The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-05-24
r.a R.he, Debt-Answers to Questions.

j A friend writes us as follows, under date
Edenton. Chowan County, May 10, 1855:
.our County Court has recently levied ana
| ordered the collection of double the rates OF
/ taxation upon all the usual suoJecss OF rev
/ enne taxed by the State. on the ground that
such heavy assessment was lnehsl,eh'suy
necessary to meet the wants ana neeus oi the
| County. Much the largest portion or our
County debt was incurred IN az @e nc
heUion in the support of volunteer companies,
whilst being formed and organized, and IN
| the ,sunport of the families of those who en-
| rcred the Confederate service. Now L. had
! snnnosed that the United States government
had required the non-paymcnt OF all such
debts. to which our Convention had assented
The authority for such heavy assessments Is
derived from an act of the Legislature OF
1862 in defiance of the fact, that all such
laws have been declared null and Void
Please reply to the following questions or lay
them before competent authority for decls-
ion, and publish for the information of the
public in your valuable paper, both the ques-
ton and the answers to them:
1st. Has the County Court the right now
to base its action upon any law passed by the
Legislature during the ware Have not all
such laws been declared null and void !?
Cd Has the County Court now the right
to raise means by onerons taxation to pay
debts incurred directly or indirectly IN aid
of the rebellion? Have not all such debts
been debarred payment by the requirements
of the United States government 2 Your
immediate attention to these enquiries is most
respectfully requested"
The State Convention, at its session in Oc-
tober last, declared the act of secession by
this State null and void. Every thing done
under that act in aid of the rebellion, is also
null and void. In addition to this, the Con-
vention passed the following ordinance:
AN ORDINANCE RECOGNIZING THE JUST DEBTS
ON NORTH-CAROLINA, AND PROHIBITING
THE PAYMENT OF ALL PUBLIC DEBTS CREA-
TED OR INCURRED IN AID OF THE LATE
REBELLION.
1. Be it declared and ordained By the dele
gates of the people Of the State of North Caro-
lima, IN Conrention assembled, and is hereby
declared and ordained, That it shall be the
duty of the General Assembly of the State,
so soon as is practicable, to provide for the
payment of all debts and obligations created
or incurred by the State, otherwise than in
aid of the rebellion.
9. Be it further declared and ordained, That
all debts and obligations created or incurred
by the State in aid of the late rebellion, di-
rectly or indirectly. are void, and no General
Assembly of this State shall have power to
assume or provide for the payment of the
/
General Assembly of this State have power
to assume or provide for the payment of any
portion of the debts or obligations created
or incurred directly or indirectly, bv the late
so-caled Confederate States, or by its agents,
! or under its authority.
Ratified in Contention, this 18th day of
! October, 1861 E. G. READE, President.
+ JAS H. MOORE, Secretary Of the Contention.
r. c.. BADGER, assistant Secretary.
The foregoing would seem to be suffi-
cent answer to our correspondent. There is
no authority, in under this State, to tax
the people to pay debts contracted, directly
or indirectly, in aid of the rebellion. Taxes
levied for such a purpose are unconstitution-
al, and null and void. During the session of
the Convention referred to the following cor
respondence took place between the Presi-
dent and Provisional Governor:
lTelegnm.-Received 9. 35 p. m.
RALEIGH, n. c., Oct. II, 1865.
HIS Ercellency the President
Of the United States:
SIR CONTRARY to my expectation. the
Convention has involved itself in a bitter
discussion of the State debt made in aid of
the rebellion. A continuance of this discus
sion will greatly excite the people and retard
the work of reconstruction. Our people are
believed to be against assuming the debt by
large majority. Is it, not advisable that
our Convention, like that of Alabama, should
positively ignore this debt now and forever
Please answer at once.
w. W. HOLDEN,
Provisional Governor.