Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-05-11
MIR. EDWARDS ADDRESS.

conclusion of our last article that the leading error
under which Mr. Edwards labors is, that land is
represented and protected by the Senatorial voter
at the polls, and not in the basis OF taxaton' on
which the Senate is established.
The great object of the Convention of 1885 was
to eoualize representation-that is, to distribute
Senators and Commoners fairly and justly among
the people of all sections and the rule for effect
inc this, laid down in the act calling the Conven-
ton. was taxation as to the Senate and population
as to the House of Commons. In other words, 1t
was expressly provided in the act that the Senate
should not consist of less than thirty-four, nor
moro than fifty members, to be elected by Dis
tries, the Districts to be laid off at convenient
and prescribed periods by Counties, in proportion
to the public taxes paid into the Treasury of the
State by the citizens thereof; and it was provi-
ded that the Commons should consist of not less
than ninety, nor more than one hundred and TWEEN
tv members, to be assigned to the Counties &C
cording to their federal population. 1t was fur
thermore provided in the act that the said Con-
yention shall also frame and devise amendments
to said Constitution whereby it shall be made ne
cessary for persons voting for Senator to possess
the same residence and freehold qualification res
ncctively in the Senatorial District as is re-
ouired in the County" The members of the
Convention were sworn, under this act before they
could take their seats, not, either directly or in
directly, " to "evade or disregard the duties en-
Joined. or the limits fixed to the Convention by
the said act and the oath having been taken by
all the members, the Convention was at once con-
fined in its action to the limits prescribed.
1t is seen, then, that it was made the duty of
the Convention to continue the freehold qualifca-
ton. 1t would be useless now, to go at length
into the reasons which induced the trainers of the
act of 1885 to pursue this course; but it cannot
be doubted that, if the act had provided for strk-
ing out this freehold qualification, the call for
Convention would have been sanctioned by still
larger majority of the people. The great object,
however, as we have stated, was to equalize repre-
sentaton and this occupying as it did all minds,
excluded from serious and full consideration
not only the Free Suffrage principle, but other
amendments, which, if they had been made, would
have rendered the present Constitution much more
acceptable to the people in all portions of the State
Besides, the trainers of the act were unwilling to
hazard their work, by what might be considered
new or irrelevant issues :; and in addition to this,
some of them no doubt acted under the erroneous
belief, that the freehold qualification would streng
then the protection of property, by giving some
thing like fair representation at the polls to the
landed interest. In this belief, we repeat, they
were mistaken, as we will show before we conclude
this article
AS soon as the Senate was based on taxation,
the argument-if argument it can be called-in
favor of the freehold qualification, ceased to apply.
Before this, the Senators and Commoners were
apportioned according to the same basis-territo-
ry; and it was therefore sought to render one
House check upon the other, by difference in
the qualifications of the electors, there being no
difference, as we have seen, in the plan assigning
members to the Counties. It is a principle as old
as free government, that taxation and representa-
ton should go together; and yet according to the
present Senate basis, thousands of citizens who
contribute to the amount of taxes necessary to Gre
ate SENATOR are debarred the privilege of voting
1or that Senator at the polls. And these citizens
arc no' only taxpayers upon slaves, stocks, money
az INTEREST," merchandise, and the like but tar-pov
eTS @po" real estate yet the arbitrary fftv acre
rule commended for by Mr. Edwards. cuts them off
from the Senatorial and restricts them 70 tho Con
mons box Base the Senate, for examnlA On the
taxes paid on land, and how many Senators would
you have! If this were done-tbat is ;f sono
tors were based on taxes paid on 6fty acre free-
holds and upwards and only tiftv acre freebolders
were permitted to vote for Senators there would
be reason and justice in the arrangement tbo,oh
the principle of class Constitutional zeo;ez,t;o,
SO to speak, would thus be carried to an e,tro,,,o
point. 0--o
But the injustice of this freehold qualification
becomes still more apparent, when we perceive
as we must perceive upon the slightest exauhpa-
ZION OF the facts-that the fifty acre freeboIders
not only elect, of themselves and by themselves
one branch of the Assembly, but erert a contron.
ing influence IN eIecting the other branch. These
lreen0lders are, in the first place, assigned 6ftv
Senator's not merely upon the taxes which thew
pay but upon the taxes paid by all the citizens.
these Senators they elect, and this tbev do 90 ftn
acre men; and they are then permitted to turn 70
the branch OF the Assembly established on per