Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-12-30
Important Measures befor. C.uere,..

on the 25d instant, the House of Representatives
at Richmond passed the following bill to place the
principals of substitutes in the army:
WnEREAd, in the present circumstances of the
country it requires the aid of all who are able to
bear arms
The Congress Of the Confederate States do there.
lore enact, that no person shall be exempted from
military service by reason of his having furnished
q substitute,
Provided That nothing herein shall be construed
50 as to apply to persons under or over the conscrpt
age who have placed substitutes in the army.
The vote on the above is as follows:
D AYEsaMessrs. Atkins, Bell, Boteler, H. W.
Bruce, Chambliss, Chiffon, Chrisman, Conrad.
Conrow, Currin, Curry, De Jarnett, Farrow. Fos'
ter Feeman, Funsten Gather, Gardenheir, Gar.
land land, Goode, Graham, Gray, Hanly, Hartridge,
Heiskell, Hilton, Johnston Jones. keenan, of Ga
kenan, of N. G., Lapder, Lewis, Lyon Machen,
((acLeon, Menees, Miller Moore, Perkins, Preston,
pugh' Rails, Russell Sexton, Simpson, Singleton.
Staples, Vest Villere, Welch, Wilcox, Wright, of
Tenn, Wright of Texas.-52.
NAYs-Messrs. Ashe Aver, Clapp, Clark Clop-
ton, Collier Dargan, Gartrel Lyons, Miles, Strick-
land, Swan, Trippe Ia
And in the Senate on the 24th instant the follow.
ing propositions were submitted:
The Senate then proceeded to the consideration of
IN the present condition of the country, Congress
ought with the least practicable delay to enact the
following laws:
" fsrst.-To declare every white male person re-
siding in the Confederate States, and chapable of
country.
Second.-To repeal all laws authorizing sub.
stitutes or granting exemptions
"1hird.-To authorize the President to issue his
proclamation requiring all male persons, claiming
and receiving foreign protection, to make their elec
ton within sixty days to take up arms or quit the
country.
"Fourth-To detail from those in the military
service such only as are absolutely needed in civil
pursuits, having reference in making such details,
to competency alone.
"Sirh-To levy direct tax Of per cent
every kind of property according to its value in
Confederate notes. including notes.
"ISerenth-To make Confederate notes a legal
tender in payment Of debts after the expiration Of
six months.
"EighM-To prohibit the buying and selling of
gold and silver con of banks in the United
States, or United States treasury notes. during the
war, under heavy penalties; or in lieu thereof, to
! prohibit running the blockade" by individuals
| under pain of forfeiture of the goods brought in
| and Imprisonment during the war.
"Ninh.-Declare these laws war measures, and
| make those who violate them amenable to military
courts alone"
| In the first place, the contract made between
principals of substitutes and the government is to
be broken, and the principals put in service; in the
second place, every ablcbodied man in the Con-
federate States is to be declared in the military SER
vice; in the third place, military courts are to take
the place of the civil law; and in the fourth place,
the President is to be clothed with the power of
of H. ~
pursuits of life. Superadded to all this we to
have the 1.-THE law and the impressment law in full
force at the same time, and heavy tax in gold
coupons to meet the interest on one thousand mil
lions of Confederate debt These measures, if car.
ried out, would change the whole character of the
| government, and convert it into military despot-
| ism. The funding of the Confederate debt with
the interest to be paid in the precious metals or in
the coupons of the bonds, would soon transfer the
bulk of the landed estate to the hands of the fortu
nate few, who might have the means Of purchasing
it when sold for taxes; the placing every able
bodied man in service would convert the whole
country into military camp; the right given to
the President to make details would place in his
hands the power of life and death over every able
bodied man. for if he should refuse DETAIL and tho
person refused should desert the service he could
| have him shot; and on the back of all this, the
provisions left in the country, and constantly d.
minisbing on account Of the want of labor on the
farms, would be seized by the strong hand and the
people at home left to suffer and probably starve.
Pass these measures, and the President would at
once be armed with dictatorial powers-our civil
Courts would be silent-personal and civil rights
would be trampled by the heel Of power-the rich,
or such as have boarded the precious metals would
become the owners of nearly all the valuable prop.
erty in the country-the poor would become poor
er, and those who now live comfortably would be.
come poor Observation-Disclosures and anarchy
| would follow, and the drama would close with the
sword of absolute despotism waving over the heads
of ouY people.
North Carolina mas not been wanting at any time
!; in devotion to the Confederate government She
is now, ai,i has been for some time past the right
arm Of that government At least thirty thousand
of be: have bcen slain in battle or made Grip
piles for life. The most fertile portion of her Eas-
tern territory which blossomed like the rose before
the war, is new d barren desolation. On her Wes-
tern border she is threatened by the enemy up to
the gaps of the blue ridge Her resources have not
only been cut of and destroyed by the enemy, but
she has poured them out like water in the common
cause But there is limit to her endurance, and
that limit will be reached when innovation and
usurpation shall have radically changed the char
acter of the government. When she entered the
Confederation she stipulated for free forms and free
principles in all their vitality and vigor. She
bound herself to no despotism which might be at
tempted to be fastened upon her by gradual ap.
proaches. She has already spared her last man "
between eighteen and forty five, and she has long
since expended her "last dollar" She has recent
ly organized the remnant of her militia for police