Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-07-19

NUMBER OF slaves paying IOur times as much TAX
as the same number of free persons 1t is
not the mere slave owner as a capitalist that
would be affected by increasing the burdens upon slave
labor. 1t would De the person who employs such labor
in any productive way, whether or hire:. It
would enter as tax-an increment of expense into the
cost of every barrel of turpenneevery bale of cotton
every bushe of corn 1t would be felt by every family
In moderate circumstances who own or hire even sim
gle servant for domestic purposes. The of the
United States had shown the tendency of slave property
to leave the State and be carried South and this in
face of the fact that the products Of slave labor perform
ed and required to perform essential part in
maintaining the credit and sustaining the currency of
the State Sound State policy required and now re-
quires that no fresh impetus should be given to this
tendency which would certainly be the effect of with
drawing accustomed protection from slave labor or i'm
posing unaccustomed burdens upon it.
Some differences arose however with Democrats
about the centre of the State in reference to this matter
An organization in Raleigh calling itself the " DIRK
ingmens Association" took up the hobby, and by
adroit appeals and the skifu of name, the hobby
thus taken up by this small body of politicians and this
microscopic association, made to appear identical
with the interests of the workngmen-as though work
ingmen could have interests at variance with the main
tenance of public faith opposed to the public policy
of the State. The Guilford Organ-the Greensboro
Patrotand other papers of that class famed the flame
of division or dissatisfaction and urged upon its own
party to take advantage thereof by Selling upon the
ad Ualorem capital which appeared to have been
prepared and accumulated ready for its hand
The conservative Raleigh Register opposed the at
fair, until forced-actually forced to give in its adhe
sion under the operation of the party The Op
position Convention met and resolved in favor of Con
vention to effect the specific amendment of the Const
tuition requisite to all barriers to the widest
ercise of the taxing power slaves and to Mr. Pool
the steadast opponent of ad Ualorem who, little
year previous had recorded his against ent us
ed the banner of the ad Uaore party All conservative
scrupes-all far-reaching ideas of public poicy-all
considerations of implied public fah were lost sight Of
in the eagerness for vcory-n the earnest desire to
cure the control of the Legislature and the Guberna
toral Office, at time when many offices were to be
filled and many positions to be secured by the hordes
of aspirants who, by long exclusion had grown hungry
and camorous.
It is queer illustration either of the sincerity or the
acumen Of the opposition sponsors of I'D ualore that
ton they should have neglected to recommend the mode
of effectlng such amendment alteration which the
Constitution itself directly prescribes When any part
of the Constitution is to be altered it must be by legis
lative amendment, for the Constitution distinctly says
that No part of the Constitution of this State shall be
altered unless bill to alter the shall have been
read three times in each house of the General Assembly,
and agreed to by three ftths of the whole number of
members of each house respectively y and proceeds
recapitulang the subsequent two thirds vote and final
submitta to the people at the ballotbox, done
in the of Free Suffrage and when all these things
shall have been DONE and the people shall have approved
of the bill for the alteration, then, and not otherwise
the same shall become part of the Constitution"
The Constitution only mentions Convention in the
following words which constitute the first clause of
Section one of the Fourth Article of the Amended
Constitution.
CLAUSE I. No Convention of the people shall be
called by the General Assembly, unless by
of two thirds of all the members Of each house of the
General Assembly,"
This is every word. Nothing said about amendments
or alterations any part of the Constitution evidently
because such amendments or alterations were never con
tempated to be made by the conventional mode Those
who go for Convention either mean than they
say or they nothing at all. The Constitution
most evidently does not contemplate the calling of E
Convention for the purpose of altering any pa, of thai
instrument. For that purpose different method is ex
pressy provided and defntively prescribed. If Con
vention be called it is not for the aera ton of part
the Constitution for no part shall be altered unles
by legislative enactment in the manner laid down. Gu
opponents must either nothing at all else the,
must mean to throw the whole Constitution into hotel
poch and try series of experiments upon the organic
law of the State.
We are thus now in the midst ofa dangerous agita
tion into which have been plunged, either With nj
object at all, save the promotion of electioneer
ing schemes, having in view the elevation to office
certain prominent leaders of the Opposition or with oh
iects of character unrevealed and unknown-ifa par
tiaI alteration of the Constitution had alone been
templated another mode would have been recommended
Either great radical change must be held in re
serve eecting not only the basis of taxation, but til
basis of representation, else the agitation pre-
vailng has been started by the Opposition party gra
tuitously and without other object than the persona
advancement of certain leaders.
From the first the agitation of this issue began de
velope the dangerous tendencies which thinking
both parties had oreseen and predicted its nevtabl
consequence. Through the press and from the stump
appeals were and made, drawing artful contrasts
calculated to excite and array the preudces of the poo
against the rch the non Shareholder against the slave
holder convince the landholder that he oppresse
that the sectional compromise of 1885, so far th
matter concerned is vile and odious ard that to
range all these things convention must be held and h
fundamental law of the State submitted to radical chang
While these the disturbing influences inevitably il
troduced into communities by this agitation and the lin
of argument pursued in advocacy of the proposed chang
we readily see how the agitation and the sam
line of argument must in greater degree, tend