Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-03-25
The System of Im ,,ar 81


The System of Impressment. .'-5
We publish to day, from the Richmond Wing,
letter from Mr.. Baldwin, Of Virginia, to the secre
tary of War, on this subject Mr.. Baldwin makes
his points with much force. and sustains them by
law and Mr.. Seldom, it will lie seen, avoids discus
sion and plants himself on ''the extraordinary and
anamolous condition" of the times The WAig
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 subordnstes to erect it.
self into the tap making power of the government.
There is but one authority in this government for
making laos, and that is Congress. Neither the
Commssary Department nor the Secretary Of War
has any right to make q law ; and when they un-
dertaSe to 10 it. they commit usurpatiJn, and per-
petrate gross outrage upon every citizen Of the
Confederacy apd upon liberty ITSELF"
This correspondence, it wlll.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 coun
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
County, few days since, Confederate officer vsi
ted the house of citizen who has thirty in 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 a 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 in their
hands, can provide for themselves; whereas, their
wives and children, if deprived Of food by impress.
ment will be unable to provide for themselves, and
must starve There are thousands Of planters and
farmers in the State who have full cribs and smoke
houses, and most Of these willing to divide as
long as trey can with the poor around them. Some
Of Them We know, are not willing to divide bat are
holding up for higher prices; but public opinion
will deal with them, and if that should fail, the
strong hand of power will be brought to bear in the
! last resort Bat if the thousands who have pro-
visions, and who are dividing them judicousy and
literally with their poor neghbors, and who are
also supplying the market for those who are able
| to purchase,-if they should be alowancsd by the
government, and the remainder of their corn and
bacon over ard above their allowance should be i'm
pressed and carried away, it will no longer be in
their power either to sell give, aud 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
We learn is not done. The "just compensation .
provided for in the Constitution, certainly means
he market price. What other persons have to gv'
"r articles Of prime necessity, the government
through its officers ought also to give 1t iswronl
to compel citizen whose property consists in corn
-four, or bacon, to contribute all, nearly all hi
has, while citizen whose property consists in land
money, paper securities or tobacco, or any othel
thing which the government does not want is re
! quired. to contribute nothing The people have
right to expect equality even under oppression, bu
even that is denied them
We trust some means may be devised to avoid
general impressment If not, and if our people ar
to be allowanced and the poor in consequence con
signed to starvation, one .foresee the conse
quenceS.