Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-07-12
T,,e NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ton.

yides that the Senate shall consist OF fifty members
to be chosen bennialy by districts to be laid off by
the General Assembly, in proportion to the public
taxes paid into the Treasury of the State by the ct
zens thereof" There is mention of land IN this.
The amount of public taxes paid into the Treasury
of the State is the sole basis of Senatorial represen
tation and this is the apparent from the fact
that no quantity of land, matter how large, will
entite county to Senator unless her taxes amount
to the due proportion required Were land the only
source of to the State perhaps there might
be some justice in combining the election of Senators
to laDdholders but it should be remembered that
cry individual who is simply the proprietor of Ais
own head, pays poll tax and that every other de-
scrpton of property is equally liable to taxation with
land. Abolshing the landed qualification for cleo
tions of State Senators does not them interfere with
the basis of Senatorial representation which is
land, but IS taxation. It's only effect will be to do
away with invidious Distinction which is neither
in accordance with natural justice nor with the
sttution of the Senate, which, have shown has
its foundation in principle totally irrespective of
land This is the amendment contemplated by the
Democratic party.
The basis nf representation in the Commons is, as
we have already said Federal numbers. quote
the whole provision of the constitution upon this sub
ject:
ssThe House of Commons shall be composed of hum
dred and twenty representatives. bennay chosen by ballot
to be elected by counties according to their federal u
ton that is according to their respective numbers which
be 0y ne @
and excluding Indians not taxed threehs of all othe per-
and each county shall have at least member the
House of Commons, although not contain the rqui-
site ratio OF population
This provision is in direct accordance with one of
the compromises of the federal constitution, Which
says that representation and direct taxes shall
portioned among the States in this manner; AMI its
justice is apparent from the fact that in this State
the colored population subject to captatiol tax
Individuals This tax has to be paid, and it but
fair that the slaveholding interest should be duly re-
presented To deny the justice of this arrangement
in State, would be to deny it's justice in the
Union-to attack directly institution already
threatened by the fanaticism of the North-am to
acknowledge, in SO many words, that claim for
slave property weight in the national concis which
we unwilling to accord to it at home.
| We regret exceedingly that the recklessness in
spired by anticipated defeat should have led Gov.
MANLY to avow himself in favor of the abolition of
the Federal basis as he has done. 1t is blow AIM
ed directly at the saveholding counties of the East
! by which he no doubt hopes to gain votes in the
mountain counties, where the number of slaves is
ceedngy SMALL and the jealousy against the East is
stronger than our people at all aware Of The
saveholding counties of North Carolina owe it to
themselves to put their stamp of reprobraton upon
any man who breaches such scheme.
The Fayetteville Observer and the Oregon Bill.
The Observer, in its last issue, charges that we
mistaken in our assertions in regard to Col REDS
connection with the Oregon bill. Let see how
far this is the fact In the first place. we stated that
Col REID did not vote upon the Oregon bill at all
upon its final passage w this
The Oregon bill became law in August, 1848, pre-
yious to which time Mr. REID had canyassed the
State of North Carolina, and very near beating
Mr.. MANLY, his present competitor He was not IN
Congress at all when the bill had its final passage
and consequently could not have voted upon 1t. we
merely state this in defence of our own accuracy not
as having any very material bearing upon the point
at issue. The Observer makes parade of the au
thorites and refers us to the Congressional Globe
June 10th, Al, for the vote upon the final passage
of the bill AS the Congressional Globe is in his pos
session. he easily satisfy himself of one point
namely that this not the final passage of thu
bill, which did not take place for fully year and
half afterwards and after Col. REID had ceased t.
a be member of Congress.
t Secondly: We assert that the bill did not contain
e the llmOG prOVlSO 1nlS we now fe-aSSerL IL Q1(
= not. What is the Wimot proviso The Observe
defines it to be simply prohibition ofslavery with
in certain limits" If this definition be correct thel
: the Missouri Compromise and the Wimot provis
are identcal for they both contain prohibition
= slavery within certain limits and yet the Who'll
South is willing to abide by the Missouri Compro
20 mite, while the Wilmot proviso is looked upon as
e outrage sufficiently fragrant to justify dissolution
i of the Union. The attempt made by the fedora
e press to confound the Missouri Compromise wit
S the Wilmot proviso must prove abortive. The pee
pie of the South abide by the one while they are dc
termned to resist the other. The Wilmot provis
h was introduced as an amendment to the three mil
lion BILL and related to territory thereafter to be
CURED and not then belonging to the United States
The fact that it proposed to exclude slavery from a.
territories, irrespective of the guarantees of the Mis-
St souri, Compromise, the feature which rendere
r. it most obnoxious to the South With Mr.. Polk an
Mr. REID, believe that, in entering into the Mis-
10 souri, Compromise the South yielded too much Blu
4 that compromise has been made and acquiesced
4 for the last thirty years, and man wishes
IF disturb it, AS we'll might Mr. REID be charged wit
voting for the Wlmot proviso because he voted fo
the annexation of Texas with a proviso inhibitin
10 slavery in that part of it which lies North of tf
If Missouri Compromise line. This certainly e
Al prohibition of slavery within certain limits, whc
D. the Observer says is the Wilmot proviso! Yet MI
re CALHOUN warmly approved of the resolutions of
w nexation. CALHOUN provisionist!
If The history of the matter is better given in M