Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-05-27

| red in. s.'
! s REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES.
Mr.. Leitch, report from the Judiciary commit
! tee that bill in relation to certain exemptions in
| payment of taxes do pass.
Mr.. Wright from the same, resolution concern
ing the salaries Of Circuit Judges. '.."
Mr.. FaisOn from finance committee, bill sus-
| pending payment of taxes in Haywood, Macon,
Jackson, Cherokee and Clay, with an amendment,
recommending that the amendment be not adopted
| This bill was afterwards taken up and laid on the
table after being amended 90 to include Beaufort
! county. &c.,. as.. ....-
Mr.. Sharpe, bill from the judiciary committee
to prevent distation Of grain, with amendments,
recommend their adoption.
Mr.. Warren reported hill from the same CON-
mittee to punish persons fleeing to the enemy, with
| . recommendation that it do not pass. ..
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS &C.
! Mr.. Lassitsr, bill in relation to payment Oh
taxes. Referred
! Mr. Smith, bin to amend the charter of the
LockVille mining and manufacturing company
| Referred.
Mr.. Wright a bill to amend an act in relation to
salaries and fees. Referred. .....
| Mr. Patrick bill to exempt the Mayor and Com
IniSsioneTs of the town of Kinston from conscrip
] ton. Referred.
n, Mr. Bount o resolution authorizing the Govern
| or to employ commissioner to collect and publish
| certain information concerning North Carolina
| troops. Laid over.
A OIL TO amend the w estern plankroad compa-
ny taken up, on its second reading with SUBJ
stitute, which was adopted, and the bill so amend
| ed passed its second reading.
/ The hour set apart for the consideration of the
majority and minority reports of the committee on
habeas corpus having arrived, the Speaker announ-
| ced the question to be whether the Senate would
| adopt the minority report as substitute for the
| mlj rity report Of said committee.
/ Mr.. llat said that in the present condition Of the
country, he deemed it the duty Of this Legislature
to legslate not upon visionary and Hypothetical
dangers, but to act in such manner that our cause
would be strengthened, our soldiers clad and fed,
| and universal harmony be promoted Was it the
duty of this General Assembly to pass these
| lutions now? lie thought not because they were
diStracting in Their tendency and not calculated to
| strengthen our cause.
lie said that he reposed the utmost confidence in
our ultimate success first, because we were right,
second. because of our great and nearly de: eloped
resources, and third because the teachings of his
tory confirmed Linn in his opinions. He said that he
desired to vindicate that much abused class, the
original SeceSSonists, those who deemed the cleo
! ton Of Abraham Lincoln sufficient cause for dSu.
mon. That they had been right from the begin.
ing, and had their eounsels been needed the South
| would have presented one unbroken front and the
North would therefore have been deferred from the
prosecution Of the present wicked and bloody war.
| That The unity and harmony which once did exist
IN North carolina at the outset OF this struggle,
/ which he acted were not responsible for it.
View ng our ultimate success as certain he hailed
PreidrGt Davis as the Moses that should lead this
! nation from captivity worse than Egyptian bon.
| dsge, and he drew encouragement from the strug.
| giles Of Greece, Netherlands and our own Colonies
| III the cause of independence, all of which were
! Successful But although these were encouraging
facts, We must nevertheless be true to ourselves
Heregarded the majority resolutions of Mr. Warren
as offensive IN their nature that they contained in
| substance charge that OurrepreSenta!ves in Con-
gress who voted for the suspension Of the writ were
rknaves or o4is-becauSe heresoiutions charg
! ed them with frequent miraculous Of COnstitu.
! ton which they had sworn to support How could
! that be- since all our Courts thus far had decided
the conSitutionalty of the enactments of Congress
! in favor of that body?
lie said that Gov. Vance admits great disafecton to
exist IN this State, and should then as Senators
! place ourselves in antagOnSm to the Confederate
! government? Besides We are not the umpires 20
decide the cOnStitutionaiity Of the law but those.
questions should be referred TO the Judiciary who
were SOON to assemble in this City,
lie said that the opponents of the suspension of
the writ held that il it constitutional it was at
least inpohtc. How do they know the facts upon
which Congress passed. The President had lust sent
another message TO the Congress asking continue
tion OF the suspension. How do we then know
what the necessity mig be here? 1t is certain
anyhow that the necessity for the suspension still
exists lie said that be would 60 a step further
lie Ue'ieved that the personal privileges of the cti
conferred in ULher sections of the Copstitu
ton, such as that no arrest shall be made without
warrant on oath, meant to apply to times of peace
| only. That the government has an Inherent right
toprotcct itself in times of peril. This the Const-
tuition admits in comforting the right Of suspension
by negative pregnant. At such times Of peril the
government has the right to the property and life
OF every citizen, and that then cases of individual
oppression must be made su6servieut TO the public
good The Executive should then be empowered
TO act promptly.
He alluded to the powers conferred upon General
Washington during the revolutionary war and he
said tia: while the Continental Congress had then
decIaIed him dictator, ard clothed hun with every
power. there had been abuse of them.
lie SAID that our laws and ideas Of personal liber
ty came from the Magma ChGrtd of England
1t 1t IS right to suspend the writ in England, in
times OF danger, it is right here, and it has been
again and again suspended in Great Britain and
arrests authorized by order of the Executive. If
1t was argued that the law was unconstitutional in
that provision in the law providing against evasions
of the military service, he did not believe it, But
even if that clause were-unconstituonal it did not
render the law unconstitutional deny the power
Of Congress to enact the suspension.
MIR. Hall was laOoring under a severe hoarseness
Mr.. Warren in reply expressed his embarrassment
in debating subject SO thoroughly sifled by the
ahieSt statesmen in the land. The Senator from
New Hanover had also dwelt in his remarks upon
the causes that led to the present war, but as he
could notsee how such topics were german to the
question, he therefore dismissed them and proposed
only to discuss the resolutions themselves first as to
their constituti0halty, second as to their necess
ty. As to the latter he would say but little for the
reasons given to Congress by the President for the
suspension Of the writ were in secret session. But
ithad been stated by Mr. Baldwin of Virginia, that
the writ had been suspended for four reasons, and
the hrst one was to make negro testimony admissa-
Die; the second to prevent the calling of Conven
ton in NOrth-Carolina; the third to enforce the
CONSUMPTION laws, and the fourth to secure the ar