Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1852-05-22

President and Vice President. The official proceed
mos of the Council shall appear in our next.
THE BASIS OF REPRESENTATION.
The Salem Press, which processes to be neutral
,.rer noticing the action of the late Wing Conven-
ton, says:
.Tbe seventh resolution of the Wing Convention is
in yor Of submitting it to the people to say Wheth-
az euch Convention shall be called or not, tor the
nrnoee of making amendments to our State Constitu
tion., And where is the reasonable man or honest
noIitician who will not endorse the right of the Peo-
nile 10 decide this question at the baliotbox, and set
lie the mater at once -
The same paper exhorts its eastern brethren" to
have more confidence in the magnanimity of the
Western people" and them that the object Of
an open Convention is not to accomplish a section
al triumph, whereby to lord it over the East with
ruthless hand, but simply TO obtain redress Of greU-
anees so far as may be consistent with reason and
Justice. "
The I" grievances - here referred to were duly and
fully set forth in that celebrated Address issued du-
ring the last Assembly, and signed by John Gray
Bynum, N. w. Woodfn, John A. Gilmer, Calvin
Fl. Wiley, and others. That Address, as the people
Of the State no doubt remember, violent and
infammatory appeal to the popular passions, based
upon the assumption, made in the ginning of it, that
the free people of this State hare had Uoice -
in forming changing their fundamental law! In
this Address the taxation basis of the Senate is de-
nounced as most odious nn-repubHean remnant of
teudaI arstocracy as downright tyranny as
continuance by which 90 the few'' were s. grinding
into the dust the many, under the iron heel Of poocer
This, then, is the "grievance " of which these
Wing leaders and the Salem Press complain. They
have the Commons already, according to the Federal
basis, by from six to eight majority and they are
now seeking to cSll:a Convention, this very basis,
the object of which is to gZY strike down the taxa
ton basis in the Senate, and thus obtain full and
restricted sway in the public..councs. al And the
question is, be it borne in mind, not whether the
West is liberal and IS magnanimous ''-not whether
they would abuse this power, if in their hands
but is it right that they should haze the pOwer in
the gOrernment2 Is expedent is it fair, is it just,
that then, who made the Constitution of 1885 and
sanctioned it at the polls by majority of thousands,
should 60 work within the short space of sixteen
years upset its compromises, to remove its checks,
and put at sea and in peril the harmony,
the interests and the hopes of common and thus far
united brotherhood Is the work of Swain, Fisher,
Giles, CASTOR, Daniel, and Meares, achieved
in 1885, after many years of doubt, and trial, and
difficulty, to be branded g downright tyranny
And the non-landhoders of the State to be told
Uhen they demand right, the exercise Of which DouLd
snurs one, that they shall not have it, unless they
will submit at the same time the vital changes
in their fundamental law!
The Salem Press asks IS where is the reasonable
man or honest politician, who will not endorse the
right of the people to decide this question at the bal
lot-box, and settle the matter at once To this
question make answer as follows The Constitu-
lon Of the State, article 4th. section 1st provides
that no Convention of the people shall be called by
the General Assembly, unless by the concurrence of
twothirds of all the members of each house of the
General Assembly," This very majority principle, |
now brought into use by the Wing leaders, was ex-
Pressly voted down in the Convention of 1885, and
The foregoing section adopted. We have much |
respect for the opinions of the people as any man,
and more than many of the Wing politicians; and
when asked if we will not submit to the voice Of the
majority in the Assembly at the balIot-box, we an
sWer, OF course, yesi but we mean, when we say
mis- constitutional majores, and not majorities as
proposed to be obtained by Wing leaders, directly in
opposition to the spirit and compromises of that
instrument There are but two modes by which the
people OF North Carolina change their Consitu-
ZION; ISL they can do 1t through the Legislature by
d lhree-hflhs and two-hirds vote, and then by an
ahrmatlVe vote at the polls I'd, they can do it bv
Convention, to be called by two-thirds vote of the
Assembly; but all other modes are unknown tn the
constitution, and are, therefore, VIOLENT and Revo.
LuTIoNARY in their nature! They have, it is true.
the right of revolutions but this right existed before
the Constitution, and would continue to exist if that
instrument were swept away. The present PROPOSE
'on 10 call Convention, the result of maioritv
"oe has no warrant in the Constitution and is based
VI principle which, if it should prevail, would
place the institution of Slavery in imminent peril.
How We will show in few words: The Con.
sututon of the United States, article 5,h. provdeo
that i" the Congress, whenever tuuo-thirds of both
houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amend
ments to the Constitution, the application of
the Legislatures of two-thirds of such States shall,
cal Convention for proposing amendments -, &c.
r1efe' seen, is the very tOohrds principle which
we nave IN our State Constitution. Now. suppose
" ia'n H. Seward should rise in his place, in the
SENATE ano propose to submit it to majority of the
rs0p!e OF the United States say by their votes at
me ballOt-box' whether or not conyentiop of the
people OF said States should be called TO tale into