Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-12-09

Mr. Henry of BERTHE, moved that . message be
,ot 10 the Senate proposing to elect Councillors o.
State at one o'clock P. NJ. to-day. Not agreed TO-
The special order now came up for CONSIDERATION
viz: Mr.. Phillips
RESOLUTIONS upon the suc1ect Of improvements W ''''
WHEREAS, 1t is plain principle of justice that
all the expenses caused by the present war snould
he borne by the various citizens in due proportion
TO their property and whereas the prices OCCASION
ed by the depreciation of the currency are fairly 10
be reckoned amongst such expenses where's,
further it is equally unjust and unconstitutional lor
the Confederate government to appropriate the pro-
perty of private citizens without just compensation
to the owners: Therefore, =,
Resolued, That this General Assembly, IN the
name of the good people of North Carolina, doth
solemnly protest against the system now in force
throughout this State by which the Confederate
government claims and exercises the power OF an
pressing private property at certain nominal rates,
arbitrarily established and known as schedule prices
ReS0Lped That this General Assembly takes oc
casion in this connection to express the opinion that
much of the machinery by which the Confederate
government gives effect to the extraordinary mea
sures connected with this war is both Calling and
ominous, and is well calculated to agltate people
rejecting upon their lineage and former freedom.
ResoIoed further, That such experiments upon
the temper of this commonwealth have increased
are increasing, and ought to be diminished.
ReSOLCed That His Excellency, Gov. Vance, be
requested to transmit copies of these resolutions to
His Excellency the President of the Confederate
States; and also to our Senators and Representa-
tiVes in Congress, to be by them laid before that
honorable body.
Mr. Phillips said that the impressment of prop
erty by the Confederate government without just
compensation to citizens for the property taken de-
served at the hands of this Legislature prompt and
stern rebuke. This unjust system OF impressments
had been pursued for few years past IN almost
every county in this State, to the amount OF mil
lions of dollars worth of property. 1t was iucum-
bent upon this Legislature to speak out plainly-to
enter indignant protest against system, through
which the Confederate government, without justice
and in disregard to the Constitution, tranpled up
on the rights Of its citizens. He held that the only
practical question whether the government had
or had not transcribed its powers in its persistent
interference with the rights of private property
If impressment he made, the mpressing officer pay
ing but third Of the value of the article taken,
bow long, he asked, would it be before they allow
ed to citizens whose property they seize, but one
tenth of its value ?how long would 1t be ere they
paid nothing at all
The immediate cause of the introduction of these
resolutions the action of impressing officers in
the county Of Orange. An agent of the Confeder
ate government in that county had recently impress
sed one hundred and sixty horses and mules, pay
ing their owners only an average of 800. lie had
asked the officer their market value and he replied
worth of property impressed in Orange county,
the government paying its owners but 100000
one third of the value-or rather the citizens be-
came owners Of little pieces of brown paper prom
ising to pay at indefinite period in the future.
| Mr. Phillips proceeded to characterize this pro-
ceeding the imposition of indirect tax contra
ry to every provision of the Constitution. He re-
garded this and similar acts deliberate, unmiti
gated violations of the rights of the people 1t was
significant, he said, that our citizens have not re-
sorted to the courts of law for redress and protec
ton. This submission to oppression did not arise
from patriotism but from despair of remedy and the
| fear lest such course should entail upon them Sc
| we're penalties No man, he said, will love gov
eminent that deliberately, and persistently, contn
uslly TObs him, and it made but little difference
whether the injury was done under color of law or
through the caprice of petty despot. There bad
been impressed in this State, unconstiutionally, mol
property to the value of ten millions of dollars but
ten millions of dollars beyond the oaLUe of ,ohich
the inpressing officers themselves had assessed It,
Mr.. Shepherd was opposed to the resolutions in
part but was fully prepared to vote for the princ
pies expressed in the preamble. He regretted that
the gentleman from Orange had used the term ''rob
berry" in characterizing the policy Of the govern
ment in relation to impressments. He deprecated
further the remark that people in reference tc
their rights had become torpid and that their sub
mission to the measures of the government was the
| result of fear rather than patriotism. He moved
to amerd by striking out the I'd and Sd resolutions
Pending the question Messrs. Grisson and Sharpe
addressed the House in defence of the resolutions
|, The question recurring, on Mr.. Shepherds mo
tion the House refused to strike out. Ayes As
noes So.
Those who voted in the affirmative were Messrs
Baxter, Beam, Brown Of Madison, Brown of Neck
lenburg, Bryan Carson of Rutherford Cobb, Cos
tner, Crawford of Rowan, Crawford of Wayne
Cunningham, Dargan, Davis of Halifax, Davis o
franklin, Duke, Enloe, Erwin, Faison, Gidney, Gri
er, Gudger, Harrington, Harris, Hassell, Hawes
Headen W. j., Lane, Latham, Lewis, Little, Love
Mclean, Murphy OutterbridEe, Patton, Pool, Pow
ell, Renhardt, Russ, Shepherd, Ship, Smith of Du
plin Strong and Young-45.
Those who voted in the negative were Messrs
Allison, Afford, Asheworth, Banks, Ben5ury, Best
Blair, Bond OF BERTHE, Bond of Gates, Caldwell
Galloway, Carson of Alexander, Carter Cspp
Cowles, Craige Faucette, Flynt Fowle, Gaskins
Gibbs, Grissom, Radley, Harrison, Headen j II
Henry, Herbert, Holton, Horton of Watauga, Hor
ton of Wilkes, Isbell, Johnston Jordan, Judkns
Lyle Mann, Mccormick, McGehee, Mcmillan, Nor
isey, Murrill, Patterson, Peace, Perkins, Phillips
Riddick, Rogers, Russell, Sharpe, ShOber, Simmons
Smith of Johnston, Stipe Waugh and Wheeler-55
The resolutions were then adopted without amend
men', yeas IA, nays "a.
Those who voted it the affirmative were Messrs
Allison, Afford, Asheworth, Banks, Beam, Benbury
Best Blair Bond. of BERTHE, Bond, of Gates, Brown
ofMecklenburg Bryan, Caldwell, Galloway, Carson
of Alexander, Carson, of Rutherford Carter, Clapp
Costner, Cowles, Craige, Cunningham, Davis, o
Halifax Davis, of Franklin, Enloe Fancette, Flynt
Fowle, Gibbs, Grissom, HadIey, Harrington, Har
rison, HAYES, Headsn, j. H Headen, W. j, Hen
ry, Herbert Holton, Horton, of Watauga, Horton
of Wilkes, Isbell, johnson, Jordan, Lewis, Lyle
Mann, Mccormick, McGehee, Mcmillan, Morisey
Murphy, MurrilI Patterson, Peace, Perkins, Phil
lips, Powell, Reinhardt, Riddick, Rogers Russ Rus
sell, Sharpe, Ship, Shober, Simmons, Smith, o
Cabarrus, Smith, of Johnston, Stipe Strong, Waugh
Wheeler, and Young-74 -'7'.-
Those who voted in the negativ were Mersrs. Bax
ter, Cobb, Crawford, of Rawan Crawford of Wayne
Dargan, Duke, Erwin, Faison, Gidney, Grier, Gud
! ger Harris. Hassell .Indkns Lane Latham LITTLE