Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1854-03-22
From the Ashsyins
THE WING STATE CONVENTION.

had - Ralegh IN The slstii We hope they may
have received acarefu and attentive perusal, anu
that they may be calmly and
IF So we have no fears that every unprej man
win conclude as we have done that q more peoau,,
matched up brazen simposture was never @
to be pamed off an any sensible people -
vow no principle which is not qualhea, -, :.
.propided away-shorn of any strength OF nerie !.
NAV have ever had--efnasculated ana lett Win Only
yieor enough to limp along through the next ca'l
yass the butt of ridicule the unmissape =, ~
the scorn contempt and condemnation oi sIe
neonIe of the State. They advocate no Pnoc meas
IRE of Federal or State policy explicitly and PLAINLY
except the EXTENSION of the Central itallroad anu
throughout every plank there's such
streak of vagueness, uncertainty ana aup.e
one must suspect that the Convention elIher
had no principles to announce, or II they hads thcy
preferred to withhold them from puoilc VleM a,i
substitute what, according to their estlnlate VI Pr
,ar ntelligencc was better suited to the caPaeiiy
ndudgment of the people string OF une'.n, ~
: iinfounded and ant-S Southern denuncat,ons =. H.
President and his Cabinet, and snaopy, CO. G
made badly set and worse balted trap 10 eater III
vent;on Wings in the West with the head, ana has
tern Rasis Wings with the tail, of their most remar<
able and ridiculous Resolution on the suoect o. Con
stitutional Reform. We desire to-day nrleny u
tce some of the Objectionable points IN Inns eeou
t;on It's a monstrosity-a sort OF political mer-
maid. Cunnngly devised to cover the wnoie ota.e,
and to prove acceptable to all parts OF the Staees
upper half carved into the beautiful semoianGe oi a
Convention while its lower extremity graouaiiy puI
legislative restrictions proysos and limitations until
the union of such homogeneous, Incompatible ana re-
pugnant material must insult the good sense as wen
as disgust the good TASTE of the people OF all par1es
The resolution is as follows
of North Carolina desire a change tn ire Co's.tST
ton of the State, and that this can De most wisely
and safely done by Convention OF Delegates electeu
by the people, therefore, we recommend to the Leg
islature to call such Convention, and IN submitting
the election of Delegates to the people SO TO PROVIDE
AS TO PRESERVE PRESENT BASIS OF EXPERIMENTATION
IN THE LEGISLATURE. -
and how the gentlemen composing the Wing Con-
-enton got their sopinion that the people OF North
Carolina desire change in the Constitution OF tne
State" They have all along denied that GoV. hei1
election. was any evidence that the people desired
change in the Constitution, although the main issue
between him and his opponents in all his campaigns
has been an extention of the right OF suffrage II ne
heavy vote which has Oeen cast again ana again III
the Ieeis ature in of this change IN the Con-
stitution has also been disregarded by these same
delegates as afforling no foundation Tor the opn-
ion that the people desire a change IN tneir Cohst-
tuition The open opposition OF the Wing SIN
the last Assembly the Free Suffrage bill, and their
success in defeating it. indicates if it indicates any
thing that at that time they either did not enter
tain the 'topinion' that the people desire change
in the Constitution, they did, they were willing,
in order to secure paltry party triumph, to oeeat
the "desre of the people-to stae their voice,
Enthusiastically expressed in every election for the last
six years.
But the Wing Convention is of opinion that the
people desire "a change" in the Constitution Has
anything occurred has any opportunity offered to
ascertain the sense OF the people on tins SUBJECT,
since the adjournng of the last Legisature! II not
the .'opinion of the Wing Convention must be
grounded the action of that and previous Legsla
lures in favor of Free Suffrage If the vote of the
people in the last two Governors elections and the
vote of the peoples Representatives in the last three
Legislatures, have reluctantly compelled the wing
fho
''desre" a change, why the necessity for them to
withhold an expr,: of approval or the condemna-
ion of the change which they must know the people
''desire?" There has been no test OF the popular
"desire" on any question of Constitutional Reform
except Free Suffrage, yet the Wing Convention
knowing this, and acknowledging it by their reso-
luton obstinatey persist in refusing to declare for
against it. Are they for or against it? If they
arc sincere in their .opnion" to what the people
want, can they endorse and approve the conduct of
those members of their party who at the last session
of the Legislature defeated the "desire of the peo
pie and saddled them the necessity of mourning
the expense of Convention to obtain that which the
vote of the Wing members of the last Legislature
might have given them without any cost.
It's difficult to decide whether the resolution un-
der consideration is sign progress step back
wards, by the Wing party on the question of Con-
stitutional Reform Two years ago, If amendments
desired then the Wing party was in favor of a
Convention to make them. Now they favor Con-
vention without the clog of an II or perodcenture
and tie its hands IN the execution OF the only work
that any reasonable man wantedit to do by pro-
vidng that it shall not touch he present basis Of
representations" Shades of Bynum, Woodfn, Gill
lner, Caldwell, and the other thrty-seven indepen-
dent representatives who promulgated the Western
Address, can you stomach the entertainment provi-
ded for you by this Resolution Is this the sort of
Convention You have advocated so zealously in pub
lie and private for three years past? Have you for
gotten the language and arguments of that address
Ii nave, Will refresh with
sample. The issue then has been fairly presented:
Free Suffrage, or a Free COncentton UNRESTRICTED
By ANYTHING But WILL OF THE PEOPLE," Is that
fair statement of the issue presented to the
people? The issue now is, Free Suffrage or a cEogg-
ed, limited C0nreatSon, restricted IN ecerytsin0
the Senate, says the Address, property is repre-
scented and not the people; and the same principle
which prompted our ancestors to that glorious con-
test, and sustained them in it. which terminated in
the achievement Of our liberties, should prompt
to gar against this most odious, dnti-repubiican
remnant Jsudal aristocracy (the present basis of
representation, )sby hich the people are tared BIZ
body an aohich they are trepresented This odiouG
anrepublican offeudal aristocracy has been
preserved by the Wing Convention Will the war
againstit cease w i'll the immortal thirty-seven
bow their necks to the yoke of party caucus Do
they, can they, honestly believe that convention
called with the cypress pToris0 that 1t shall areserre
the present basis Of representGt ioa, team and wip
in the language of their address, adjust all those
matters about which the public mind is beginning
to be agltated, to the entire of all par
ties in the State" They can believe no such thing
for they will not have the audacity to pretend that
such Convention as that recommended by the Wing
platform is the substance which they so eagerly
sought when they pushed aside the sfado1o of Free
Suffrage Shadow indeed Free Suffrage isso much
bigger, better and more Substantial than this abor
ton OF Convention that We can find no words to
convey our idea of their disproportion-- Daniel
oil -