Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-12-21

be recovered through blood and carnage. love the
Confederate government and desire to see her indie
pendeuce established, but more, BY hundred fold'
do loye my own native North Carolina; but more
than both together do cherish aud venerate with Gil
the affection Of my heart the immutabe, eternal Prln-
ciples of civil liberty.
the writ some suppose may be found by careful Pc
rusal of the recent message of the President.
He declares that 'the exemption from military du-
ty now accorded by law to all persons engaged In GER
tain specified pursuits or professions is shown by ex
perieuce to be unwise it believed to be defes-
BILE In theory" 49,
"Al telegraph operators, professors, editors, ply
sicaus, &c., and the numerous other classes menaon.
ed in the laws cannot in the nature of things be els
thsr equally necessary n their several professions nor
distributed throughout the country, &C.:
A discretion should be vested in the military author
tiles THAT is, In President Davis that sufficient
number of them essential to the public service might
be detailed, &c.",
Is it that President Davis wishes to have control of
the pulpit the press of State officers, of all and every
class of our peorle2 Does he wish to have the pow
er of detailing the Judges who coustrue the laws and
the members of the Legislature who enact them p
Do the members Of this Legislature know that every
Judge within the Southern Confederacy, within the
conscrpt age owes his exemption, at this time, &C
cording to the theory of the President aud of Con-
gress to the certificate Of the Governor that he is
necessary State oficer2 The last CONSUMPTION act
declares all white men, residents of the Confederate
States between the ages of II and 50 in the service
of the Confederate Staes for the war, and then, as
matter of courtesy, not matter OF right, exen1fs
the members of the several State Legislatures and
such State officers the Governor may certify to be
necessary for the proper administration OF the State
government. The Judges Of our Courts are omitted
fr,,p fho ,arot,, opH nnaHQ
their theory, to claim exemption through the Cover
nos certificate. Our have declared that State
officers not exempted by virtue of this provision
because they are not liable. Thus Congress. has no
power to interfere with the sovereignty of the State
which attaches to each of her officers. But if this act
becomes the law, and the privileges Of the writ OF
hd6eGs corpus are again suspended what will prevent
the President, under the law which he proposes, from
stzing every Questionable State officer and detailing
man to fill his place2 The decisions of our Judges
may I've disregarded if they should declare that the
suspension does not extend of this character
and the rights aud sovereignty Of the State tramp'ed
in the dust
There is a third reason it is supposed by some, for
this suspension.
The President is DESTROYS of employing slaves in the
military SERVICE of arming them if in his Judgment it
becomes necessary, and this utmatiop Is made 10 the
message; that emancipation should be held Quito the
slaves reward for faithful services, or that it
should be granted at once upon the promise OF such
services. The plan is to obtain them by contract
with their owners if possible if not to impress them,
and the attention of Congress is invited to the pro-
prety of radical modification in the theory "f the
law Of the 18th February which provides for the in-
pressment of slaves for limited time.
Now. sir, it appears to me that tie mpressment OF
slaves for day, by the Coz Tolerate government, is
forbidden by the Constitution Its therein declared
that private property shall not be taken for public
use without just compensation and again, that no
law mpairibg the right of property 10 negro slaves
shall be passed. My construction of this is that Con-
gress shall not have power to interfere in any degree
with slave property, bnt leave it entirely to the con-
troll of the States The State Of North Carolina is
willing to give her consent that her slaves may he
usei as laborers, but with the clear understanding
that it is done of her own free will and not that the
Congress has any control the SUBJECT matter.
If Congress has the right to impress then the prop
ery in the slaves would become vested ia the govern
ment, and the government have the right to emanci
pate them it sees proper, thus introducing into our
midst class Of free negroes who would be pest to
society. This termination can never be reached 80
long the people free to assert their legal rights
against the government. But suspend the privileges
of this writ 10 the manner proposed allow the Pres
dent to proceed in his plan OF emancipation, and it
will not be long before the doctrine Of negro equality
will be publicly propagated. l am opposed to arm
ing slaves and placing them in the army, because
wish to preserve our Institutions Let it be done, and
we will soon that ''slavery is doomed and that
providence in our blindness has made the nstru-
ments in its destruction"
But, sir, the question has been often asked, care
afraid to trust President Davis? D. we distrust
his wisdom, or believe that he would abuse the power
if placed in bis hands" have made it point to
speak respectfully of President Davis and have often
refrained from expressing my disapproval Of his
course because feared that it might nure the
of our common country. But to-day standing here
legislator in view Of the numerous infractions Of
the Constitution already pepetrated and that
10 contemplation, duty to my constituents requires
me to say that there is nothing in President Davis
past course or present action to justify in saying
that the Constitution would be safe if entrusted solely
, |, to his hands.
1t is generally believed that years ago Msss ippi
through his controlling influence was induced to VIC
late that clause of the Constitution forhiding any
State to 'mpar the obligations of contract" Un
der his leadership she perpetrated that act of repua
ton which branded her as bankrupt amongst ma
TONS And upon two occasions at least since he ha
been President he has either deliberately violated TIL
Constitution himself permitted it to be done whe
he had the power to prevent it,. Que OF those occa
sions is connected with the suspension Of the prvil
eyes OF the writ of hGbeds corpus. There haze bee
three suspeus ons by the Congress of the Conederat
States The first and second acts unconstitutional
conferred the right Of suspension upon the President
f and he exercised the unconstitutional power when
: was his duty to have vetoed the bills The thir
act expressly states that Congress aloue has tbs pow
of suspension and the President signed it, althoug
his signature convicted him Of the previous infae
. TONS.
!, 2 1t may be that President Davis was ignorant
the unconstntionaty ofthe previous acts If so, til
\ 4 we-heing Of his country made it incumbent upo
him to acknowe ge his and thus quiet the appre
tensions of those who witnessed bis exercise uncor
FL stitutional powers.