Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-04-20

wars, is business-plaip practical every day life
business there is in it no art or mystery erspecaf
knowledge except good, strong, common. sense
this relates to the finances the quarternasteTs and
collmiSSarys departments, the ways and means pro-
perrin a word to the resources OF country aad It's
capacities forrsaEs The nGmberUf meu that can be-
spared from production, without weakening the ag.
gregate strength-the prospect efrsupples, su6SlS-
tCDce, arms and mutations OF all kinds II Is rs
necessary that men called out should be armed,
clothed, shod and fed, as that they should be putin
the iield-subsistence is as essential as men, AT
present we have subsistence sufficient for the year,
IF it Is taken care of andomanaged with economy
UPOnsa moderate estimate, one within reasonable
bounds, the tilheS Of wheat and corn for 4aStyear
were not less, in the States east Of the MISSISSIPPI
to say nothing Of the other sfde) than eighteen
million bushes Kentucky and Tehnessee.a are not
included in this estRiateo This would bread an
army Of five hundred thousand men and one hun
bred thousand horses Tor twelve months and leave
aseensderahe margin for waste or loss. IA1hswe
have without buying or impresslng 2 epshel or
pound No: need a Gushel OF it be lost on account
Cfthe want Of transportation from points at dis
lance from railroads. At such places 1t could be
fed TO anInals put into beef and pork, and thus
lessen the amount Of these articles of food to be-
bought Upon like estimate the 1.-THE Of meat for
the last year will supply the afty for at least six
months-renderiug the purchase Of this article ne
cessary for only half the yea, the surplus in the
country, over anu ABOVE the uOcS
the deficiency. All that is wanting is men of bust
ness capacity, honesty, integrity, economy and In
duStry in the management and control of that de-
| partment There need be no fear of the want Of
subsistence this year. il our officials do their duty.
But how it will be next year, if the policy adopted
by Congress- at its late session, is carried out, no
! one can safely venture to say. ''
This brings me to the main objects of this ad,
| dress, review of those acts of Congress to which
your attention has been specially called by the Gov,
ernor, and on which your action is invoked. These
are the currency the military, and the hG6eaS cor
pas suspension acts. 1t is he beauty OF our system
Of government that all in authority responsible
to the people. 1t is, too, always more agreeable TO
! approve than to dsapprove what our agents have
done. But in grave and important matters, how
ever disagreeable painful it may be to express
disapproyal yet sometimes the highest duty requires
it. No exceptions should be taken to this when it
! is done in proper spirit, and with u view solely
for The public welfare. In free governments men
will differ as to the best means of promoting the
public good. Honest differences Of opinion should
never beget i'll feelings, personal alienations-
| The expressions Of differences of opinion do no
harm when truth alone is the object on both sides
Our opinions in all such discussions of public affairs
should be given from friends to friends, as from
brothers TO brothers, in common cause. We are
all launched upon the same boat and must ride the
| storm or 90 down together. DisagreementS should
never arise, except from one cauSe-a difference in
Judgment, as 10 the best means to be adopted, or
course to be pursued, for the common safety. This
is the spirit by which am actuatel in the com
ments | shall make upon these acts Of Congress.
! As TO the first two of these measures, the Tax
Act and Funding Act, known together as the tinan-
! cial and currency measures, I simply say in my
judgment, they are neither proper, wise or just
Whether in the midst of conflicting views, in such
diversity OF opinion and interests anything better
could be obtained, l know not-perhnps not
With that view we may be reconcilel to what we
do not approve. 1t is useless now to go into dis
cussions of how better measures light have been
! obtained, or how bad ones might have been avoid
ed-the whole is striking illustration Of the evils
attending first departures from principle-thC
"tdc1lis deseens,ls AUerno" Error is ever the pro
life source Of error. Our presen: financial enbar
easements had their origin in blunder at the begin
ming, but we must deal with the present, not the
past These two acts make it necessary for you
to change your legislation to save the State from
loss. As to the course you should adopt to do this
I know of none better than that recommended by
the Governor. His views and suggestions on this
point seem to be proper and judicious.
The military act by which CONSUMPTION is extend
ed so as to embrace all between the ages of seven
teen and fifty, and BY which the State is to be de
priVed of 50 much Of its labor and stripped Of the
most efficient portion OF her enrolled militia pre-
sents a much graver question. This whole system
of CONSUMPTION have looked upon from the begin
ming as wrong, radically wrong in principle and
policy Contrary opinions however, prevailed
Butwhatever differences of opinion may have been
entertained to the constitutionay of the previous
Conscript Acts it seems clear to my mind that but
i little difference exist to the unconSttution-
atty of this late act The act provides for the
organizing of troops of an anomalous. character
partly as militia and partly rs a portion Of the
regular armies. But in fact they are to be organ
lied neither militia part Of the regular army
We have but two kinds of forces, the regular army
and the militia-this is neither The men are TO
be raised conscrpts for the regular forces while
! their officers are to be appointed if they were
militia. If they were intended militia they should
have been called out through the Governor, in
their present organiZations-if as regular forces
they cannot be differed as the &C; provides 1t is
most clearly unconstitutional Who is to commits
sion these officers The Governor cannot for they
are taken from under his control; the President
cannot consttutionally do it, for he can commission
none except by and with the advice and consent OF
the Senate. 1t is for you to say whether you will
turn over these forces, and allow them to be con-
scriPted as is provided leaving the question of
coBstitutionality for the courts or whether you
will hold them in view of agricultural and other
interests or for the execution Of your laws and to
be called out for the public defense in of emer-
gency by the Governor when he sees the necessity,
when they are called for as militia by the Pres
ident The act upon its face in its provisions for
details seems to indicate that its object is not to
put the whole of them in the field. Nothing could
be more ruinous to our cause if such were the
object and intention and should it ever be carried
into effect For if all the white labor of the coun
try from seventeen to tifty-except the few excep,
tons stated-be called out and kept constantly in
the field, we must fail, sooner or later, for want Of
subsistence and other essential supplies To wage
war successfully, men at home as necessary as
men in the field. Those in the field must be pro-
vided for, and their families at home must be pro
yided for. In my judgment, no people can success
fully carry on long war; with more tn a third
OF its arms bearing population l:ept constantly in
the field, especially if cut off by blockade, they
thrown upon their own internal resources for all
necessary supplies, subsistence and munitions o.