North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1850-12-07
CONSTITUTIONAL. AMENDMENTS.

10 say whether majority Of the people Of the State
are in favor of alterations in The Constitution not
but he nevertheless thinks that law onghtto be
passed at once for taking the Of the voters
upon the question Of change or no change" lfssno
change" should prevail, why then Equal Suffrage
would be defeated; but if the people should vote for
as change, the next STEP as doubtless anticipated
by the Governor, would be unlimited Contention
Is he in favor of that Are the Wing leaders for it!
! Ii so. why not say SO in so many words2 Why this
evasion? Why this marching up and falling back?
Why not meet the question at once and like men?
The Governor furthermore says that this 6 demand
for reform I" has grown so rapidly that it now SEM
braces change in the basis of representation in the
General Assembly, Who put that s. demand - in
Who raised it up from the dust of repeated and sig
mai defeats, and gave to it vitality and official sane
tion2 Gov. Manly; and yet he lacks the candor to
say that he is for it. that he considers the demand
for it just and reasonable one. 1t was ga good
enough at Morgan on the stump; but it is handled
in his Message as il he afraid of ias if it had
pushed itself forward without being called for. The
truth is, this point in his Message is the insid
ious and uncandid part of the entire document. He
hints what he feared soy and he essays to put the
Legislature on course of policy, by his change"
and " no change suggestion. which he himself. as
private citizen, would doubt vote against at the
polls But this, in his public career is not surprising.
1t is level with his silence in the East in 1874.
on the School Fund question, and his advocacy, an
the West, in the same campaign. of distribution of
that Fund according to white populations and it is in
perfect keeping with the of many of his East
ern friends in the late campaign, who denied that he
had taken this latter ground in the West, and who
only informed and conynced of their by the
plain and pointed revelations of his annual Message
We charged, in the late campaign, that he Ind not
only taken ground in favor of the white basis for the
School Fund, but in relation representation in the
Legislature; and prored what we said. Wing
partizans denied it, and denounced our paper in the
bitterest the vehicle of misrepresentation and
, fasehood. Who Was right in this matter2 Let the
records-the proofs declare! We satisfied in this
regard; but think it than probable Gov.
!, Many's Eastern friends not. They grossly
deceived, and they have right to be indignant But
we have no disposition to dwell upon these points.
We designed only to offer suggestion so in
lation to proposed Constitutional amendments, and
, upon the Convention question.
We think the Senate and House have adopted the
proper course in referring the various Convention bills
r to the Committees on Constitutional amendments.
, We perceive good reason for calling Con-
, vention, whether d" limited" '' unlimited" The
various Constitutional amendments proposed can be
effected by legislative action in good time, and with
out the agitation and expense incident to Con-
venton. The Constitution itself points out the mode
by which it can be altered and, in the absence of
any general demand by the people for Convention
let that mode be observed. There is necessity for
uniting these measures in the same bill. They
be passed separately-Equal Suffrage in one, Judges
and Solicitors another and Justices in anoher-and
be put the people, stand fall upon their
merits We fear that either of the propositions
viii fail They will oil 60 through at the polls. by
maorites of thousands; and shall thus have re-
form without expense and without sectional strife
Indeed do believe thatany considerable portion
of the Western people in favor of Conven-
ton and We confident, from all we can learn,
that majority of them satisfied with the present
basis of representaton-or, at least if they had the
power do So they would not disturb it at this time.
But they in favor of Equal Suffrage, and Judges,
Solicitors, and Justices by the people; and they ex-
pect this Legislature to adopt the necessary means,
in accordance with the Constitution, for carrying out
, their W ishes in this respect.
e Mr. Woodin doubt spoke his real sentiments,
and those of large number of his Wing constituents,
in his violent whie-basis effort Wednesday last
but we cannot believe that Mr.. Rayner is in favor of
Convention of any sort. Of course we do not
charge deliberate nsincery upon the gentleman from
Hertfordhe is above that; but he wants his poltI-
cal opponents to show their hands F" while his hand
is not very boldly displayed, and he would no doubt
like 10 see few Western Democrats caught in his
legislative trap That, according to our judgment,
. is about the extent of his designs this subject;
. but the manner in which he met Monday last,
by Mr. Avery, in that able and manly Speech OF his
this very question: is oretaste of the disappont
ment to which the gentleman from Hartford is doomed
. His Convention bill will fail, and he may vote, upon
the strength of its failure against Free Suffrage
1t he should, he will rue it-and so will Mr.. Wood
! fin, if even he should adopt such course.
l. We repeat, see no good reason for calling
Convention. The demand by the people for reform car
be effected by Legislative action and Convention
therefore unnecessary. This is the ground we tool
Is on this subject in 1s49, and shall continue to ad
here to it. And what, may We ask, would be the re
g. suit of Convention! Do gentlemen suppose tina
any Convention which could be Called would inter
IN fere with the present basis! Gould such body d
e more than establish Equal Suffrage and provide fo'
Judges Solicitors, and Justices by the people? And
ne no-and if these results be attained by legisla
On tive action, why call it? Why incur expense .
10 some thirty forty thousand dollars, especially at
time like this, when the Treasury is empty and whe
I'D the taxes the people must. of necessity. be In
f' creased Why foment strife and discord between
It's sections when the section which, it is declared call