Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-03-25
ri; TIE oRIGIy OF IMpREssMENT.

THE OE mINhSomI2A>A'
Soon after Congress met, the House Of Represen-
tatves addressed an inquiry to the President on tne
motion of Mr. Lyons, desiring toknow if ne haa an'
thorized the seizure and conscation Of private prop
erty. The following response was received: !,
EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
" Richmond, Feb 18th, 1853.
To the House of Represeatatives Of tho Coafeaer'
! ate States:
have this dav received the following resolution
"Resolued That the President be requested 70 m
form this House whether private property OF c'ti-
zens not in the army has been seized and con1sca-
ted by his ords or not and If it has been for wnat
offence, and under whatlaw, such seizure and con,
| fiscation haze been ordered; and reply mat no
private property of citizens either in or not IN the
army has been seized and contscated by my 9raer'
ny '''c JEFFERSON DAYS.. =
This was not very satisfactory, as it was hotorl'
GUS, that there were persons all over the country
claiming to hold commissions IRON the PRESIDENT
who were Selling and con6scating the private prop
erty of citizens But the House, with its accuston-
ed moderation, seeing the Presidents indspositioh
to communicativeness, forebore to subject MIN 70
further catechism; and choosing to CONSIDER the
outrages on private rights as the lrresuiarues o.
Unauthorized subordnates, proceeded to pass bill
10 prevent their repetition.
A writer in the Enquirer, who signs himself 49,.
+ ******," by volunteering as the champion OF the
Secretary of War, seems to imply that that officer
is the author of this system of oppression and ioy
which tramplos under.foot every principle Of civil
liberty. Mr. Seldom may, for aught that we know
approve and uphold this system. We suppose M
does as it is continued under his authority. But
it existed long before he came into Office ana the
general impression was that the scheme had Its or-
Gin in the Commissariat Department There, it
was supposed those ingenious tables averaging
prices for the last os to deternhine present
values were concocted. why did they not take the
last fifty years for an average9 There had been
quite as much logic in them as the last five. And
indeed, if they had gone back to 70, there would
have beeh some show of fitness in the thing
But whether the Secretary of War, or the starry
writer himself be the author Of this system which
sets aside all law and turns loose upon the country
set of robbers to prey at will upon the people, Is
bootess to inquire. Some lodging and oSscurlty
might not be unreasonable in respect to the author
ship of system so revolving to all sentiments of
free people, and so we'll calculated to bring its au-
thor to odium if not to trouble. .
That Mr.lSeddon, whose antecedents marked him
out as the man who tpder impossible stress Of cir.
cumstances wouldsubstitute volencefOr law, should
become the champion Of this system. does excite our
special wonder and surprise. That in the variety
Of his grave duties he should have left this to sub
orLinates aid known nothing Of it in the beginning
might very naturally have occurred. But when
the subject was brought 10 MS aL-ehton ny tue III
dgnant outcries of the whole country, and when he
could not fail to lhe outrageous invasion OF all
private rights involved in the proceeding, snd when
Congress was in the very act of enacting law on
the sutject-e have persisted in enforcing 1t, du
imply foregone Conclusion to substitute G0eern-
ment of force for Government Of Ian.
His staf9 advocate alleges that he was informed
and believed, that the great mass of producers had
reached the point of specializing on their own pro
ductions-and refused to sell to an extea; sufficient
to provide army supplies-and, therefore be was
compelled to impress or see the army famish. Re
fuse to sell! Oecoursc. the people were unwilling
sell at the arbitrary rates fixed by Messrs Starr
d Co., and by which The would sacrifice half the
. value of their property. But they never hate re
fused to sell at q fair market prce-we mean the
producers. So this brings back the original ques
ton: the right Of the War Department its agents
to seize the property of citizens without Just com
pensation in the face OF the opinion Of the law Of
ticer of the Government twice deliberately given,
and to the subversion of all law and all justice
It cannot be too often repeated, or too strongly
impressed on Government and people that the
strength of our springs from the freedom it
is designed to uphold Abandon this-degrade our
selves to the level OF our enemns-substitute Tyran.
ny for Liberty-and we FAIL and will deserve to fail.
-RirLmond EhjU