Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-01-27

For the STANDARD.
aWH1Tf1fR zRElwE DRIFTING r
mh = tue Eberty, when fIss. born MEN,
Having TO advise the public may speak free"

nOeCb5t Wueu VsvV eeeA, -.
Having to adyise the public. may speak free"
The question, I" whittier srs We drifting e is one
that Is frequently seen in the Newspapers Of late
and itla no doubt more frequsutly pondsred BY aii
the thinking men qf the coantzys tits an illim,
portant absorbing, and vital question, aud in act
has been ever since the passage Of The oonscrpt act
near two yeafs ago But ktsly, Il seems to-bs for.
eng itself on the attention moro than 5ormerly.
we were told ut the commencement of this was;
that We were 10 revolution that the North wouldn't
light consequently, the strife would be short. We
we:e told that the blockade was Of paper, and Of
course, ofno account THAT England and France, on
account Of our great staple," would soon be our
allies, &c. True, an were NOT gulled by these ~
sertions, but too many we're; enough to condust us
to toheSe We are
We had, adopted for US, the Constitution Of The
United States, with . few alterations. The vital
parts we're proposed to be kept intact The attempt
was made to impress the people with the idea that
in Substances, the old reyered document vas to be-
enforced in its true spirit, We were not told that
men who enlisted for one year were to be conscri5ed
and kept IN the army for many, years. We were
not told that part Of the governments promises 10
pay were to be repudiated in less than three years
6y the few who manage the issues. We wers aSe
told that custom, which prevailed among the Il
!aeites centuries ago, was to be revived among %
in land boasting to be the "frsest Of the ffesi"
thatthe few pounds Of meat and wool which tho
widow might be so fortunate as to have with which
tofeed and cothe her little ones were to Be partly
taken away to pamper- those in power, and thsir
minIons. We were not told thAt men who bad
hired substituted to be declared liable to mill.
tary service. We were not told that thousands Of
bushels Of North Carolina corn was to be made in.
to whskey, with which to moisten the dry jaws of
Of place-men, when hundreds of little children in
the country were crying for bread But most Of
these things we haze eeen, and those We have not,
it is proposed to exhibit to us. One or two moro
strides in the direction We are going, and we will
haze passed into as complete despetism as any in
the old world. Give to one or two men the power
ofexempton, and suspend the writ of habeas corpus.
and e.need not ask, "whither are we drifting p
Do these things in addition to yhat has already
been done, and We are under military despotism
of the darkest stamp.
The soher minded, thinking men of our country
are pondering another question, as we'll a. the one
that heads this article, namely: How much longer
is this state of things to continueP Will the people
the great mass of the voters Of the country, who
have been nearly all their lives accustomed to the
sweets of hberty-will they continue to look on,
suplney, and see the last vestge of freedom swept
away and not attempt to- stay the hands of those
who would utterly ruin usp Will not the people
OF North Carolina especially, rise ;n,heir might and
demand and assume thsr lost rights?
Let the Governor and Legislature just annouace
TO the people of the State they are to have Con-
venton if they wish it, in order to consult concern
ing the "greatest good of the greatest numoer,"
and there will be an upheaving Of the people, such
as has not been witnessed for years. We should
work whils it is today, "lest the night cometh
when no man can work" GALAMUS.