Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-12-16
RALEIGH, N. G., WEDNH
Resolutions on 1mpessment.

r, Resolutions ON 1mpessment,
:. We take pleasure in saying that the followip
resolutions on impressment introduced by MI
Avera, OF Johnston, from the committee on thesnl4
Ject, have passed both houses of the General Aa$
sembly. A bill from the same committee is peril
ing, making illegal impressments q high misI4{
meanoF, and providing for summary action before
Justice of the Peace. We trust the bill will pas 81
WHERRAs This Legislature has been infortnsd|
tnat certain persons claiming to be officers and ae
diers in the military service Of the Confederst
States have been and are now going through poy
tions of tho State making ,imprcssments Of Cor
Pork, and other articles Of focd essential toI
support of the inhabitants of the said localities M
addition to the tithes demanded by the govsrnmehf
even before the tlthes are collected; and where3
it is tho duty of the authorities Of the State to nd
tect its citizens in the enjoyment of their conss
tutiona rights and privileges, as we'll as the subjs
to render obedience to its constitutional and iee
requirements, therefore, !. !. ssssssssssss ssss q
Re.Qsced, Thss bis Exceilency, the dUvsfSoi -
hereby requessedt correspond with the authoritcs
OF the Confederate States Government in regardto
such impreSsments, and ascertain whether they are
directed and counteBanced by them, and to make
an effort to prevail upon said authorities to put
stop to such illegal proceedings and public nuisances
Resoteed further, That in consideration of the
scarcity of provisions after the tthes shall be with.
drawn from the State his Excellency, tho Governor
be requested to use every honorable means to keep
in the State the balance of provisions otherwise.
great and almost universal suffering must ensue.
For the Standard
W. W. HOLDEN, ESQ Dear Sir: have con
cuded to give you short historical sketch of the
rise, progress and fall Of the (woud be great De-
structive party IN North. Carolina. In attempting
this it is unnecessary to alude to every incident
that has occurred since the Inauguration of the doc
trine of eacea6s secession in this State but shall
only attempt to expose some of the leading actors in
this dramatical farce. The most prominent among
those who gave the doctrine the first impetus in this
State was the late Gov. Ellis and the Hon. Warren
Winslow, and still later the famous Military Board
Inasmuch as these have ali passed away, it would
not be charitable to allude to them in any other
than in a historical way. Assuming as do, that the
Destructive party had its rise in the Ellis admins
tratiGn,. the Legislature then in session, obeying
this Chief, organized that famous Military Board,
and by it the first illegal impressment if mistake
not, was made in North: Carolina This, then. was
the incipent stage of its progress The seizure Of
rolling machine by the Military Board and ap
proved The Executive, was heralledand publish.
ed by the State Jouraal-the pet organ of the De.
structive Enthusiastically the world rs one of the
great trophies won by the military over the civil
authority. This party having completed its organ
iza.ion, set its sails full adrft, mounted the storm
OF excitement, fully determined upon its mission to
rule or ruin. In the meantime there was STILL small
voice heard murmuring, possibly from the hustings,
that the property, life and lbertyof the citizen was
in 5fnger. The powers that were suddenly be-
came alarmed, grand council was assembled
conversation used-the storm was seen to lower in
the dlstance-one expedient and then another was
resorted to and duly considered-th voice OF the
In a,,-kA ~ IL AZ
must be enacted into a law, and "hideous mark
placed on the foreheads of the old Union men in
e-dor ti1at genHTA
tions;" the military must hold in abeyance the civil
laws-the writ Of habeas corpus set aside-citizens
seized and hurried off to baste, there to be kept
indefinitely without knowing for what The mill,
tary seize the clergy while in the discharge of their
ministerial duties and hurry them out of the State,
and all this and much more must be done in order
to secure our independence.
The doctrines held in secret conclaye are still
tho nearest idols to their hearts. At this time
they reached (as party the acme of their glory;
that glory or any Of the party is unenved and un.
sought for by all true Conservatives. Their fall
may be chroniced By the triumphant election Of
our worthy Conservative, Gov. 2. B. Vance, the
firm advocate of the rights of the citizens of North
Carolina-who on all occasions endeavors to hold
the military subordinate to the civil authority
and yet his enemies praise himl Conservatives,
be not surprised at thstrue to their instinct they
I pray for your destruction, rule or ruin is their
motto. Say to them, gentlemen, you have not
given any evidence of your conversion to conserva:
tive principles you have made no acknowledgment
that your test-oath doctrine has been abandoned.
No Sirs, nothing of the kind. Have you renounced
your opinions on the writ of habsas corpus mo.
not a word of it. Have you repented for the de.
nunciatiohs heaped upon Gov. Vance previous to
his election ?-no evidence of it. Have yon come
to the conclusion to acknowledge the supremacy Of
the civil law over the military? Your every day
actions and public organs answer, no. You en-
coursge mob violence-legal impressments both
of citizens and property" Conserv atives beware Of
tEem-trust them not; the day that you take one
all these eulogums heaped upoQSGov. Vance, and
the great care and concern manifested for his ad-
ministration? 1t is to endeavor to destroy him in
the house Of his, friends. The possession of the
spoils and power has ever been their god; to OBJ
tain these any principle of honor, however sacred,
is readily compromised
Then, Sir, seeing that no acknowledgment of er-
ror no disavowa Of any of their doctrines preached
before and after the election of Vance for Cover
nor having been made conclude that it is the
very essence of demagogueism- wanton insult,
not only to Gov. Vance, but to every Conservative
who assisted ip eevating him to the high position
which he now occupies and is intended as SUCH
They would fegn create the impression that Gov
Vance has receded from his position; he'is now
acknowledged by them as loyal citizen" and
would have the world believe, in the same conneo
ton, that the masses uho honored him uith their
ootes, wear the "HIDEous- MARK" Oh, consisten.
cyt were there ever such poltroons?
And yet, strange as it may appear, with all OF
these lights before them, there are teu political
journals IN this State who can sec no distinction
between men of this stripe, aspiring to high posi-
tions, and those who, previous to the war, jdenti
fed themselves with those who were opposed to,
and endeavored to prevent the bringing on of the
war-opposed to the extreme radical doctrines Of
competitors, VINO have never retracted them, aor,
passing strange. that no difference can be made be-
tween such men, in the eyes of these journalists
who have not only been threatened themselves with
the "hdeous mark" but also with mob violence
can forgive my enemies, but never can forget