New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-08-16
OFFICIAL JOURNAL
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MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST is,
THE COMKE.NTION.

3
MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST is. 1856.
THE C0NrENTTON. =
To-day,Ne conclude the publication of til
proceedineso Of the Convention; the Constitntio
IS adopted finally occupying its proper place
them
We have heretofore forborne any remark
upon the new Constitution, with'a view Of frs
laying all the proceedings (includipg the Yates
before our readers. We knew that thes
would to the ohserSant throw mich light Hpol
the former, make plain what might be obscure
and, perhaps, vindicate what might otherwise
appear unreasonable or unjust.
At least this has been orr own experience il
the premises, and after reviewing the proceed.
ings and the votes, and thereby obtaining some
thing like partial insight into the motives and
designs of the members from the different sec.
ti0ns, we feel reconciled to, if not satisfedwith
some features which were previously unaccept.
able to us. We have no doubt but that the
publication,of the debates will yet further vim
dictate and recommend the new Constitution.
We can illustrate by one provision the. tota
population basis. When We. first learnt thu
adoption Of this basis we were somewhat aston
ished, and inclined strongly to the conclusion
that . wrong had been done to the rights anG
interests Of NewOrleans. Such would have
seemed to be the natural conclusion, but know
ing that our city had an able and faithful dele.
CATION in the Convention, and that the men,
bers were generally fair minded and intelligent
=. III Al. ~
wait for the explanation or vindication which
could not fail to be forthcoming ii due season.
The reasonab leness Of patience has been amply
proven in the detail Of facts The total popu-
lation basis was the result of n Compromise
and large portion of our delegation entered
into that Compromise in order to protect our
city, embracing nearly one-fourth of the entire
population Of the State, and paying one-third OF
the taxes, from an UNJUST narrow and, odious
restriction Of her representation in the Legisla-
ture
Had they not entered into this Compromise
had they gone, as they preferred to go, for the
electoral basis-the doom of New Orleans was
sealed Seventy -four members were pledged in
that event to impose upon her the most illiberal
and annoying restrictions and their purpose
was arrested only by sudden combination of
the larger portion Of the city members with
others from the country to establish the total
population basis
1t is idle to say in the ad capta,,datna, Furioso
style, that the total population basis is damn
ing outrage upon freemen, because slaves 60 to
make up the basis. The slaves do not vote, and
the total population basis is merely the repro
duction, in a. new form, of the principle of re.
presentation secured by the Southern slavehold-
ing States in the adoption, or rather formation,
Of the Constitution of the United States. The
same principle, variously modified, expanded or
contracted, exists in other slave States; and is
mainly supported upon the argument, that the
State legislates not merely for electors, but for
women, children, unnaturalized, citizens, slaves
etc., and that those who represent the interests
Of such are entitled to measurable representa-
tive power in behalf Of those interests.
However, the total population basis cannot be
a favorite with us. But suppose the electoral
oasis had been adopted, and then Gas would
inevitably have been the case,) the representa-
ton OF NewOrleans had been permanently fixed
in an unjust proportion to other sections of the
osa'e. ana arbitrarily made feature of the
Constitution for the present and the future
Inen A. might have been that four citizens of
eWOrleansl would not have had as much cleo
toral Influence Us one citizen of the country, and
it would be idleto expect any future amend
ment Of SO unjust and odious clause In the
cfashing Of unfortunate sectional iealousies, |
with two divisions of country members, both |
willing to wound and yet, for their own interests
afraid to strike, the position OF the New0rleans
delegation was that Of an armed neutral, wait
ing to'see howsit could best protect ana Secure |
the rights OF the great interests it represented |
ltcouiSi get no terms but those Of wrong and re-
strlctlona from the electoral basis gentlemen
and consulting the law of self preservation, of
least injury and be the most easily remediea it
to the invitation Of the advocates of |
not ba aon;ad s,a,,,o5
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