Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-04-12
Impressncn, OF Arms.

clarke has had agents all over the State collecting
such arms as the people could spars and it is said
that agents of other States and of the Confederate
government have been doing the same thing But
We utterly deny the right of President Davis to
request" Maj. Ashe or any one else, to enter the
houses of our people and impress theft arms against
their will. The 18th and 18th clauses of section
9th of the Confederate Constitution are as follows:
"1S. A well regulated militia being necessary to
the security of free State the right Of the people
to keep and bear arms shall not be infringe6
10. The right of the people to he secure in their
persons, houses, papers and effects against urea
sonable searches and seizures shall not be violated;
ana no warrants shall issue but probable cause,
supported by oath or affirmation and particularly
describing the place to be searched and the persons
or things to be seized"
The above clauses contain principles as ancient
as liberty itself These principles ought to be
violated From the beginning free government until
now, no people ever parted with liberty as a means
OF achieving liberty, without finding themselves in
the end the subjects of despotism. The world has
seen but one Washington. Clothed at one time
with supreme military power, he FASTENED, as soon
as he had performed the work of liberating his
country, meekly to lay down that power at the feet
of civil rule Jefferson Davis is not George Wash
ington. He is scarcely warm in his seat, to which
re was called by the general acclaim of the whole
people, before he requests" one of his agents to
violate material portions of the Constitution which
ne has sworn to support. The government over
which he presides is one of delegated powers. The
power which he claims, of search and seizure and
which he has assumed to delegate to Maj Ashe, is
expressly forbidden by the Constitution to be exer
cised by him. but is reserved to the States reSpec
lively, or to the people" The fright Of the people
to keep and bear shall not be nfringcd"- and
"the right of the people to be secure in their per-
sons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasona-
s.searches and seizures, shall not DO Violated
But MAJ. Ashe says, "by request" that i the arms
are not forthcoming, he will seize them by force;
and the Major furthermore declares in advance "by
request" that those who do not promptly obey his
call, are "cravens" and "disloyslsts that is
coscards and traitors. Maj Ashe expects the "truo
patriots" to send in their arms at once, but the
arms Of the towards and traitors he will forcibly
seize. Now We repeat that every doube-barrel
gun and rife which be spared should be prompt.
ly sold or given to the government but there are
instances and there localities in which the peo
pie ought to retain their arms; and even if this
were not so, and if all the guns and rifles could be
spared Mr.. Davis must not attempt by force to dis
arm our people. We charge no improper motive on
Mr. Davis or his agent, but we tell the people that
they should not only protest against violation of
their Constitution but resist the very beginnings of
despotic rHle. A people jealous Of their liberties,
and Sighting as ours against tyranny from with
out should vigantly guard against the possibility,
not to say probability, Of tyranny within. With
SiY fv fhnucand of pfs
the control of the President and with our home
population disarined, should be at the mercy Of
any movement which radical and dangerous leaders
might inaugurate. The whole character of our gov
erpment might be changed, and, though our people
might protest against it, they would be powerless
to prevent it. Orders to oisarm the people have
always been the forerunners of despotic military
rule Macaulay states that favorite project with
James the Second, was the disarmiug the popula-
ton of Ireland, rather that portion of them who
disagreed with him in his peculiar views. Dick
Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnel, who was given more to
"wine and wassail" then he was to truth, justice,
and Judgment and who was charged with the mill
tary administration in Ireland executed the "royal
order which came from Whitehall for disarming the
population" This order was "strictly executed az
respected the English and though the country was
infested by predatory bands, Protestant gentle
man could scarcely obtain permission to keep
brace of pistols" We leave it with readers to
say if there not suspected persons in this State
suspected only because they did not prefer to break
up the old government, and because they insist on
better administration of Confederate and State az
fairs as essential to the achievement of our indepen
dence who are not regarded true patriots"
and the disarming of whom, whatever might be the
indulgence shown to others, would be undertaken
and accomplished with peculiar pleasure BY certain
persons. But however this may be- we protest
against this order of the President to Impress pr-
vate property, unnecessary, insulting to our
people, as detrimental to the cause, and also
violation of the Constitution. Our people have
evinced no backwardness in this war. They have
rushed to it aa men crowd to festival. They have
given their money, their arms and their blood with
out stint to the cause But they still free and
they will do nothing on compusion. In the glow
ing account given by Mr.. Bancroft of the early set
tiers of North Carolina he says" careless of reli.
gious sects colleges, or lawyers or absolute hrs
the early settlers enjoyed liberty of conscience and
personal independence, freedom of the forest and of
the river: and, he adds" North Carolina soas
settled by the rGeSt of the free" The descendants
of these settlers just free as they They
regarded secession at will the parent of anarchy,
and coercion by the federal government as the pa
rent of despotism; and they sought to avoid both.
But they resisted and are resisting coercion, not so
| much on their own sccount on that of others.
| MIR. Davis should remember this. We fought and
Offered Mr. Davis all treasure and blood soon
| as, and because his State was threatened. This
consideration should induce him to treat justly,
if not generously.
We have nothing to say against Maj. Ashs per-
sonally. He is goOd-natured and clever to his
friends and pubc-spirted and active in the South
ern cause; but it seems to us he might have exc