Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-12-23

81 Paopossb INCREASE Or THE ARxY.-The Peters
burg Express, which affects to be an ultra Southern
paper and which has heretofore lectured US Tor our
csmments on the wretched administration OF pubic
adArs is It last coming to its Senses IS the too~'
ing extract from that paper will show:
It smacEs to much Of military tyranny, this pre-
mature organization of oil male citizens between the
ages OF 40 and IS into reserve corps we no.S
that IS long as one half of the whole number
iefs whose names are now ON the muster fota ~ |
suffered by the government to remain dbsent IRON
'their os-tosthrong the streets Of our towns and
70 crowd every rural thoroughare and ne'gaoorhood
as they do, there is no occasion for disturbing and
harassing elderly above the age of 40 with these
inteFferences of the government in their pursuits
And what, we would respectfully ask Mr. Sparrow, |
IS to become of the hundred thousand stragglers,
ABOUT whom he does not vouchsafe as single woro
Does he imply by his silence this bead that be
not IN favor of compulsory process to bring them
back to their duty Is he for letting them 60 on IN
their Sinking ways unmolested by the arm OF the"l
vigorous bone and muscle to meet the demand from
the army which be is for satisfying by enrolling
Reserve to be composed of young boys e. seed corn
as the President calls them) and old men, just as
it was thought that should future exigences require
the services Of those exempted classes Of our p"pu.
htion they would refuse to aid in delivering them.
selves, their wives, children property.
dear to the ctizen-from total dire and irretrievabe
destruction at the hands of brutal and awless foe
We call particular attention to the following Sec
ton OF Mr. Sparrow's bill, which is mere speci-
men brick of the pile: ~ ..
"SEcuoN 8. That all persons liable to duty in
the reserve corps shall enroll themselves within
such time and at such place OF places, IN their re-
spectve counties parishes, as msy be prescribed
In he ant md fhat
SO the person so failing shall be conscribsd to tho
army in the field"
We have UNDERSIGNED the exceptionable passages
in this section to mark them for the readers refec.
TONS Here is an increase of power proposed to
be given to the President, which we protest against
volatve of the whole spirit and tenor of the Con.
stituton. The President is Commander in.Chies OF
the Army but citizens between the ages Of A
and 30 form constitutionally no part Of the army
uness by their own voluntary enlistment in it de
has power enough already to enable him by wise
and right exercise of it. to conduct the to tri
unphant conclusion. Let him use it in driving back
to their placessthe hundred thousand and upwards
ofabsentees and then there will not be the least ne
cessity for Congress either to disgrace the govern
ment by deliberate and outrageous reputation Of
its solemn contract with persons who have furnish
ed substitutes, to confer upon the Executive ad
dittonal and extraordinary authority, which would
be susceptible of the grossest and most vexatious
abuses, as recommended by Mr.. Sparrow. The
idea Of bis bill becoming law, in any thing like its
| present shape, is simply preposterous."
We beg the Express not to take SO gloomy view
Of public affairs. The time has arrived for saving
/ the country, and the country wa1 be saved. The
original secessionists will doit They said, long
time ago, that when it was ndispensably necessary
that they should enter the army they would DO so.
The time has arrived They also said that each one
! of them could whip ten Yankees. There are at
least ten thousand of them in this State who have
not gone, but who were going when the time came
If one man can whip ten Yankees, ten can whip one
hundred, one hundred one thousand, one thousand
ten thousand, And ten thousand one hundred thou
sand They are going. Meade's army will be
whipped The tide of invasion will be -oll ed back
I from Richmond, and even Petersburg with its
worthy Mayor, who is SO much distressed atthe
idea Of the Standard newspaper circulating in that
ancient borough, viii boreiie-ed. Courage, broth
4 er Express The secessonists of North Carolina arc
rushing to the rescue. They intend to show by their
I conduct who are the true men, Room for them on
the public squares Of Petersburg room for them
in your hearts, Petersburgans room for them,
and provisions for them. for they are all poor men,
not having made quite all the money that has been
realized 10 this State by extortion and speculation
Only allow them to fund their surplus money in
Confederate bonds bearing six per cent interest pay
able in specie, and convince them that they are &C
tually needed in the ranks and they will rush to thu
conflict as to festival