Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-04-21

Gu constitution TO prohibit an ihequality Of wh<tes
and black poll taxes. 2. By the new system Of rep
the PRINCIPAL slaYe=oxning counties will
be transferred from a minority TO msiortynsssf
Under the influence of speeches. addresses and
such appeals as these, the 10000 votes were cast
tavoring Reform of the Constitution, and beipg
communicated to the Governor Of the State, dion.
ID. L. Swain,) and through him sent to the General
Assembly, the petition was rejected and lcorven-
ton bill introduced at the session Of 1888 was again
defeated
This convention bill of 1888 recites in the pream-
bic that it has been represented to the General AS
sembly that large portion of the citizenssof the
State are DESTROYS of remodeng the Constitution
in nine enumerated particulars The third IS g to
fix the basis of representation in the Legislature up
on population and taxation" The seventh Is Ito
provide that future General Assemblies shall not
abolish slavery; and that capitation tax shall be
equal upon all classes of persons" 1t directs the
sherES Of the respective countiesto open polls in
their counties. that the people may vote whether
they will have convention, on a basis which al
lowed eight members to- each congressional district
which was, in fact, the federal basis directs the
sheriffS to certify to the Governor thesnmmier Of
votes given for and against such consentions and
4 imposes upon the Governor the duty of COMMUNE
eating to the next General Assembly theTesult of
the voting q s.tsSt NJ
That the proposition of the reformers cont iped in
the particulars referred toaboye, made 70 he fest,
& among the Legislative Docnmcnts OF the session OF
1888 one which contains the proposed amendments
to the Constitution, upon which basis the reform
movement argued before the people ofsthis State
in 1888 and in 1884.
The 18th of the proposed amendnentssis in these
words:
1.-The General Assembly shall no. pass any law
impairing the right hitherto exercised by masters
over their slaves, property; notax shall be i'm
posed upon slaves under the age of twelve OF over
the age of fifty years; none buta capitation tax
shall be imposed on them, and taXption per capita
shall be equal upon all classes of pekons provided,
that no such tax shall be laid on white females, or
upon white males under the age Of lwenty-one and
over the age of forty five years"
When the convention bill Of the Iession Of 1888
was again rejected. the members of assembly who
had favored its passage again met, AMI again organ
lied central committee land committees in every
county, to appeal to the people, especially Of the
eastern COUNTIES in order to override the decision OF
their representatives against the great republican
right of majority TO reform their State government.
That committee fellow citizens consisted pf William
II. Haywood, Jr., William 4. Graham, R N. Saun-
ders, Weston r. Gales, James Scawell ann William
r. lIargrove Docs William A. Graham, 81 prom
inent member of the late Opposition ConvSntion,
which assembled in Raleigh on the 22d Of February
last, stand now upon the Opposition platfotm, or
does he stand where, as a western man. he stood
tee in 1884? The address is before u.s. and tie free
voters of North-C Carolina can see for themscvS.
This address, speaking Of the 9TH particular re-
ferred to above says:
THE proposition upon the subject of slave, and
slavery it exists in this State. requires sote
PLANTATION. The opponents of convention hid fire.
/ quently charged the advocates Of a reform d our
representation with design to- impose unequi bur
! dens upon the MASTER and perhaps interfere Lther
! wise with his rights The charge might hav, been
! repealed by bare denial, and the absence ,f all
proof to sustain it. by the fact that all parts oil
! your State contain a large slave population. But
the representatives Of a majority determined 10 re-
move eyen-a pretext for hostility against the Just
claims, consented to accept this mod icafiOn, II Pai
these things beyond the reach Of ordinary conti}
! gencies.",
Remember, this is the address of western reform
crs to eastern shareholders Upon the basis of tlt
convention bill Of 1888, explained by this address
! the reform movement was argued before the peopt
! of the east in 1884 and the General Assembly vs.
elected, which during ITS session of that year. passf
I" An act concerning a convention to amend the Col
sttution of the State" under which the conventif
Of 1885 was called. Each and every part Of that al
indicates the compromise which was made by I'd,
patriotic eastern legislators with their western bre
rem. The eastern members who were parties to tjC
compromise were, in the Senate, Richard Dob
/ Spcight, of Craven; Otway Burns of Carteret; Wh
! b. Lockhart, of Northampton; James Wyche, b
/ Granville; and \. Mebane, of BERTHE. In the Con
mons, VIM. Ii. Haywood Jr., of Wake; Elijah S
Bell and James Nancy, of Carterct Sandy Harris
Of Granville; Abncr Hartley and Fred p Lathah
of Craven; Geo Whitfield, of Lenoir Edward B
/ Dudley, Of Wilmington; Fred. Norcom of Edentoi
Mat f. Manly, of Newbcrn and Thomas Ousby, b
Halifax. The bill passed by vote Of 81 ayes TO b
noes in the Senate; and &C ayes to 81 noes in tn
House of Commons. From this examination thdl
of its previous history, and careful reading of th
act ITSELF 1T will be seen, that the compromise c
tanned in the whole bill may he thus briefly statid
The eastern members named above agreed, if IN
western members would accept taxation as the basi
of representation in the Senate and federal nun
Gers as the basis Of representation in the Housco
Commons, they would put it IN the power of tn
majority of the people living in the west 10 cali
convention under the sanction of law which convsu
ton shall be compelled to provide in the organic l,y
itself mode of amending the constitution of th
State in future and also, to adopt the proposed bas
of representation; provided the western member
would consent to the conventions being called OF
the county basis, (then the basis of representation
both in the House of Commons and the Senate Ian
would assent to limitation of the powers of tha
convention, putting it. however in the power Of tn
east to secure that protection to slave propert
which they considered so essential to their safet,
And the representatives of the majority agreed
take this a compromise, provided it should
first approved by majority of the voters of u
whole State upon the grour ds that the people alan
had the right to dispose of the Offer and that thi
first overture from the east for compromise ough
to be submitted TO the people themselves to be ar
swered by majority under the sanction Of lawft
authority. The majority of the people IN the ives
ratified the act and accepted the proposed comprc
mise on the LIST and I'd of April 1885, by voting "a
the whole bill. The convention convened on til
first Thursday in June of that year. and incorpor;
ted into our organic law, by the almost unanimou
vote of both eastern and western members, articl
4, section g. of our amended constitution, which
is now proposed by the Opposition party to strik
out
To show that this provision was part of the con
promise, and that without certainty of its inse
ton, by reason of the conventions being framed o
the county basis, the eastern members would nevs
have consented to altering the basis of represent
ton and calling convention at all we have onl
to refer you fellow citizens, to the S2d page of ii
debates of the convention where east and west uni
in speaking of this provision portion of the con
h.