Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1852-12-04
RALEIGH, SATURDAY, NOV. 4 I855
FREE SUFFRAGE.

oihliioh' 10 III uanSel! On Auesody asst the s.,
ate of North Carolina refused the Copstitutios
majority to the Free Suffrage bill; and that n..'
ure-the vote having been reconsdered-.u.:
to-day (Friday) final action in that body.
1t would be useless, at this time of dav-
high noon of the nineteenth century, and amid d,
full blaze of political equality at the ballotb..
which pours in upon us from thirty sovereign st,,,
OF the Confederacy-to argue the question of F., &
Suffrage, or to enlarge upon its claims unoD ~ &
hearts and judgments as a measure foundoa;.
right, truth, and justice. The hour for aroum.
has gone by. Three times, and in sounds q L.,
as seven thunders uttering their voices" have a,
people of this State proclaimed for this cbaDoo
their fundamental law. Disregarded at first ~
rather not sufficiently regarded, they issued tbs,
commands again and again, until at lenptb Tho.
House of Commons, animated bv a sensu &c L.,
and OF right, gave to the bill more than the Con-
sttutlonal strength necessary to perfect it in tbr
body; and now ii vibrates in the Senate betwAa
defeat and triumph-in the Senate, where the land
holders alone can speak, and where, if this me,,
ure as defeated exclusiyeness, the remnants of fn
dial aristocracy and all the prejudices which beon
to class legislation will have won the day over t
we'll ascertained, the undoubted will of the freemer
OF the State. More than this-if Free SUFFRAGE.
defeated, that defeat will be recorded in the fs
OF the fact that nearly taOo-thirds of the laudbo
ders themselves are in favor of the change. asi,
by the vote of the Senate on Tuesday,
And has it come this Are we still to be told
that the landholders are to rule, if they choose,
in both branches of the Assembly? Is it nothing
to the taxpayer who owns no land, or to the tax.
payer who owns less than fifty acres, that the land
holders elect one branch of the Assembly of them.
selves and by themselves and then turn to the Com
mons box and cast of the fifty thousand votes
thrown into that box, forty thousand? Is it moth
ing to the man of stocks, of money at interest Or
who owns slaves and real estate that has taxes to
The State are estimated in apportioning the Senate
md Senators actually based upon them, and then
he is refused the right of voting for these Senator'S
Away with such an unjust discrimination AWAY
With the doctrine that the people are not to be
rusted with their own government! Away with
he idea that the non-landholders would Cypress the
or infringe their rights of property
If the absurd notion of having one class of men
% vote in one box and another class in another Is
o prevail, then provide at once that the }andho-
iers shall vote olv for Senators and the non-land
holders, as now, only for -Commoners. The truth
S, the leading and governing principle in establish
ng representation in all free government is this
The Senate is based upon property of all kinds
hat is, upon the taxes paid on this property and
he Commons or House of Delegates on population
that is, there is one Commoner or Delegate for
given number of that population; and then, as
matter of course, all property, all classes and all
interests being represented provided for, taken care
# in the basis of apportionment, all classes ought
o be allowed to vote. This is the rule; and this
ule cannot be successfully assailed
tits gratifying fact that every Democratic mem
'er of the Commons is in favor of this measure
nd that every Democratic member on the floor Of
he Senate voted for it on Tuesday-Mr Hoke hay
ng voted in the negative in order to obtain the
light to move a reconsideration. Fifteen Wing
otes were cast against it in the Senate, and some
ers Of the Senate have the poaOer to pass the BILL
nd, if it should fail, the Wing party uOiU be held
before the people for ats failure. The
Wing members, it is understood, hare caucused
pom it-caucused upon proposition to establish
quality between citizen and citizen at the ballot
OK and upon their heads, therefore, party, Gf
he bill should be defeated) will the whitening judy
nent of the people fall. We pledge ourselves to
his contest, now and hereafter. This judgment
hall find voices in every quarter of the State. It
hall peal like the trump of doom, upon the ear Of
nany Senator, who, at home, makes fine profess
ions of respect for the public will, but who here dis
egards and tramples down that will. The East
he West, the North, and the South aOiH speak a.
AIN, but they sOiH speak through other men until
ne work is accomplished.
But we still hope for better result. We still
ope that some of those Wings in the Senate who
efused to vote on Tuesday, or who voted against
be bill, will reconsider the matter and conclude to
end their aid. All that is asked of them is to
Mt the measure before the people if they approve
at the polls, it will be WE'LL for the act will BETH
copies; if they disapprove it, we shall bow in 81
snee to their verdict. Is not this fair! Can any
ne, sO1o IS aoilling to givs the people final hear
ng, object to it +? We shall see
----
~ We repeat the statement, heretofore MADE
n this paper, that Dr.. Drake, the Senator from
Nash, has voted uniformly for Mr.. Dobbin for Sen
tor. Our Reporter mistaken in stating that