Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-12-29
Important. Measures before Congress.

fore enact that no person shall be exempted from I
military service by reason of his having furnished
a substitute,
Provided That nothing herein shall be construed
SO as to apply to persons under over the conscrpt
age, who have placed substitutes in the army.
The vote on the above is as follows.
AYEs-MeSsrs. Atkins, Bell, Boteler, q. W. |
Bruce, Chambliss, Chiffon, Chrisman, Conrad, !
Conrow, Currin, Curry, De Jaruett, Farrow, Fos- |
ter Feeman Funsten Gather, Gardenheir, Gar |
Heiskel, Hilton, Johnston, Jones, Kenan, of Ga, |
Kenan, of N c., Lander, Lewis, Lyon, Machen, |
McLeOn, Menees Miller, Moore, Perkins, Preston,
Pugh, Rails, Russell, Sexton, Simpson, Singleton, |
Staples, Vest Where Welch, Wilcox, Wright, of
Tenn, Wright of Texas.-52.
NAYs-MeSSrs. Ashe. Aver, Clapp Clark, Clop- |
ton, Collier Dargsn, Gartrell, Lyons, Miles, Strck
land, Swan, Trippe.-13.
And in the Senate on the 24th instant the follow
ing propositions were submitted;
The Senate then proceeded to the consideration of
of the resolution Mr.. Brown, of Mississippi, that
in the present condition of the country, Congress
ought with the least practicable delay, to enact the
following laws |
Ffrst.-To declare every white male person re-
siding in the Confederate States, and chapable of
bearing arms, to be in the military service of the
country.
"SecOnd.-To repeal all laws authorizing sub
stituteS or granting exemptions.
proclamation requiring all male persons, claiming
and receiving foreign protection, to make their cleo
tion within sixty days to take up arms or quit the
country.
"Fourth-To detail from those in the military
service such only absolutely needed in civil
pursuits having reference, in making such Details
TO competency alone.
"Sisth-To levy direct tax of per cent
on every kind of property, according to its value in
Confederate notes, including notes.
Stcenth-To make Confederate notes legal
tender in payment of debts after the expiration OF
six months.
"Eighth-To prohibit the buying and selling of
gold and silver coin or notes of banks in the United
States, United States treasury notes, during the
war, under heavy penalties; or in lieu thereof, to
prohibit "runnng the blockade" by individuals,
under pain of forfeiture of the goods brought in
and imprisonment during the war.
"Ninth-Declare these laws measures and
make those who violate them amenable to military
courts alone"
In the first place, the contract made between
principals of substitutes and the government is to
be broken, and the principals put in servlce in the
second place, every able-bodied man in the Con-
ederate States is to be declared in the military
vice; in the third place, military courts to take
the place of the civil law and in the fourth place.
the President is to be clothed with the power of
making details Of persons for the civil or industrial
pursuits of life. Superadded to all this to
lave the 1.-THE law and the imprcssment law in full
force at the same time, and heavy tax in gold or
! coupons to meet the interest on one thousand mil
lions of Confederate debt These measures, if car
ried out, would change the whole character of the
| government, and convert it into military despot-
ism. The funding of the Confederate debt, with
the interest TO be paid in the precious metals in
the coupons of the bonds, would soon transfer the
bulk of the landed estate to the hands of the fortu
nate few, who might have the means of purchasing
! it when sold for taxes; the placing every able
bodied man in service would convert the whole
country into military camp; the right given to
the President to make details would place in his
hands the power of life and death over every able
bodied man. for if he should refuse detail and the
person refused should desert the service, he could
have him shot; and on the back of all this, the
provisions left in the country and constantly di-
minishing on account of the want of labor on the
TaIr"s, would he seized by the strong hand and the
people atbome left to suffer and probably starve.
| Pass these measures, and the President would at
once be armed with dictatorial powers-our civil
Courts would be silent-personal and civil rights
would be trampled by the heel of power-the rich,
or such as have boarded the precious metals would
become the owners Of nearly all the valuable prop
erty in the country-the poor would become poor
er, and those who now live comfortably would be-
come poor themselves -discontent and anarchy
would follow, and the drama would close with the
sword of absolute despotism waving over the heads
of our people.
North Carolina has not been wanting at any time
in devotion to the Confederate government She
is now, and has been for some time past, the right
arm of that government At least thirty thousand
Of her sons have been slain in battle or made Grip
pies for life. The most fertile portion Of her Eas
tern territory, which blossomed like the rose before
the War, is now barren desolation. On her Wes
tern border she is threatened by the enemy up to
the gaps Of the blue ridge. Her resources have not
only been cut off and destroyed by the enemy, but
she has poured them out like water in the common
cause. But there is limit to her endurance, and
that limit will be reached when innovation and
usurpation shall have radically changed the char
acter of the government. When she entered the
Confederation she stipulated for free forms and free
principles in all their vitality and vigor. She
bound herself to no despotsm which might be at
tempted to be fastened upon her by gradual ap-
proacheS She has already spared her "last man ="
between eighteen and forty. five, and she has long
since expended her FAST dollar" She has recent
ly organized the remnant of her militia for police
duty and for home protection and defence. Are
they to be taken and put in Confederate service
We say no. IF the sweeping law referred to, to
place in service every able-bOdied man should be
passed, and an attempt should be made to enrol
the Home Guard, we shall call upon the Gov
ernor to interpose and protect that portion Of
our militia from conscription at all hazards
More men is the cry with some fifteen or twenty