The news & observer., 1905-10-19
Statue to Vance at Washing
ton.
Continued from Page Four.)

to ii that in North Carolina tyrannica
! power should not De exerted, that
| the maxim inter arma silent leges
should not prevail within her borders
When his Will clashed with that of Mr.
Davis and his advisers, serious con-
sequences might have been anticipat-
ed. Arbitrary arrests of persons to en-
force military service and unlaWIu
seizure of property We're resisted in
the courts. and we could at the end
l'Of his term say with truth, what 10
other Southern State could say, that
the great writ of liberty had never
been suspended and that private
property had been protected
against lawlessness and confsc1tionF
from all sources. He had made up
| his mind from the beginning of his
term that the civil law should be up
held and that the military should be
Kept liz subjection. and more especial
/ ly so when personal liberty and the
rights of private property were con-
cerned.
Between our State courts supported
| by the Governor and the Confederate
| authorities on the question OF the en-
| forcement Of the conscription act the
conflict was sharp and sometimes bit
ter. The struggle was protracted and
attended with many difficulties.
In October, 1862, Governor Vance
wrote to President Davis: Last week
about one hundred men We're brought
into camp from one county above
from Il region somewhat lul<eWarm.
who had been got to come cheerfuily
under the solemn promise made then
by my enrolling officer that they
should be allowed to join any regl
ment they desired, according to tho
published order. Under the circum-
stances, General Martin said the!
might have their choice, started then
accordingly, and wrote to Genera
French begging his consent to the ar.
rangement. He refused and according
to a note from him. the men were
stopped at Petersburg, equally dis
tributed to certain regiments, as quar-
termasters stores or any other chatte
property, alleging that, by not coming
in sooner they had forfeited all claims
to consideration. On the short-Sight.
edness and inhumanity of this harsl
course toward our people l shall Offer
no comment / believe, sir
most sincerely, that the conscript Law
could not have been executed by {
man of different antecedents than my.
self, without outbreaks among our
people And now. with all the popu.
larity with which | came into office
it will be exceedingly difficult for ms
to execute it under your recent cal
with all the assistance you can afforC
me. If on the contrary, West Poin
Generals VINO know much less of hui
man nature than / do OF military
service, are to ride rough-Shod over
the people. drag them from thei
homes, and assign them, or rather
consign them 20 strange regiments
and strange commanders. without re-
gard to their wishes or feelings,
must be COmOelled to decline under.
taking task which will certainly fail
These conScripts are entitled to con-
sideration. They comprise a number
of the best men in their communities
whom Indispensable business, large
and helpless families, poverty and dis
tresS, in a thousand shapes, have com
bined to keep at home till the last
moment" A little later on, a Colonei
August was made commander for con-
scripts for North Carolina and as
sumed command at Raleigh. He was