeals on the hastings or il
the newspapers, nor disturbed by clamors and ou'
cries raised by partizans and demagogues.
The CoErRAsr.-The most ilustrious of Abraham