Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-10-18
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL.
n. c., FRIDAY. OCT. IS, 1850.
California-sIavery or no Slavery.

ent Constitutions is an efectaal or final settlement
of the question as to whether slavery shall shall
not be introduced into that State. The Constitution
of California is, in respects, different from the
Constitutions of other States One of these dieren-
ces being in the mode of amendment, which is by a
bare majority. Indeed. this instrument is more in
the nature of a legislative act than of an organic
law as will be seen from the following extract from
the Constitution
NOPE AMENDING REv1sIN3 THE CoNs: TUITION
Any amendment, amendments to this Constitution may
proposed in the Senate Assembly, andfthe shall
be agreed to by majority members elected to each of
the two houses such proposed amendment amendments
shall be entered their journals with the yeas and
ken thereon and referred the Legislature then be
chosen and shall be published three months next
ding of making such choice And if in the Legis-
chosen aforesaid such proposed amendment
amendments shall be agreed to by majority of all the
bers elected each house, then shall be the duty of the
Legislature to submit such proposed amendment amend
the people, in such manner and at such time the
Legislature shall prescribe and if the people shall approve
ratify amendment amendments, by majority of
the qualified for members of the Legislature
voting thereon such amendments shall be-
part of the Consttuton-Caiifonia Consultations,
-1rt 10, Sec. l.
From this it will be seen that bare majority can
make any amendment which may be desired, and
that the whole process need not occupy more than
two years the meetings of the California Legislature
being annual. Now, when it is remembered that of
the members of the convention that framed the con-
stituton. majority from the South, it is easy
to divine the motive for making antislavery
stitution, so easy of amendment No doubt the in
fuence of the Executive brought to bear in IA
of the insertion of anti-savery restriction
but now that California has been admitted as SOW
eregn State, not the ercest Free Soiler will dare
question her right to amend her constitution in any
way that would not conflict with the constitution of
the United Statcs-and, as we have already seen,
her constitution provides for its amendment or
alteration by a majority. Whether that ma ority
can be obtained, is the next question.
Sometime ago we decidedly of the opinion
that California was, from the nature of circumstan
ces, bound to be free State, and to continue We
are still of the opinion that matter what the pro-
cess to which she might have been subjected, she
would still have applied for admission with anti
slavery constitution but subsequent events, and
fuller information, have led to question whether
she will retain that provision of her constitution 1t
would seem that to the mere adventurer without
capital California no longer holds out the promise
of sudden wealth. More art and labor is necessary
to extract the gold than at first; at the time
that the mines still afford, and will continue to af
ford full and remuneratng employment to negro Ia
Dor Those of the miners, whether from the North
or from the South who have obtained some capital,
will naturally desire to employ help, and will as nat
urally turn to slave labor the only description
which can be employed with any profit. The fact
that large portion of the population is from the
North will not interfere in the slightest degree with
this result Preudces strong, but the strongest
vboDb uChf iOtOc with
pecupiary interest. AS soon California mining
comes to be on a fair business footng-that is, a
combination of labor and capital-so soon shall we
look for the introduction of slavery and in the loose
state of society which still exists there the direct
sanction of law will be far from necessary for this
We know that there are slaves there now, and the
necessities and convenience of the community pro-
tect the rig hts Of the Such will continue to
be the case and the sanction which the Institution
will receive from custom and public opinion will be
in direct proportion to the profit and necessity OF Its
employment We should not be at all surprised, it,
before two years, maj ority of all the American cit
zens of California would be in favor of an amend
ment of the constitution in this respect or that be-
fore five wears the constitution would be actually
amended Of course this is all conjecture, but we
think it is based upon very strong probability.
The Central Road.
We would call attention to the communication
from the Raleigh Register, signed g A Tax Payer,
His ideas and ours exactly correspond. If any hum
buggory is attempted by the Petersburg clique, we
call upon every Eastern representative in the next
Legislature to unite in killing the project 4" dead as
julius Cesar For part, we have always dread
cd foul play, and warned and re-warned our people
upon this subject, and we shall not cease to war;
them. Without doubt, application will be made thi
winter for still more privileges and amendments il
the Charter, and reiterate exhortation to ou
friends to grant not of them-to raise not fin
ger to save the road without some guaranty NOR
than they yet have that the provisions of the Char
ter are to be executed according to their true nen
and meaning If we are to have Virginia road lie
us have the Charlotte and Danville road, whic
would be built without calling upon the State for
dollar but do humbug the citizens of North Car
DINA into throwing away two millions of the publ
money, for the purpose of building up Petersbur
and Norfolk Either let the intention of the Trainer
of the bill be carried out, let the Charter tselfb
carried out of the State and into the somewher
else
BAHKs.-See advertisement Of Commercial Bank
and notice of {: New Hanover Bank"
Ras-A very large majority of the votes cast at tn
recent election in Pennsylvania were in favor of tn
amendment of the Constitution, giving the electio
of Judges to the people.
south Carolina Institute. .
We take pleasure in calling the readers attentic
+o tho advertisement of the Second Annual Fair