Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-03-08


government issue Of currency, we must receive in /
payment of Confederate taxes oil notes or bonds or
certificates which pesons are compelled BY the gov
eminent to take in payment for property taken from
them By its impressment officers.
We must abandon the policy of supporting the
armies BY impressmens OR forcible seizure Of proper
-ty, and must adopt the policy Of purchasing what
we need except in extreme cases which justify i'm
pressment, and then must pay the constitution
requires, just compensation. for the properly taken.
This equalizes the burdens by dividing the whole
among the entire number of tax payers, in propor-
tion'to the amount of property owned by each.
Representatives without constituency must no I
longer be allowed nor must laws be dictated to us
by the votes of representatives without accountable
ty to those who share in the burdens imposed the
legislation enacted by them, =. y =
Secret sessions Of Congress, except in eases where
legislation effecting the moyenentsof our armies are
pendir 6, musssbe abandoned and the people must
know, as they have right to know, how their rep-i
resenatves act and vote upon all measures aet ting
their vital interest," their rights and their honor
Discipline must be restored and enforced 10 our
armies. One Of the reasons given by its advocates
for the enactment of the copscrpt law that bet
ter discipline would be maintained by giving the APP
pointment of the officers tothe President. Results
have shown the reyerse to be true. Prior to the
adoption of that plan, the officers selected by the
troops themselves and appointed BY the States, kept
the in the field, and we trium phed goriously in
almost every engagement with the enemy. Since
that time the officers appoi, ted the President has
neither maintained discipline nor kept tina men, III
the field. Il the Presidents statement IS relissle,
they have only one-thrd of them there. Aud fear
the discipline of that third is loose compared with
that exhibited by the Federal army, in its march
through this STATE.
The President having failed in his military adj
minstratou and brought the country to the verge OF
ruin by his military policy, Should be relieved Of that
part of bis duties by all amendments of the Consti
tuition to provide for the appointment Of a Com
mander-in- Chief to the armies of the Confederacy,
by the President, by and with the consent of two
thirds of the Senate, who shall be entirely free from
the control of the President and removable only by
the same power by which he was appointed. This
would place the best military talent in the country
in command of our armies, not In name only, but In
fact and would US ia future from the heavy
amities which have befalen US blythe caprcious re-
mova of great commander, at MOST critical juno
| ture of an ably conducted defensive campaign.
The late act of Congress did not, and could not
take from the President his constitutional power as
Commander in Cchef 1t provides fer the appoint:
ment Of General in Chief. Robert E. Lee Geis-
erdlinChef is ubject to the orders of the PrNs-
dent as he was before the act Of Congress, and his
appointment under it, ard the President may at any
moment Illustrate his plans by orders which he is
obliged to obey. CsDgfess cannot divest the Pres-
uent Vi power over GeneralS C0nIeOer-
ate service, including the General-in- Chief This
power is conferred by the institution and can only
be taken away hy an. amendment of that instrument.
Those changes may he made without the evils of
revolution within revolution. The constitution pro-
vidss for its own amendment The remedy is peace
full. 1t declares that upon the demand of any three
States legally assembled 10 their several conventions
| the Congress shall summon a convention of all the
States to take into; consideration such amendments
| n topa fto tako choM+n
| suggesting, at the time when the demand is made.
perfectly Legitimate and proper for three States
to demand such convention, whenever 70 the opin-
ion Of their people the public good the common
safety requires it. 10 my opinion the best interest of
the country requires that such convention meet with
as. little delay as possible, to propose such amend
mems to the constitution as will reform abuses by
settling disputed points, aud effect a speedy aud
thorough change of policy in conducting the war
and filling up and sustaining our armies. ! am not
atradto trrst the people in convention. Therefore
recommend the calling of convention of the people
of this State for the purpose of proposing such
amendments to the constitution will relieve the
President Of his responsibility as CommanderinC Chief
of the armies and will provide for the appointment
of Commander Chiefin time of war; and to pro-
pose such other amendments and do such other acts
as will correct the abuses and afford remedies for the
grievances herein. before stated.
| l also recommend that this General Assembly APP
point commissioners each other States of the Con-
ederacy, requesting them to assemble in Convention
convention Of all the States, fer the purposes above
specified. u 49,.
The speedy adoption of this policy is in my judg.
ment indispensable to the achievement Of our 10 de-
pcnsNne and the maintenance of the great princi.
pies 1T Stag sovereignty and constitutional liberty
which undere the foundations of our federatve 81
TEN Of gOvsrnlnent-gave being to our present con.
| u StatPS-lD0
to the future prosperity aud happiness of our people
BY the construction placed upon the constitution as
it stands, by those who administer the Confed-
crate government these great principles have been
dsrega :ded, and the sovereignty of the States and
rights Of the people lost sight Of in the struggle ol
. Independence. a. ~ ''>''-.'.
The achievement of onr Independence seems to be
the great and only good aimed by these who weit
the power at Richmond. We have been told from
the halsDf Congress that courts must be closed ane
;. State lines obhterated, is necessary to accomplish
n this object Indeed pers ,ns ia authority seem
to have forgotten that are fighting for anything
but independence If so the whole struggle is i,
vain for we had at in the old government, which
was our government, coussctated by the blood of on
ancestors aud transmitted from sire to son. We
independent of all other powers. But. the people o
the Northern States got control of that gvefnnent
and so administered it as to imperil not ;nde
J.. pendence but rights We then. separated from
them ard are lighting TOR our rights and our llber
! ties; and as means of maintaining and securing
those rights: and berti"s we declared our ,depe9d
ence. Independence with these is worth all th
. sacrifice which we have made or can make. On
rights and liberties are not secondary to our indie
pendence, but our independence is.only necessary
protect our rights and our liberties. Russia, is in
dependent ofall the world, SO is Turkey, while th
t government Of each is despotism aud the peopl
hcve only the rights and liberties which the sgvef
? eeu chooses to permit them to exercise Ifthi5
the sort of independence for which we are fghtip
great sacrifices have been made to but little pm,
pose. The recognition by foreign powers of the il
dependence Of our rulers and Of their right to COVER
,ns, without the recognition Of our rights and hbe,
ties by our rulers, is not worth the hood Of the hun
r best citizen. Wsmust gain more than this in tt