Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-29
shall b exempt from duty or course,


then, trry person is liable to conscsip-
ton, The Governor is commandments
chief, and all officers Of the militia ard
Of course liable TO militia duty, and
therefore to CONSUMPTION also. You
aie already enrolling our magistrates.
who compose our courts OF pleas ana
Quarter sessions, and with them the
consiables and police. Now, sir, alter
these and the militia officers have been
taken by the Ccnfederscy, will you
please inform me what remains Of the
boasted sovereignty ofthe States? Donot
reply by saying that you have not
enrolled the militia officers; you claim
the ,iqht to do il and may undertake
It nj my time. God forbid that the
rights ard honor and the existence It.
self Of the State should rest only upon
tie grace ard mercy Of bureau OF
conception The rights Of the State
Certainly Icst upon a more solid basis
tIan this. You also say that there are
70 means short of supernatural power
by v hich you can know of the officers
and employ ees Of the State TO which
NV letter to Colonel August referred
outside the law. That may be. In
iact. | do rot know. that II Is required
Of on 10 know whag officers are neces-
saIy to the ordinary operations OF the
State government, but il is certainly
the business Of the Chief Magistrate Of
the State to know, and it is especially
bis duty under the Constitution 20 sec
that hey are not interfered with ID
the discharge Of their afprepriite
furctiors. / cannot, therefore, re-
cede from the position before assumed
that it is ny duty to resist the conscIiP-
tion Of all Stale officers aad agents
whose services are necessary to the
proper and due administration OF the
affairs of the State, and OF which
necessity her authorities must, Of
course, be the judges. Neither can
the claim. plain and obvious a.
it is, be permitted to rest upon the
grace OF Congress as exemplihed IN the
Exemption Bill" or the discretion
and good will Of those entrusted with
the law but upon those high and in
alienable rights which, by the genius Of
our government, are deemed Inherent
in and inseparable from the soyer-
eien character of the State. If Il
is the intention Of the Confederate au-
thoIitles TO carry the execution Of CON
scripticn beyond this, ] should be glad
70 be 50 informed at as early a day as
possible. This city (Raleigh) is strip
ped Of its police officers and the magis-
lrates of many Of the counties are al-
ready ordered into camp. and desire
that question settled. | assure you
That it is my desire that harmony may
continue TO exist as heretofore and Of
my great desire 20 assist in attaining an
Independence by any possible means j"
the rover of the State Of North Caro-
lima consistent with the preservation Of
liberty itself"
The letter in reply to this is dated as
late as September II, 1868, and IN Is
General Rains SAYS: " | nave the honor
to ackroH ledge your letter Of the 3l,t
Of March last, and 20 explain your views
it was laid before the Secretary OF War.
lie returned il to ne with the remarN
hat It was read with pain and regret,
end directs me to say that the 0nly
question is whether the conscriptvo
lay as enacted by Congress is 10 DC eX-
ecuted according o its PLAZA Import, ard
that this Bureau has 40 authority to
modify OF dispense with. nor can it rc-
cogaizc such right or discretion in S'''e
0ufhoyitu The subject is nov in abey-
auce with the honorable members from
| North Carolina of both Senate and
! House, and | think some modification
of the law will be passed.
rLAlN TALK TO TIE PRESIDENT.
Governor Vance had followed his
letter to General Rains with one 70
President Davis, in the course of which
he said " You perceive that 1t is IN
the Io;Fer Of the War Department t.
abolish the State government by very
simple process. The present proceed
irgs Of the Bureau Of Consumption 60
very far toward 1t. Our justices are
being taken, and so are our consta-
bles. Ii is no answer at all to this to
say that we have more justices than are
absolutely necessary, aud that some
might be dispensed with. The Legi5-
latuIe Of the sovereign State OF
North Carolina recommended their APP
pOintment to the Executive. according %
the forms Of the Constitution, and II is
TO be presumed they deemed them all
necessary. No one has the rght 10 say
otherwise. The municipal officers pre-
sent vet stronger case. The mayor
and police OF this city are ordered into
camp, abolshing, Of course. the gov
eminent Of the corporation at once. |
am az q loss 10 know what will be LETT
If the boosted power or sovereignty OF
this State or any other. So OBVIOUS Is
the great damage and disparagement
which these latludinOus constructions
Of the Jaw work against the States that
| DO rot believe, cannot believe,
its trainers so intended it, and doubt
the wisdom and policy Of the Var De-
lartment in enforcing it. am quite
confident that your sense OF juSticD
will not fail to perceive the weish,y
reasons Of comfy, policy, and resfec'
for States iights-the great elementary
doctrine If our reroi1t'oR-ghich ad.
monish you of the improperly o.
alarming the jealousies of the States
exciting the murmurs of the people
and GRIPPING the security Of the Gov
erDnent by urging few officers, wh
could do little towards increasing thC
ranks or Differing of the army, b'a
who, as part Of the Government, ar'
deemed necessary at home"
He CARRIED HIS POINT.
Governor Vance carried his point
The magistrates and other officers wor,
exempted from the provisions Of th'
coDscript act. The new Law provide
that the following were exempt - Al