Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-11-24
observation-disclosures RIGHTs.
RICHMOND .WHIG.
mnnNINn- HnV .Iaaa.
TUESDAY MORNING, NOV. "a, 1888.
The Abuse Of The Impresdng Power.

The Abuse Of The Impresing Power.
The Act to regulate impessmens authorizes resort
to that mod OF raising supplies for the Amrony Nhen
they "c,nnot be otherwise p:oegcd" 1t Is the evil
dent design Of the act invest the military authorities
Irc I'd ny the Secretary of War, with this power solely
as las. resort nAu other Of raising supplies
10 be tried and exhausted before it is lawful to exercise
this harsh power Of cOmpulsiOn.
One means Of raising supplies, contemplated by the
act is the gathering in Of its tAes by the Government
II the natural order Of things this is the first method
of furnishing the army that is to 8 ayailed of by the
authorities. Is was thought, when the law passed.
that these tthes WGud nearly quite supply the army
The estimate seemed reasonable since the army falls
f.r short Of being One-tenth Of the pt puA6OD ard
could therefore be expected to consume more than
Oneenth Of the produ ,tOn Of the county Bu. in the
event of th resource falling short of the demands Of
the army it vas contemplated by the act that the de-
fciency would be made up by purchAse-Anl it was
ony in the event that both the tthes and the ability
purchase had fad that the power to mp accrued
We do not misstate the Law. The officer who i'm
presses s required to certify over his official sigma
tqre-that is, On bis honor cfcer-thAt the prop
erty impressed "could not be otherwise procured and
mems to be mad, has to be satisfied tia. the article
needed be procured 10Y parohase" These tao
prere tes having been complied With, and it being
apparent hat neither by the collection Of is tthes nor
by its efforts to purchase can tbs Government. supply
itself with what is necessary Tor the supper OF the army
the power to impress may be lawfully resorted to. Be
fore these two resources exhausted there is su-
horily to this power AGd any 10 it cannot be
otherwise than arbitrary aud illegal.
Have the Secretary of Wf and his subOrdinates acted
up to the requirements Of the Law in this particular
Have they Aisi and exhausted all means oG,FAisDg
supplies before resoriing TO impressment? Have they
gathered their tiIhes and ascertained that they
are inAdeqlatei Have they offered to purchase
in all cases before impressng Did Mr.. Taylor
BeEy 6rst vii every farmer in AmherssAnd offer to
buy his produce aud did each and every one Of these
farmers refuse to SELL before he served his impressog
order on them9 Was this ths course and this the e1-
periencs of the mpr1ssing agents in Buckingham and
Abemsrle in which Counties have the assurance of
the SsRtasI, the Government Of,iAg have locked up
'everythias jus! 81 Nr. Barry did in Amasrs.P
Unless such offers to purchase we're made and refused
We undertake to Say that the Law has been violated
II there was in either of these counties single farmer
general notification Of impressment We undertake to
say that Is TO him the AE VioAted-and the law
aR1es penalty to any single violation Is it concsiv
able that these farmers than whom there are none more
pubc-sprited in the Sate oil refused to sell for the
use of the army articles necessary to its subsistence p
No population in Virginia has contributed more largely
Of is numbers to swell the ranks Of the army than
these counties. Many of the mobiles. regiments that
bear the victorious banners OF General Lee have gone
from the red hills of Amherst AlbemAEle Rnd Backing
ham, Is it imaginable that thu fathers and brothers
and friends home have refused to furnish even for
pay the food needed for their support? The Secretary
of War may think 80, Dr.. Northrop IF he ever thnkr
may think sO-WSSdO nOti So far from being justified
in so derOgatory and unnatural suppostiOu we have
public evidence to the contrary. Ia each Of these
counties, the citizens had in general meeting, BY for
NAL resolutions, made known 70 the Secretary of War
Nnguess 70 sell everything not needed for their
own consumption, At the prices ind by the Govern.
ment Commissioners. They we're not Oaly bOuad by
patriotism AudbJ ties of blood but also bSEoluutAry
andsOleRn cOmmttA to sell to the Government all that
they ccud part with, that needed for the army
They stO06 ready to mes their obligation. How then,
the mpressng agents in these counties certify on
their honor a. officers and gentlemen, that the sup
plies held there ''could not be procured other
wise" than by impressments And how can the Score.
tary AWar, in view of his responsibility to the coun-
try and to his conscience say that the taking of
Ais private property rendered necessary COY reG
Of the impractcabilig of procuring the came by
purchases"
We repeat either the farmers of the counties named
land they not ELL have Lsused TO sell to the Gov
ernment-or these impreSsmenA arbitrary and 1io
iative Of AN We leave to the proper authorities to
ascertain Mere the responsibility lies, and to enforce
tle prOperPenAlIy. .