Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-03-24
The System of Impressment.

We publish to-day, from the Richmond Whig a
letter from Mr.. Baldwin, of Virginia to the Secre-
tary of War, on this subject. Mr.. Baldwin makes
his points with much force and sustans them by
law; and Mr. Seldom, it will be seen, avoids discus
sion and plants himself on "the extraordinary and
anamolous condition of the times. The Wig,
commenting on this correspondence, truly says:
"All the mischief and bad blood that have grown
out of the matter, have sprung from the attempt of
the War Department or its subordnates to erect it.
self into the tdU making power Of the government.
There is but one authority in this government for
making laos, and that is Congress. Neither the
COmmiSsary Department nor the Secretary of War
has any right to make law and when they I'M
derake to do it. they commit usurpation, and per-
petrate q gross outrage upon every citizen of the
Contederacy and upon liberty ITSELF"
This correspondence, it will be seen, took place
in January last Meanwhile Congress has taken no
action on the subject, and the Secretary has been
ordering impressments in various parts of the
try. Orders it is said have just been issued to the
Quartermasters to visit the premises of every cit
zen-to make an allowance of provisions for each
member of family, and then take the remainder
for the government This has actually been done
in several localities We learn that in Guilford
ted the house of citizen who has thirty family,
and had on hand $500 pounds of bacon and took
1000 pounds allowing and paying him only SO
cents per pound for it.
We repeat what we said in late issue, that if
the government should make the issue of starvation
between the soldiers in the field and their families
at home, We shall take sides with the latter. We
shall do so because the soldiers, with arms in their
hands, can provide for themselves; whereas, their
wives and children if deprived of food by impress
meRt, will be unable to provide for themselves and
must starve. There thousands of planters and
farmers in the State who have full cribs and smoke
houses, and most of these are willing to divide as
long as they can with the poor around them. Some
of them, We know not willing to divide, but
holding up for higher prices; but public opinion
will deal with Them and if that should fail, the
strong hand of power will DC brought to bear in the
last resort But if the thousands who have pro-
Visions and who are dividing them judicously and
literally with their poor neighbors and who are
also supplying the market for those who are able
to purchase,-if they should be allowanced by the
government, and the remainder of their corn and
bacon over and above their allowance should be i'm
pressed and carried away, it will no longer be in
their power either to sell or give, and the result
must be great suffering if not positive starvation
The policy of impressment is in itself bad pol
icy. Its Objectionable features may be somewhat
relieved, however, by the government paying the
market price for the articles impressed; but that,
Nc learn, is not done. The lust compensation"
provided for in the Constitution, certainly means
the market price. What other persons have to give
fer articles of prime necessity, the government
through its officers ought also to give. 1t is wrong
20 compel citizen whose property consists in corn,
l,ur bacon, to contribute all, or nearly all he
has while citizen whose property consists in land
money, paper securities, tobacco, any other
thing which the government does not want is re-
qured to contribute nothing. The people have a
right to expect equality under oppression, but
even that is denied them
We trust some means may be devised to avoid
general impressnenL If not and if our people are
to be alowanced, and the poor in consequence con-
signed TO starvation, one can foreSee the conse
QuenceS.