Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-02-01
Nprtl- Cnrpliun 5tauharb
SPEECH OF MR.. HANES,
OF DAVIDSON

SPEECH OF MR.. HANEs,
OF DAVIDSON,
Delivered in the House of Commons Of North-Car
DINA, January Goth, 1865, on the following reso'
lutions introduced by him.
Resolutions on the subject of Genera! Convention
Of the Cdetsderats States:
WHEREAS, The present system Of legislation by
The Congress of the Confederate States, BY which
the most oppressive and unconstitutional laws have
heen passed from time to time, by the votes OF IT.
RESPONSIBLE representatives from Missouri, Ken
tucky and other States, some of whom have never
seeded from the Government of the United states,
Int have at this time their full quota of men in the
armies of our enemies and who therefore have no
constituents upon wnom the laws passed by them
can operate, and some of whom dare not even snow
themselves IN the States which they profess TO re.
present. isan outrage to which no free people ought
to submit: -,
And Whereas, Article Y Of the Constitution OF the
Confederate States provides, that Upon the de-
mapd of any three States, legally assembled IN
their several Conventions, the Congress shall sum
mon Convention of all the Confederate States, to
take into consideration such amendments to the
Constitution as the said States shall concur in sug-
gesting at the time when the said demand is made;
and should any of the proposed amendments to the
Constitution be agreed on BY the said Convention
voting BY States-and the same be ratified by tho
Legislatures of twothlrds Of the several States or
by Conventions in two-thirds thereof-as the one
or the other mode of ratification may be proposed
by the general Convention-they shall thencefor-
ward form part of the Constitution But no State
shall without its consent be deprived OF Its "equal
representation" in the Senate.
Therefore, Resolced, That tae Joint Select Oo'n-
mittee on Confederate relations be instructed to
frame and bring in bill ealing Convention OF the
people of this State, or submitting the question 10
chem so as to enable them to assemble in Conven-
:ion-if majority Of them should desire to 90 so,
for the purpose of CO operating with any two other
States in calling Convention of all the Confeder-
ate States, for the purpose of amending the Con-
stituon, so as to provide that hereafter the repre-
>entatives of any State States, whose territory
IS in the hands of the enemy so that the Coneder-
ate laws cannot be enforced therein, shall not dur
ing the continuance Of such occupation by the enc
n.y. be permitted to vote upon any question of leg
tsiation but shall have only such rights as are al
lowed to the delegates from the Territories of the
Confederate States; and of considering such other
amendments as the said three States shall concur in
suggesting
Resolued, farther, That State sovereignty being
the principle on which North Carolina and the other
States Withdrew from the Federal Mon, the States
composing the Southern Confederacy are sovereigns
and the Confederate Government is only their agent
and subject to their control and that the States in
their sovereign capacity, in General Convention as
senbled, have the right to negotiate peace with
the government of the United States without con-
sutaton with the President of the Confederate
States, but subject only to the subsequent ratidca
lion of the several States in their separate State
Conventions
The above resolutions having been read, Mr..
HANEs said
Mr.. SPEAKER:-In submit ng these resolutions
for the consideration Of the House. desire to avail
myself Of the privilege of discussing them and their
kindred topics with that boldness and freedom
which should ever characterize the debates Of the
representatives Of fsee people, when assembled for
the purpose of legislating for them In trying and
perilous times
On a memorable occasion during the period of
the rebellion of her American colonies the great
Earl of Chatham said in the British House of Lords,
that " he reiOced that the Americans had resisted
that three millions Of En.lishmen thus submitting
to be made slaves would be fit instruments for en-
shaving the remainder" On another memorable &C.
,asan few years later, another eminent British
statesman who received Justice at the hands
of conteupora les, but whose memory will be hal.
lowed by the admiration of posterity-Mr. Fox
spoke in the British house of Commons on the sub.
ject Of at answer to the Kings speech, using this
remarkable language: 81 shall treat the speech Of
the King as the speech of the Minister, and I'M
sierake to say that there is not single fact set
forth in his Majestys speech which is not false
hood"
If such liberty Of speech was allowed in the Bri
fish Parliament three quarters Of century ago
how much greater liberty may venture to take ir
this, the high noon of the nineteenth century, az
the representative of American freemen especially
when remember that the freedom of debate ant
the freedom of the press is guaranteed to me by
TWO written Constitutions that of the State, anc
of the Confederate States.
Ishall, therefore, proceed to- discuss boldly, ant
express my opinion fearlessly upon every gyea
question of public policy which may have beef
rendered necessary by the dreadful war which fo
the last four years has been sweeping over this de
voted land like tornado, communicating or destroy
ing everything which came within its vortex, ant
which has spread pail over the whole land-ha
brought mourning into every family-has rendere
hundreds of thousands of hearth stones desolate-
has filled the land with the MANNED and the dis
abled, with widows and orphans, and with squai
poverty.
These resolutions, Mr.. Speaker, propose the cal
Oft State Convention for the purpose of coopera
ting with the Conventions of other States in call
ing Convention of the Confederate States, for tn
purpose of making certain specified amendmen
to the Confederate Constitution in pursuance c
the provisions of Article V of said Constitution
cited in the preamble. No argument therefore,
necessary to prove that the powers of such Cor
vention extend. to the making the proposed alnenc
ment subject to the subsequent ratification of tn
several States. The only argument necessary to
made here is to prove the necessity of such amend
nents.
Much unjust oppressive and demonstrations
legislation has been done within the last three year
by the Confederate Congress. Nearly all the sacre
rights of the States have been tramped in the dust
Conscrpt law after conscript law has been passed
until the entire militia system of the States has bee
swept away. Exemption bill after exemption bill ha
been modified or repealed until the whole male whit
population between the ages of seventeen and lift
years, with the exception Of the State officers, ed
itors, printers and ministers of the Gospel are sub
ject to the control of tho military authorities An
now it is gravely proposed to repeal all exemption
laws. and allow no judges to hold our courts, n
man 70 legissate for the States, publish newspa
per or preach the Holy Gospel in pursuance of hi
commission from Almighty God, without specis
detail from the President for that purpose unles
such person should be over fifty years ofage Nor