Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1844-09-21

- CONSTITUTION as IL Is designate the CetO.-
How inconsistent! And shall the monopoly
of the nation be allowed to strike from the
Constitution barrier between the peoples
rights and the servants they elect.-'' one of
the best safeguards to the UNION" as Gen.
it is an anti-republican restraint upon the ma
jority of the People themselves ? How un-
wise And shall the South who are in mi
nority, and whose security against the danger
of attack by fanaticism reposes in this very
clause of our National charter should every
other peaceable protection fail, blindly sur
render it to make Mr.. Clay or any man Pres
ident How perilous!
Nor is this all. If these habits Of expert
menting upon the Constitution were to be
! encouraged in our leading politicians by
present success, where and when will it stop!
What part of the Constitution will be safe
against their future attacks, and when can
We reckon upon having any repose from the
turmoils of Party spirit in its strife against
the permanency Of the Government! If those
parts of the Constitution which were adopted
with unanimity are now sacrificed to the am
bition and covetousness of associated wealth
and the pride of a single man however eminent,
what will be the probable fate of other por-
tons which were obtained by compromise
of opinions and adopted by lean majority!
Will not every election of President, soon in
velve us in some other question of change in
the fundamental law of the Union! If you
can be induced at this time 10 ratify the senti-
ment that it is 'Anti-Republican' to require
a vote of tavo-thirds of Congress to pass an
act in case of Veto by the President, with
quite as much reason some aspiring dema-
magos lie will insist hereafter, that it
L
Of two-thirds to amend your Constitution !;
and after having sanctioned the first PROPOSE
ton, how will you be able to oppose the 9TH
er! Already has Massachusetts proposed to
abolish the compromise by which we of the
South are taxed and represented under the
s. Constitution as it ISL and the abolition par
ty every where are taking ground for the
change; and do you think from the signs of
the times that they will find no ailies-no
leaders-no candidate for the Presidency out
of New England1 Indeed there is hardly an
essential feature in the ancient charter Of our
Union, which would not soon have party
and leader to make war upon it, unless the
people, the actual people, will keep off all
these innovators as they have done for forty
years, and adhering to the sold paths'' and
to IS the Constitution as it ISL say, as with
one voice to all ambitious aspirants that they
will vote for no man, and support no party
seeking power under pledge to alter their
Constitution. In this there is safety, and
! there is no security in any other course.
There could not be stronger instance of
the perilous tendency of these party combina-
TONS and the pledges of presidential candi-
dates to alter the Constitution, than you have
ty in the United States as we'll as Mr.. Clay
al al nd
yet the Clay party leaders at their Convention
in this State, purposely omitted this impor-
tant point in their published proceedings -
What does thatsignify! Did they mean that
this silence on their part should be construed
in opposition to the change? Then they ow
ed you more than this negative kind of sup
port to the Constitution. On the other hand
did they mean to conceal from the public eye
that this crusade upon your Constitution was
begun by their candidate and that they were
anxious to give it success or prepared to &C.
quiesce in it? Then they were trying to
'steal a march, upon you by their silence so
as to alter your Constitution without your
consent.
i No matter what may have been the purpose
of this silence upon question of such mo-
mentous interest, and no matter what may be
the opinions of the North Carolina leaders of
the Clay party, we would this day solemn|y
warn our countrymen of all parties that their
Old Charter is in danger-that Mr.. Clay and
his party every where out of North Carolina,
If not in it, are pledged to alter it; and if you
elect Mr.. Clay President, he and they will
take it for granted that you have given your
sanction to the unholy work. Will you do
that! Will you agree to mar the proportions
of that venerated work of the Revolutionary
| Wb;rs IS s1c9 WILL wan 10 from, tho
South this shield to our rights of property, at
time when these rights are violently assail-
ed by the united forces of fanatical party and
party fanatics1 Will yod set the pernicious
example of changing our organic law at the
bidding of any man or any party, and open
the way for others hereafter to unsettle, or it
may be, ultimately to overturn the government
by new schemes of future amendments! We
hope for better things. We do believe that
the people Of North Carolina are not prepared
TO encounter this risk but that however much
divided upon other subjects, upon this one
they will be UNITED. The leaders of Mr..
Clay's party in this State probably think so
: too, and therefore have endeavored to keep it
out of view that Mr.. Clay will go for AL
TERTNG your constitution, whilst Colonel
Polk will 60 for the CONSTITUTION AS
1T 49,
/ In thus giving to this subject the prominent
position which belongs to it, we mean not to
exclude from view altogether those important
but subordinate questions of policy upon which
the Presidential candidates are divided The
first of these is the Tarf-or, as the Central
Committee of the Clay party in North Caro-
lima have frankly entitled it, THEIR TARIFF
the Tariff Act of 1912.
| This subject is one that has been frequent
ly discussed, and full examination of it
would be impossible in this form Of address,
ing you. All that we shall aim to do at pres
emf will be to lay before the people few UNI
ambitious remarks; addressed TO their patri-