Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1855-01-20
FREE SUFFRAGE.


in the Senate Of this State, by five votes than
the Constitutional majority, and now goes to the
House of Commons for the action of that body. See
proceedings of Wednesday in another column.
The bill was amended to meet all the obec-
tions urged against by those who insisted
aously on guarding the ballot-box from foreign"
influences; and yet those who thus insisted deter
mined evidently to be satisfied with nothing short
Of the defeat of Free Suffrage ITSELF voted against
the measure. 1t is provided by the bill that per-
shall vote for Senator who is not "a native or
naturazed citizen of the United States %; and this
provision is made, not because it appeared to be
necessary, but to quiet certain apprehensions, whe
Their we'll grounded not and to settle the question
in many words for ali time. PROFESSIONALLY, in
judgment, no foreign born person vote with
out having been nauraZed the federal Constitution
the decisions of the Courts the opinions of eminent
jurists and statesmen broad ample and complete
on this point any custom in this any other State
to the contrary Notwithstanding. The substitute Of
Mr.. Boyd is, therefore, concession to the feeling
now prevailing against Foreigners, but merely de-
claration of existing fact, made with the view
above referred to.
The bill, we have stated, now goes to the House
of Commons, for the action of that body. We sim
cerely trust the friends OF the in the House
will present one front-r0te DOZEN all amendments
and pass the bill at by the requisite majority
The representatives of tine landholders have made
tender Of this great right to the constituents of the
members of the Commons-the bill through which
this tender is made appears to have been perfected
it has the approval ola large majority of the Senate
and this being the case and the principle nvol-
we'd has been so often approved at the ballot-box
and in the Legislature, the people will naturally look
to the Commons for prompt, direct and final action.
We publish below the bill as it passed the Senate
on Wednesday last:
4 Bill to amend the Constitution Of the State of
North Car0Lina.
WHEREAS, large number of the people are dis
fanchised by the freehold qualification requir-
ed Of voters for members OF the Senate,
SEC. l. Tier fore be 1t enacted by the General
assembly Of tie State Of North Carolina, and it is
hereby eaacted by the authority Of tile same (three
hlthS ot the whole number of the members of each
house concurring) that the second clause of the
third section of the first article of the amended Con-
stituton, ratified by the people of North Carolina
on the second Monday of November in the year of
Lord eighteen hundred and thirty five shall be
amended to read rs follows:
Every free white man of the age of twenty-one
years, being native naturalized citizen OF the
United States, and who has been inhabtant of the
State for twelve months Immediately proceeding the
day OF any election and shall have paid public
es shall be entitled to vote for member Of the Sem
for the district in which he resides.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That the Govern
or of the State be- and he is hereby directed to is
sue his proclamation to the people of North Carroll
ma, at least six months before next election for
members of the General Assembly, setting forth the
purport of this act and the amendment to the Con-
stituton herein proposed; which proclamation shall
be accompanied by true and perfect copy of the
act, authenticated the certificate of the Secretary
of State; and both the proclamation and the copy
of this act, tine Governor of the State shall cause
to be published in ten newspapers of this State at
before oil to
the next General Assembly.