Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-05-20
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GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
The Honorable,


Since your last adjournment various and lmpor-
tant changes in the situation OF affairs have oe-
CURED and many of them require legislative action
ct your hands
The late act Of Congress comforting power on the
President of the Confederate States to impose regu-
latious and restrictions commerce has given rise
to such system, on the part of the Confederate au
thorities as will cffect1ally exclude this State from
importing any further supplies for the army or peo
pie The port of Wilmington IS now more enec-
tually biockaded from acithiH than without Inc
terms imposed upon ship owners being such that a
heavy loss is incurred BY every goyage-and not
outstanding ne said act provides: THAT nothing
in this act shall be construed to prohibit the Con-
federate States, or any Of them from importing ary
of the articles herein enumerated on their own &C
count vet this is so construed by the govern .
ment as to compel the States to submit to the same
terms as are posed private parties and clear
ances refused and the guns OF the Notifications
brought to bear upon our own vessels to compel
compliance.
Private parties importing supplies for the govern
uent by contract for enormous profits are not tax
ed by these regulations yet the State of North-Car
olina importing almost the same articles for the
same purpose, is compelled to submit to them.
deem it inconsistent with the public interest to refer
more pSrtieularly to our blockade-running tranSac
lions and the loss which the State will suffer on
both ships and supplies on hand, those regulations
continue in force. When this is considered with
the uftDeF ldCL, as EOIu LuoS hiiO SSAO'SA
ernment has no right to seize onehalf, or any part
of the interest of sovereign State in the vessels
employed in importing her supplies (this being the
terms to which we are called upon to submit J or
to impose such regulations as will destroy instead
of regulating commerce, it becomes your province
to demand repeal modification OF the act, and
respectfully and earnestly recommend that you do
so. And in case Congress should decline to repeal
or modify the act l respectfully ask for directions
- to what shall do with the ships and supplies on
hand. detailed statement of these supplies toge-
Their with account accurate as 1t can be- With
out vouchers for expenditures abroad not yet receiv
ed is herewith submitted-together with the report
of Mr.. John White, our special Commissioner to
Europe. In reference to this geStleman, it is due
to him that l should say, that have every reason
to be pleased with the skill and fidelity with which
he performed the duties of his difficult mission
report of the operations of our other Commissioner
Col. D. X. McRae, necessarily incomplete is also
submitted, and will, believe be found equally sat-
sfactory, and credable to him as Commissioner
In this connection, I respectfully ask for the APP
pointment of committee to investigate all masters
appertaning to the blockaderunnng Of the State,
to be appointed at an early day. so as to report to
your present session if possible. No appropriation
has been made by your honorable body to pay the
current expenses of the vessels engaged in running
the blockade and none will be necessary all these
expenses be paid by selling bills, drawn on our
agent in England, as being incurred IN Wilmington
chiefly for the expenses connected with the loading
and unloading vessels, COMPRISING cotton, &c. And
they can be discharged in currency. 1 would sug
gest that you authorize the Treasurer to purchase
these bills out of any money in the treasury, and
thus keep the sterling exchange in the treasury
which otherwise would have to be put Oh the gen.
eral market and be lost to the State.
Being convinced from experience that the legiti-
mate business of my Office, now four-fold greater
than formerly is sufficient to tax all my energies of
mind and body and that | cannot do justice to the
interest of the State in business so complicated,
as many of the transactions carried on at
such distance, l respectfully recommend that a
commission of more gentlemen, skilled in
such business, be appointed to conduct the future
operations of the State in importing supplies Wheth
er for the purpose of continuing the operations or
winding up the business.
report of the Adjutant General covering reports
of his subordinateS in the different departments is
herewith submitted
The mpreSsment of property of citizens by Off
GERS and agents Of the Confederate Government
harsh enough in itself, has become doubly so, by
the constant disregard of the provision of the law
regulating seizures. In addition to this, the fla
grant outragcS committed in every part of the
country, BY struggling soldiers, and other persons
in the Confederate service, having no shadow Of
authority to impress property, has become griev:
snce almost intolerable. A recital Of many in
stances Of such, which have been brought to my
knowledge, would shock the moral sense of the
most heaItless.
have urged in vain upon the authorities of the
Confederacy to check this evil, and have used
every possible efforts to do so myself But it seems
to grow worse, and as the supplies of our people
become more scant they feel more sensibly this
unjust deprivation Of their property, which reduces
them almost to the verge of starvation. It must
be stopped, if possible, and l earnestly recommend
such action on your part as you may think best
calculated to aid me in remedying the evil My
correspondence with the War Department on this
subject is submitted for your consideration. l de-
sire to call your attention specially to certain
ments of the last the Confederate States
Among them is one extending the age of conscrip-
ton from 1S to II and from 45 to 30 years, which
force is to be organized as State reserve-their
company officers to be elected and the field officers
appointed by the President and all to be under his
command.
In addition to the great injury to be apprehended
to the agricultural interest of the country should
these men be ordered into actual service, have to
remind to you that it will absorb the entire militia
force of the State and would leave the Executive
with no force whatsoever except State oticers-a
condition dangerous at once to the peace and order
of the State, and to its sovereignty and di entity
Their can scarcely be doubt of the Inexpediency
of this act as to this State since the same men
with the exception OF boys from II to IS are now
very thoroughly organized as Home Guards under
State authority and have been heretofore and would
be again promptly turned out in cases of great
public danger. Grave doubts are also entertained
of its constitutionality the forces raised under it
being to all intents and purposes militia the con.
troll Of which cannot be legally taken from the Elk.
ecutve of the State Governmental least so far as
the appointment and commissioning of officers is
concerned. Should you, however, in the absence
Of Judicial decision to the constitutonality of
the act decline to take the responsibility of refus-
ing assent to it, there will be an indispensable nc
cessity of your constituting some militia for the
preservation of law and order in the State-by ex
tending the age Of service in the militia and by
some new organization of the remnants Of the
Militia and Home Guard organizations; otherwise I
shall have on my hands the officers Of two distinct