Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-03-20
THE ORIGIN OF IMpREssMENT.- .


Soon after Congress met the House of Represen-
taves addressed an inquiry to the President on the
| motion of Mr. LYONS desiring t0know II ne nao au-
tborized the seizure and conlScaon of private prop
erty. The following response was received:
| Richmond, Feb. 18th, 1898.
To the House Of Representatives Of the CoVsdeT-
ate States
have this day received the following~esolution:
Resolrea That the President be requested to in
| form this House whether private property Of citi
zcns not in the army has been seized and conhsca-
ted by his order or not and if it has been, for what
! offence and under %hat law, such seizure and con-
| fscaton have been ordered !" and reply that no
private property of citizens either in or not in the
army has been seized and confscsted 6y my order.
I JEFFERSON DAVIS.
This was not very satisfactory, as it was notori-
GUS that there were persons all over the country,
claiming to hold commissions from The President,
who were seizing and coniscatng the private prop
erty of citizens But the House, with its accustom-
ed moderation, seeing the Presidents indispoSition
to communicatveness, forebore to subject him to
further catechisln; and choosing to consider the
outrages on private rights. the irregularities OF
unauthorized subordinates, proceeded to pass bill
! 10 prevent their repetition.
4 writer in the En9uirer who signs himself 49,.
=. ****** by Volunteering as the champion OF the
Secretary of War, seems to imply that that officer
il the author of this system of oppression and Jolly,
which tramples under-foot every principle of civil
liberty. Mr.. Seldom may, for aught that we know
approve and uphold this system. We suppose he
does as 1t is continued under his authority. But
it existed long before he came into office, and the
general impression that the scheme had its orr
gin in the Commissariat Department There, 1t
was supposed, those ingenious tables, averaging
prizes for the last fire years to determnine present
values were concocted. Why did they not take the
last fifty years for average! There had been
quite much logic in them as the last five. And;
indeed, if they had gone back to I9, there would
have been 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 o.prey at will upon the people, 1t is
bootesS to inquire. Some lodging and oSscnrity
might not be unreasonable in respect to the author
ship Of system so revolving to all Sentiments of
free people, and well calculated to bring Itsau-
tAnr TO odium if not to trouble
That Mr. Seldom, whose aateccdents marked him
'Out the who, under possible stress OF cir
cnmstances would substitute violence for law should
became the champion Of this system does excite our
special wonder and surprise. That in the variety
VI his grave duties, he should have left tbs to sub
ordinates, and known nothing of in the beginning,
might very naturally have occurred. But when
the subject brought to his attention by the m
di ynapt outcries ofthe whole country, and when he
could not fail TO see the outrageous invasion of all
private rights involved in the proceeding, and when
congress was IN tue very act Oh enactiS Id" Oh
the Subject-to have persisted in enforcing 1t, did
imply foregone conclusion to substitute Gorern-
msnt Of force for a Government Of lac.
His starry advocate alleges that he was informed
and believed that the great mass of producers had
reached the point of specializing their own pro-
ductionS-and refused to sell to extent sufficient
10 provide army Supples-and, therefore he was
compelled to impress or see the army famiSh. Re
fuse 10 sell! Of course, the people were unwilling
10 sell at the arbitrary rates fixed By MeSSrS Stars
d Co., and by which the would sacrifice half the
value of their property. But they never have re-
fused to sell at fair market prce-&e mean the
producers. So this brings back the original ques
ton: the rghtOf the War Department or its agents
TO seize the property Of citizens without just CON-
pensaton," in the face of the opinion Of the law Of
ficer Of the Government. twice deliberately given,
and TO the subverson of ell law and all justice.
1t cannot be too often repeated, too strongly
impressed on Government and people that the
strength of our cause springs from the freedom it
is designed to uphold. Abandon thiS-degrade our
selves to the level Of Observation-Disclosures Tyran
ny for LiOerty-and we faIl and will deserve to fail
-RicfU01d WHO