The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1851-02-12


Equal Sunrase.-Tn preparing the mat
Ger Ses the pres las, week. ws uninientiousIly
snilird tho, Equal Suffrage Act. To supply lhs
omission. ne have copied d info this number.
Oar RAIDERS are aware that the constitution re-
suires that this sci shall be Published sir months
previous 70 the next election Of members Of the
General Assembly; when. IL agreed 10 by rws-
raisbs ofihe whole representation m each Hoase
Of the next General Assembly. sfer the same
shall have been read three iimcs on three several
days in each House, then The said General As
semhly shall prescribe mode ny which the a.
mrnAnsnt naiy he submitted 10 the qualified 70.
t,rs Of the HOUSE Of Commons throughout the
Stale; and i. upon comparing the votes given in
the whole Stale. !, shall appear that msjority Of
the voters have approved thereof thea. and not
olhsrwise, the same shall become part Of the
Consultation"
The act. as i nov stands. Is materially differ
eat from what ia was as Il frat passed the House
Of Comm ms. In abe Senate. the word white
was in~rrd between the words . free and
"men;" and the clause-a and shall have paid
a public Lx."-whieh follows the wo,d .elec-
iion.' was also inserted ;-the impression having
been that without thcre amendments, not only
persons who had moi paid public tar. but even
Fee Negroes would Sc entitled 10 vote for Sc
natof! which would have been Equal Suffrage
with vengeance. But even now. We are un-
der the impression that the smendmen, is delrc-
tive; and u i turns out 80 TO be, in the opinion
Of the next Legislature. they must take il for
better or for WORSE ss man takes his wife, or
begin anew. and put il of Al lcss three years
longer; for VIC presume that no one will contend
that the next Legislature will have power to
amsad this proposition. We repeat, then. what
We have before said; IL the people really desire
70 amend the Constitution Is here proposed, the
true plan will he 10 call Convenlion-a course
rendered still moro Desirable because Of other i'm.
pstant amendments which will he pressed upon
the attention Of the people. and which should re-
ceiye more deliberate and unbiased considera-
ton than they will be likely TO receive when mix
ed up in the contests and strfes Of opposing poll
iicai parties.
The following is the act passed by the last Lee
gislaiure;
EQUAL SUFFRAGE ACT.
An act TO amend the Constitution Of North Ca
rolina.
Whereas, the freehold qualification
now required for the electors for mem.
bers of the Senate, conflicts with the
fundamental principles Of liberty:
Therefore,
BE IL enacted blythe General assembly
offhe State Of Norfh Carolina, and IL 10
hereby enacted BY the authority of the,
sams-three-fifths Of the whole number
Of members Of each house concuring =
That the second clause of the third Sec
ton Of the first Article Of the amended
Constitution, ratified by the people of
North Carolina ON the second Monday
Of November, A. ID. 1855, be amended
by striking out the words" and pos
sessed Of freehold within the same
district, Of fifty acres of land for six
months next before and at the day. cleo
tlon;" so that the said clause Of said
section. shall read as follows: Q. All
free white men Of the age Of twenty-one
years Except as is hereinafter declared)
who have been inhabitants Of any one
district within the State, twelve months
immediately preceding the day Of any
election, and shall have paid a public
tax, shall be entitled to vote for mem
Der of the Senate.
he Il further enacted, That the Gov
ernor of the State be, and he is hereby
directed to issue his proclamation to
the people Of North Carolina. at least
SIX months before the next election, for
members of the General Assembly, set
ting forth the purport of this bill and
,he amendment to the Constitution
herein proposed which proclamation
shall be accompanied by true and per-
feet copy Of the bill authenticated by
the Secretary of State, and both the
proclamation and the copy of thus bill
the Governor Of the State shall cause
to be published in all the newspapers
OF this State, and posted in the court
houses Of the respective counties of this
State, at least six months before the
election Of the members to the next Ge-