Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1852-10-20

4 In 1898 and 1884. Nj 3faham was a member of
theNorth Carolina Daslatare, when he voted against
allowing the people t6sote for Governor. Voters do
| YOU hear that Can you support man WHO is for
taking from YOU the right Of suffrage This is true.
The facts will all be published soon.-Dem- BcHner
The above paragraph appeared in the Democratic
Banner, published in Henderson, Ky. on the 9th of
August and the Raleigh Standard of last week res
ponds to calls made upon him with promise of fur
nisEng in his next issue the facts to sustain the
charge In the succeeding number of the Standard,
however the editor is silent the tubject. But
why is he thus silent know not, unless he has as
certaned that this thunder avail nothing against
/ Gov Graham in this state having been tiled by his
opponents when candidate for Governor; and there
fore he intends sending it abroad through other
channels than his paper, to produce effect where
the facts of the case not known.
There is flsehood in the assumption that Governor
Graham was opposed to giving tne election of Gov
ernor the people. The Henderson editor may have
made it ignoranty: but the Standard can have no
excuse in repeating the SANDER. That Mr. Graham
favored that amendment in the constitution was made
manifest on many occasions authentic evidence of
which the Standard can obtain. Our people at home
are well enough satisfied in the premises; but for the
information of the people abroad we give the follow
ing condensed view of the transactions attending the
/ amendment of our constitution.
The great object which we gave rise to the move
ment which terminated in the Convention of 1885,
was the equalization of representation. The Consti
/ tuition gave to each county two COmmOners and one
Senator without regard to the number of lnhabtants
the injustice of which apparent on the slightest
examination; thus, the county of JONES' with Fed
eral population of 4400 had equal representation.
with Lincoln, with population of LOCO; and Col
umbus, with Federal population of 1900, equaied
isH opsrae Gr sreay to the d
advantage of the middle and western counties The
thirty three eastern counties, with little than
one third of the Federal population, and paying less
than one third of the state taxes elected majority
oft he Of of
This was considered great evil in comparison with
! which all the other proposed amendments were OF
minor Importance. The power was held by the East,
and her Discrimination to give it up had been mani
tested in her pernaeiOus resistance to the division
of some of the oyergrown counties in the west; Row
an for instance, which now forms three respectable
| counties.
The injustice involved in this inequality was seen
| and acknowledged and for more than twenty years
continued efforts had been made to effect the amend
ment in the Constitution in that particular. But the
attachment generally felt the Constitution it
from the hands of its patriotic farmers, and the nhu
ence of the eastern counties whose interests would
be effected by change rendered all the efforts una
vailng.
Under these discoGragng influences, at the session
in 1888 bills presented in both branches OF the
Legislature o provide for ascertainng the sense OF
the people OF North Carolina relative to amending
the Constitution" The House bill received 20 final
action: that the Senate after being retained before
them until the Sth of January, was postponed until
the first day of November next by vote of 80 to 70
On the next day. be;n Thursday the 9th of January,
Mr. Beard presented to the Senate a preamble and
resolutions, proposing certain amendments to the
constitution to be submitted 20 the people These
resolutions ~-e referred to a committee, which on
Friday Il a bill ''tO provide for aseertalnlng
the sense OF the people of North Carolina, relative
to a Convention for amending the Constitution. -
This bill passed its third reading that day, by
vote of 81 to &c. and sent to the House. On sat
urday the bill was taken up in the House, and iHdet-
| 10 # ef nc
contained clause transferring the election of the Gov
ernOr to the people; and Mr.. Graham was among
those who voted against the postpopement. On the
next Monday the Legislature adjourned
On the evening of the day which the bill was
rejected, meeting was held by the members friendly
to the proposed amendments, which was addressed
by Messrs. Martini of Rockingham, Moore, of Stokes,
Fisher, of Rowan, W. A. Graham, of HillsboTough,
and others; and committee appointed to pre-
pare an address to the people of the State the slb
ject of amending the Constitution. OF tins committee
Mr. Graham was member; and the address which
was prepared by them and published, contains the
following paragraph in favor of the election Of the
By Sls sf f 9seBIss voassr,lo the elee.,,-, ri
: your Governor is vested in the General Assembly
and it is proposed to transfer TIE exercise OF thl
power to the people. 1t ought to be sufficient rca
son for this change that the Chief Executive is the
officer OF the People, and they desire to make the
election themselves. Are you prepared to admit that
this would be unsafe Unwise? The Governor has
corrupt the election. According to the theory os fee
governments In this country, he is intended to act
salu.ary check upon the Legislative encroaehnelts
This is the great axiom of freedom which yorr Ril
of Rights atrms when it declares that the egisia-
tive and Executive Departments of the Government
ought to be kept forever separate and distinct from
each 9th err and yet it is remarkable that your oy
ernor is kept in state of absolute dependence OF the
Legislature. They elect him annually, ard regulate
at will his salary,
''The legislative Department of this State's Gov
ernment is, i'll practice subject to little or no control
The Judges elected by them, it is true hold their
office by permanent tenure but even they are paid
according to Legislative pleasure and tie very nature
OF the Judicial office excludes their interference with
questions that are merely political And il the pub
lie will were so efeetual cheek political theorists
say it is the which have impeed us to address
you, would never have continued long enough to
make this appeal necessary"
This address was signed by Mr.. Graham, and by
al the other members of the committee: and the ex
tract here given, which so decidedly advocates a
transfer OF the election of the Governor the people
we had opportunities of knowing expressed nothing
more than the sentiments which he then entertained
and ever after continued to hold.
} Early In the next session committee was raised
to consider much of the Governors MESSAGE as re-
lates to the subject of Convention Ofthis commit
mlttee, Mr.. Graham member. On the 4th of
November, Mr.. Craig, on behalf of the committee
reported bill to the House, but action was had
it until the Esd, when after two DAYS eonsidera
ton, it reeommitted to a select committee of one
from each congress onal district On the 9th this
committee, through Mr.. Kitterell, their chairman.
reported a substitute for the bill.
Il was at this stage of the business, when consider
ing this substitute that Mr. Outlaw moved to strike
out the section providing for the election of the Gov
ernOr of the State by the free white men thereof
which motion decided in the negative, by vote
of 50 to "a.
The result of the action of the last Sc sson and ap-
pearances now rendered extremely doubtful wheth
er the bill could be urged through. 1t was therefore
amatter of much Importance TO gain friendss tshOud
be recolected that the great object for which the
movement was made, to obtain an equalization Of
representation; and Mr.. Outlaw and some others
had expressed willingness to submit to this amend
ment but were opposed to any alteration in the mode
OF electing the Governor, it not an act of pru
dence to reconcile them if by the sacrifice of the loss
they could secure from the defeat the important
measure of reform? 1t with this object in view
that Mr.. Graham voted in the affirmative on Mr.
Outlaws motion Not that he was opposed 10 giving
the election of governor to the people, for this he
heartily approved but that he had still greater de-
sire to obtain the more substantial and important ad
vantage OF equal representation And the people of
the State have sustained him in this of patriot
ism. In two campaigns for Governor, this vote of
Mr.. Grahams read from the journal at almost
every crcss-road in The State-frst by Mr. Hoe the
most popular candidate the Democratic party has yet
had, and afterwards by Mr.. Sheppard--yet on both