Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-11-18

solemn and binding as the government can make it,
Ny fec simple title is vested and complete But
while have the grant in my pocket and the State
has my money in her treasury it is discovered that
the public necessity requires the State to repossess
herself Of the land refuse to sell to her; she may
pay the just compensation, and take the land with
out my consent, and she violates no fundamental
principle, and all our private rights must yield to
the public good, and il we are injured we can only
require just compensation for the injury. -
Again, suppose have labored hard and made
upon my land a surplus of provisions, which
are my own right and property, and refuse
to sell them to the government, when the army is
in need of them; it may take them without my con-
sent and pay me just compensation, and have been
deprived Of none OF my constitutional rights
The right of q person who has employed sub.
stitute be exempted from military service can Ger
tainIy stand upon no higher ground. The govern
ment has extended to such persons the privilege Of
exemption upon the employment Of proper substi
tute but if the public safety requires it. the govern
ment certainly has much right to to revoke this
privilege as it has to take from me my land, or nv
provisions, other property, for public use; and
all the person who employed the substitute could
demand would be just compensation for the injury.
The measure Of damage might be the amount paid
by the principal for his substitute less Just pro
rata for the time the substitute has served and up
on the payment Of the damage or the just compen.
sasion for it, the government would have the right
to retain the substitute well as the principal in
service the substitute has been paid BY the prn-
cpai for the service and the principal has been com
pensated for the damage done him by ordering him
into service. It would be competent however, in
estimating the damage in such case to take into the
account the interest the principal has in the SUCCESS
of our cause and the establishment of our indepen-
dence necessary to the perpetuity Of his liberties
and the security of all his rights It would also be
competent to inquire whether he has indeed suffer
ed any pecnniary loss. If he has paid three thous
and dollars for substitute and has been kept out
Of the army for that sum for one year, and during
that time be has made ten thousand dollars more BY
speculation or otherwise than he would nave made
had he been in the army, at eleven dollars per
month, the actual amountof compensation due from
the governm ent to him might be very small indeed
if anything. -, s7.r',.-F 5 :-@S-'
Believing that tho public necessity requires 1t, and
entertaining no doubt that Congress possesses the
power to remedy the evil without violating vested
rights respectfully recommend the passage of
joint resolution BY the General Assembly; request
ing Congress to repeal that part Of the conserpt oct
which authorizes the employment Of substitutes,
and CONSUMPTION is the present policy oe the gov
ernuent to require all persons able to do military
dnty who have substitutes in the SERVICE to enter
the military service Of the Gonfederacy with the
least possible delay and to provide some Just rule
of compensation to those who may be injured by
the enactment Of such azlaw. also recommend
that said resolution instruct our Senators aud Rep
resentatives in Congress to vote for and urge the
passage Of this measure ut the earliest possible day"