| From the Raleigh Register |
| |
| May 16, 1863 |
| |
| Bridge Guarding |
| The extract we copy above
reveals another unwarrantable stretch of power on the part of Gov.
Vance. It seems he has ordered out the militia to guard railroad
bridges and in doing so has unwarrantably undertaken to discriminate
between the men living in town and those living in the country, Where
does Gov. Vance get such power of discrimination from? It is not
contained in the laws of this State, as we are informed. |
| Besides the injustice and
awfulness of this discrimination between the people of the town and
those of the country, we object to any of the people being called away
from their families and business to guard the property of the railroad
companies well able to pay for its protection by their own guard. And
we object especially to any of our troops being kept from the field,
where they are so badly needed, to guard the private property of any
man or set of men, except where an attack of the armed force of the
enemy may be reasonably expected. Railroad companies are now realizing
enormous profits and can afford to pay to have their own bridges and
other material points of their own works guarded. The State or the
Confederacy should look after the enemy -- it is the duty of Railroad
companies to watch accidental fire or the incendiary's torch in their
own affairs. |
| We fully endorse every word of
the above, which we take from the State Journal of Thursday.
Instead of taking men from their businesses to watch and guard the
property of corporations fully able to pay for men to protect it
against ordinary hazards, the Governor had better seed his pampered,
well fed and well paid Aids, who have nothing wherewith to kill time,
and his Commissary and his two Clerks, (after they have left a
sufficient quantity of food for the Adjutant General in their
absence,) to guard the bridges. It is obvious that this guard for the
railroad bridges is not designed to protect them against any Yankee
raid, for the number assigned to each bridge, (four,) is too
ridiculously small for any such purpose as that. The object is to
guard the bridges against accidental fire, or injury that might be
inflicted upon them by some one in the pay of the Yankees, and for
such a guard the railroad companies are fully able to pay. |
| There are plenty of men over
forty-five, and not subject to conscription or militia duty, who
can be got for a reasonable compensation to watch the Bridges. Let
such be employed by the Rail Road Companies. We doubt very much the
legality of Gov. Vance's order, and hope, if an attempt to execute it
by force is made, that some one will test the legality of the order. |
|