Year: 1863

We publish below the militia law passed by our
Legislature at its recent called session. This bill
was introduced in the Senate by Mr.. Graham, Of
Orange. The joint committee on the subject having
failed to agree, two bills reported in the Com-
mons and while large majority of that body, evil
IDENTIFY preferred Mr.. Sherwoods bill to Mr. Mchays,
the prospect that for want of time and the fac
tious course of the minority neither of these bills
would be passed. 1t was in this crisis that Mr..
Graham's bill was introduced. 1t passed the Sen
ate and went to the House. was substituted for
Mr. Sherwood's bill, and finally passed the latter
body by vote of SO to 81. 1t was fortunate for
the country that such man as William A. Graham
was at the time participant in its public councils
Possessed of the confidence of both branches of the
Legislature, thoroughly informed. accurate in his
views, devoted to the common cause, and at the
same time mindful of the condition and wants of the
State, it, his good fortune to be able to recon-
cile conflicting opinions, and to present measure
admirably adapted in all respects to the emergency


This law provides, in the first place, that the call
of the President for militia for local defence to serve
six months within the State shall be answered to
the same extent, and no farther" than that pre-
scribed in the conscription and exemption laws
E0ery person, therefore, sOho is liable to conscrip
ton WiLL be tabIs to this militia call This is the
rule. This law may entirely arrest conscription in
this State, and this, we think, is the proper con-
struction to be placed upon it; or the President
may, if he chooses call for the conscripts from 40
to 45, and leave the militia call to be complied with
from such persons as may be liable between IS and
40 If the State is to be defended by the militia,
thus raised and mustered into Confederate service
it will be necessary to enrol every man embraced in
the law before US and even then the seven thousand
may not be obtained, owing to the heavy drain al
ready pade on our fighting population but if the
defence of the State is to be given up postponed
confded only to such troops as the government
may now and then spare from other service, then
the conScripts proper will be called for, and this
law of our Legislature practically defeated its op
Grafton.


This law exempts all State officers who may be
regarded by the Governor aS necessary to the sd-
mnStration of the State government The con-
Scription and exemption laws have thus far been
construed to embrace magistrates and militia officers;
and according to this construction they will be
empt from this call The principals Of substitutes
will also be exempt, in accordance with the deciS-
ions of our Supreme Court. But the home guard,
it is understood, will embrace all between Is and
so not specially exempted by the second section Of
the act This will be useful, as it is necessary
measure. Surely no one between the ages Of Is
and 80 can object to such an organization for home
defence.


We repeat, this law is the best which could have
been passed under the circumstances. We are
gratied to be able to state incidentally that it is
just such a law in many respects as we intimated
would be passed in one of recent replies to the
Richmond Enquirer. Our State government has
been upheld intact-the decisions of our Judges
have been respected and maintained and the Confed
crate government has been permitted to take and
embody just such troops its own laws have called
for.