Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-07-15
REMARKS OF MIR. GRissoM,

= G. 5iysIlsises5 or GRANVILLE,
Nod ~ stks House of Commons on No,sdoy, Std
sst., aHpn motion to print the correspondence
osAseeA His -Ezee1lency, Goo. Vance and the
t!oa Jas a. Seldom, Secretary Of War, IN reta-
. tim to the ha6eas corpus and the claim Of ths
,Confsderute government to conscript militia
c6Vsers. -.
and the history of several startling events connected
with the subjects of which it treats admonsh US of
apnspose on the part Of the Confederate admins
raton to disregard not only the decisions Of eur
courts but also to construe for itself all questions
touching the liberty Of the citizen It is the first
time m the history of this or any other people,
where the great landmarks Of English freedom are
regarded that the great writ of right, secured BY
Maeaa Csarka, has been trampled under foot with
,npunity Surely no people, not having lost all
Love OF freedom, can tamey submit to such agrees
sion As this correspondence iscloses on the part Of
nigh official functionary and his subordinates.
Where is the necessity in this great struggle for the
maintenance of our rights to sacrifice any one of
them among ourselves especially the most sacred
the most importants Deprive us Of this great land
mark-the right of the accused to be heard and to
have meted out to HIM impartial justice establish
tho right on the part of Any petty military tyrant
TO seize any citizen upon any pretext-to incarcer-
ate nina in dungeon and close against him the
courts Of justice and then the last hope Of liberty
is gone and naught is left to live fof The bold and
unwarranted attempt to strike down our judiciary,
as Developed by this correspondence indicates q
rapid ind gigantic stride towards military despo:
tisns ~ 5;ss- -
!. Ei .leason can be urged for withholding its
publicatioDl Its subject-matter involves the most
sacred rights of the people and touches the soyer.
eighty OF the State and for this reason the people
are entitled to see it
But a few days since Confederate Colonel re-
fused to allow the Sheriff of New Hanover to pass
his lines to execute writ of ha6sas corpus. Sew
ersl instances Of tie rearrest by subalterl officers
Of persons discharged under this writ and one (as
am .informed) by the express order Of the Secre-
tary Of War himself have recently occurred. Such
arbitrary exercise of power by the highest civil or
military functionary in England would not be tol
Grated to-day. 1t would shake that ancient and
powerful kingdom to the centre. Wellington,
flushed with victory and crowned with laurels re-
turning from the field of his triumph over Napo-
leon, would not have dared to exercise such power,
or deny this right to the humblest soldier that fol-
lowed him from the scene of his glory. But we are
told in this correspondence that the crude opin-
ions of our local Judges not to be regarded by
. the military authorities of this government and
Gov. Vance is by innnendo reprimanded for not sup
pressing the expression of these opinions. Who
are these local Judges, whose crude opinions are
thus to be disregarded? They constitute the Supreme
Court Of North Carolina, and have entitled them
selves to the lasting gratitude of the country, for
the manner in which they have discharged their
duties, regardless of powerful adverse influences.
Notwithstanding the assaults of oligarchs and pet
ty tyrapts the subservient tools of power, who i'm
pugned their loyalty and appealed to the worst
passions of the country in assassn-lke attempts to
stab their character these Judges have stood like
wall against the onward march of military des-
potsm. But for their timely Intervention, and the
strong arm and stout heart of our patriotic Cover
nor, the Goddess Of personal liberty, before whom
the judicial ermine has always trailed with rev.
erence with her spotless robes and golden tresses
all torn and dshevtled, had ere now been polluted
by the lecherous embrace of the clovenfooted Sa-
tyr of despotism. Thank God for the integrity and
independence of our judiciary! With what melan-
.choly contrast do we view the official conduct Of
another Judge, holding an appointmentuuder this
government which he held under the old, and which
he only relinquisbed long after the infamous and
high-handed proclamation of Lincoln, demanding
troops Of us to subdue our Southern brethren and
coeros saaspendsnt States. He .glided out Of his
postum M tkat government to the same in this so
gracefully, that by very slight stretch of magina.
ton we might have heard the clinkipg of Federal
| gold IN one pocket, while Confederate Treasury
notes rusted in the other. This distinguished
functionsry while this beautiful metamorphosis was
progressing desired to apply odisus test oath to
the lips OF tue patTlOtlc lateIS auu metucrS OF our
brave boys who stood like wall of fire and of bay.
onets' between US and the enemies of our country.
More recently, when asked for writ of habeas
qua he declined to grant it for the reason that his
mind was made up, aud it would entail unnecessary
expense on the applicant This correspondence re-
veals the purpose of the administration to claim,
and, if possible to exercise the right to conscrpt
certain classes Of State officers and thereby 10 es
tabIish principle that might break up the State
| - sH~r
ercise WIS prevented only by the frmness of Gov.
Vance in resisting these dangerous encroachments
upon State rights. II
Gentlemen oppose the publication because this
correspondence contains complaints against North
Carolina which, coming from high official quarters,
they fssr may damage her reputation. There is
nothing new in these complaints Many of our
own unworthy citizens emulate each other in at
tempts 70 sully her weearned laurels, aud to hold
her up in an unenvable light to the gaze of her
Confederates. A tep assertions are magnifed into
proofs .as strong as Holy Writ" of the existence
Of wide spread feeling Of disloyaty in the State.
For the cuoabe conduct of only few of her troops
North Carolina is held to the strctest accountability
and subjected to unqualified SANDER and abuse
singled out for especial opprobrium while the sol
diers. of other States more deserving of censure,
havS the mantle of charity thrown over their faults
The pages containing her history in this struggle,
through the detraction Of Writings and scorners-
North Carolina has sent seventy four thousand vol
| unteers and fourteen thousand coascripts to the
field. Has any State done more? Eighty-egh,
thousand of her sons are now barring their breasts
to the enemy, or sleep in the graves which their
patriotism has consigned them. The bones Of her best
citizens have bleached on every battlefield from
| Big Bethel to Chance orsville. They have everJ
where broken the ranks of the enerny and snatchet
victory HON. the jaws Of defeat They have crowd
cd the Sead to death as if it were the high way t,
fsstisity Ind mirth, Yet all this has not saved he
from insult and injury. WHY'S it .thatin the ap
pointment of Generals to command these troops, il
many instances, our own officers were put aside t
give place to those from other St%Esf; Why is i
that in one Of these appointments, Major Genera
was appointed, who, in an oficia communicate,
to Gen. Les, spoke Of this Legislature in terms o
derision as the .'nemorable" legislature of North
Carolina Why are the various post appointment
a@ng Us in the Quartermaster and Commissar,