Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-06-15
!: WEDNESDAY,. JUNE ID. 1864

i = III X :. Z : = -7Es ~
trsmpine the State, at time when funeral black-
fiess covers TIE land, Tor the purpose Of selling
out to the secession, leaders who helped the aeo'
ton fanatics Of the North bring on all these trou'
bles. is it possible that there is Conservative IN
the State that will vote for such mani We hope
not Progress .-.,S S5r7 AZ ~ .s'~'s5.' .
Remark, so o,f Hon. Nathaniel Boyden,
'''''>'' y " ' OF ROWAN, -. -
Differed in tie Senate of North Carolina on tho
- su3jsot of Conscriptson and Exemption.
I hold, Mr. Speaker, that the assumptions Of
mower contained in the acts of conscrption and es-
pecally in the last act arc wholly inconsistent with
our form of government; and if upheld by the leg
islation and judiciary Of the State revolution in
cur system Of government has already been accom-
plisbed which converts our association Of free and
sovereign States into consolidated military despo
tism more powerful than any that has existed in
Christendom in the last five hundred years. p.
Why, Mr.. Speaker, it assumes the right to con-
scribe and place in Irregular army Of the Coincide
rate States every man in .the.State Of the proper
age for bearing arms, no matter what State Office
he may hold-no matter how essential his Office or
employment may be to the very existence of the
State and to send him to distant lands to 6ght for
conquest anddominion, without the consent of the
State authorities. It assumes the right to every
State officer, high and low. and the whole militia
to the last man. and thatne man can be exempt By
State authority from this cruel and unrelenting con-
scripton, his only exemption being by the mere
grace and favor Of the. Confederate government
Are such assumptions of power consistent with our
system of goyernmentP Surely not Mr.. Speaker
It is true this last act Of CONSUMPTION has not &C.
tually placed in the regular army every State OH.
Ger. 1t has kindly condescended by implication to
exempt our Governor, and has by express words
exempted the members Of the Legislature and its
officers It has also exempted prea cheers, doctors
of certain ages printers of newspapers and few
Others All the rest of the men in the State, in
Guiding your whole judiciary, it has placed, pre-
tended to place in the regular army Of the Confede
rate States and there they must remain, subject to
military law even before enrolment and before
they have been actually mustered into service. It
will be recoliected that every exemption which is.
made in the acts of pure grace and favor on the part
of the Confederate government and not as a matter
of right in the States Can any man maintain suck
positions and not see at once that instead of Con-
federacy of free and sovereign States we have es-
tablished a most powerful consolidated military
despotism, the most cruel, oppressive, and unre.
lenting that has existedfn Christendom for centu~
ries past? 1t is true the judiciary, and other mpor-
tsnt and necessary State officers for the proper adj
ministration of the State governments, may be ex.
empted if the Governor will certify that they are
necessary for carrying on the State governments;
but let US suppose that difficulty has arisen be-
tween the governor and Judiciary Of the tate, in
relation to his powers as the Executive and he re-
fuses to certify to their necessity for the proper
administration Of the State government, what then
becomes ofthe judiciary, and what of the admins
tration Of the civil law? Does 1t not cease t.
exist ?-and there not an end to all State author
ty and all State government? No man can deny it.
To such assumptions of power by the Confederate
government for one, do not consent but feel boun
to enter my solemn protest against them. as utter
ly subversive Of all State authority and all State
rights. hold, Mr.. Speaker, that as State we are
not at all dependent upon the grace and favor Of
the Confederate government for the exemption of
necessary State officers, for any other exemption
of persons which in the judgement of the Lagisla.
ture may be necessary for the healthy and effective
operation of the State government, bat that it is
not only our right but our imperative duty to ex-
empt from CONSUMPTION all the constitutional off
GERS Of the several State departments including the
Legislative, executive and judicial, but likewise al
such other persons and employments as are neces
sary to the healthy and effective operation of the
State government; and for one am for exercising
this authority, by passing bill exempting all Off
of the several ordinate branches of the State
government But am not for stopping here: /
would proceed further and make liberal exemptions
Of all such other officers and persons as in my
judgment the State might require to secure an ef
fective administration of the State government;
and until the present crop is made and secured, /
would exempt every man zealously and laboriously
engaged on the farm raising supplies for the army
and for the the people at home; and would exempt
also all those persons employed in those mechanical
trades that are indispensable to farming operations
and if more men are needed and must be had, |
would take every able bodied man engaged in enrol
ling conscrlpts in State and every able bodied
in fho0 and
ments and all the other departments and all those
able.b bodied men who have sought soft and shady
places to keep out of the service and who are not
producing, but consuming what is made; and es-
pecialy would send forward to the army the hosts
Of able bodied, eredmouthed original secessionsts
who made such extravagant promises and boasted
as to what they would do if war should follow Sc
cession and who are now seeking out every sort OF
shady place to screen themselves from service
These men, sir, would send forward to the army;
but not another man, Sir, not another man should
be taken from the farm until the present crop was
made and saved; nor shonld the seed corn be ta-
KEN the boys between II and 19, nor the old men
between 40 and 90 years of age. If they are ia
ken, many field Of grain must 60 unreaped-
many heid planted in corn must be abandoned,
and starvation overtake many family This is
inevitables And verify believe that if the Pres
ident and the authorities at Richmond knew our
real condition as we know it, they would not take
another producer from the farm until the present
crop is made and secured. These are my DELHI
crate convictions, and have felt it my solemn.
duty to 50 declare inthe Senate.
This is witAp view of weakening or discouragins
our brave soldiers their commanders or thwarting
or distractng those in the councils of the nation.
Far from it Mr.. Speaker. But for the reason that
in my honest judgment the course recommend is
necessary to our SUCCESS in the death.struggle in
which we are involved That the CONSUMPTION acts,
in the assumptions of power have stated, arc un-
constitutional it seems to me no man in full posse
sion Of his reasoning faculties can i;sny.. Il has
been saidn DEBATE that the Courts of several States
have already decided that they are constitutional