Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-03-27
Execution of the conscript Law.


Vers, mail contractors and postmasters but that the
probability is they will attempt to take constables,
justices of the peace, and militia officers.
To force stage drivers, mail contractors and post
masters into the army is to in6ict serious blow
upon the postal service, by which the people will
be deprived to no small extent Of newspapers and
of the privilege of hearing from their friends in the
army; but these officers in the service Of the
Confederate government and great as may be the
injury which win result from conscripting them, we
do not that the State authorities have any pow
er to prevent it But it is different as to constables
justice of the peace, and militia officers Constables
and justices the conserVatprs of the peace. 1t
is their duty to protect the weak against the strong
the honest against the dishonest and to see that
the law is observed The militia officers remain
only as monuments of the fact that we once had
militia organization. The great body of the militia
has already been cOnscribed, and the Confederate
Constitution, which guarantees to the States "a
well regulated militia" is in that respect nullied
and disregarded. To order the militia officers into
the ranks as conscrpts would be to sweep away the
last Vestige of the militia system.
But these officers are not only useful and highly
important to society, but they are State officers
Without them, society would be disorganized, and
the State itself would be dependent the central
government for the maintenance of ordinary police
regulations. Can the common government, which
is The of the States do any act the result
of which will be to break up the governments of the
States themselves ?-or to render the States in the
administration of their domestic officers, dependent
on that government?
But there is another and an important view Of
this matter. 1t was thought that after exempting
Gl the officers above named the people of the State
would barely be able to raise supply ofproVisiOns
for the next year. If however, they should all be
conscribed up to forty years of age not less than
five thousand laborers and producers in various ways
will have been forced from US, and that too at the
very time when they are pitching their crops. The
arrangements which they have made for crops will,
a general rule come to nothing Two three
thousand more farms will lie comparatively idle,
yielding no increase for subsistence beyond what
may be necessary for those who may be left upon
them.
1t is probable that we have more magistrates and
militia officers than necessary. There are many
of them, it is true, who ought to be in the war but
it would be difficult to discriminate and say who
should aud who should not go; and if one Of them
is permitted to be cOnscrbed the principle is yield
ed as t. ALL
1t seems to be the determination of the admins
traon at Richmond to take the last man from North
Carolina We should be better reconciled to this,
if we had to believe that the law was enforced
with the same rIgor in other States.
We repeat, there is great principle involved in
this matter. In the first place our people en-
titled to know, if such be the fact that the Judicial
and executive officers of the other States in
cuded in the conscrpton; and in the second place,
to deprive the State of these officers is to that
tent to dissolve the State government and to render
the States as dependent on the government at Rich
mond as the Counties OH them. We have reason
to believe that Gov. Vance has the subject under
consideration. We trust he will take his stand
firmly and finally in opposition to measure, the
result Of which must be- not only to drain the State
of thousands of fighting men in addition to those
already in the field, without whose presence and
services society may be disorganzed and our crops
still more seriously diminished, but to render the
States still more subservent to their creature, the
common government. This is practical question
of State rights and should be decided accordingly
The suggestion that We must ignore the rights oI
the States and concentrate all power in the common
government until the revolution is accomplished is
alike unsound and dangerous. The revolution COM
menced by separate State action, and the States are
contending for individual as well as national ex
i>tence. IT, in the progress of the revolution they
should consent to part with their sovereignty and
to PROSTATE themselves the feet of power crea
ted by themselves, they will find themselves in the
end mere blanks in the system, and the great object
they had in view defeated. Power once conceded
or usurped is never regained without struggle.