Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-04-25

class Of properly holders security when iney ~"
nave under our fs5ndanisntai law by sscfea
ID say that another class Of property holders 'no
,vare also secured by sacred compact have oeen 81,
priiyed of their projection. One wrongful act WV
h.ys]ly insfify another. But compromise OF couf
tract, however sacred, .n,ay be altered ~ the psl
ties who made it, both at Law and in ethics .ne
compromise in 1885 was between the east ann tns
vest and for whichever party benefit the freenoia
on.fcation Of electors for Senator may have been
retained IN our constitution in 1880, that party,
uhether east or west, assented to and favored the
change which effected free suffrage For when me
nonuiar vote was taken upon that measure IN 1891,
onv seven Of the seventyeght counties winch votea
were .1a;nst II two of which counties were IN the
east and five in the west only one OF the congress
sional districts of the eight was opposed % anu
that was the fifth district Mr.. Gilmers; ana GUY %
the 60, 1856 votes which were cast the measure oo-
tanned majority of 3o.62s. East and west az -.
tons and ali property holders must be presumed 20
have favored it. And in the legislatures o. 1908
and 1856, there was an equally striking approach
to unanimity. - =. -, -.
But fellow citizens, this change which thus dis
turbs sacred compromise and dsregards the holy
obligations of pliehted faith is to be effected accord
inc to the Opposition platform By an open and u'a-
restricted contention rerisina 1cannot say amend
ina our constitution IF this were not rendered Ger
tain by the platform tSelI, as IL u, VIC nav ai"PiS
assurance of it in the comments Of the Raleigh IKE.
oiser Of March 7th, 1860 which tauntngly asks, #
the Democratic convention will also advocate an
open convention as the Opposition party have.
Here, them we have text and comment; for the
purpose Of efecting one alteration in our organic
law which has not Itself been demanded by the por-
ular voice; at time when we are suffering un-
der no real evils, and when no urgent public neces-
sty demands it, it is proposed by few politicians
most of whom seldom come in contact with the
masses of the people; men who have heretofore
claimed that they contained within themselves all
the elements of conservatism that are lett in the
State; it is proposed we say, to resolve ourselves
into the first elements of Society and rebuild our
constitutional eifice. Truly, this is the spirit OF
revolution ITSELF it is than spirit of revo-
ton; for the Declaration of Independence OF the
United States is usually considered as sufficiently
revolutionary in its character, and if our modern
revolutionzers will accredit so old document they
may find among its sacred teachings, that "prud-
ence indeed will dictate that governments long es-
tablshed should not be changed for light and tram
sient causes" We would refer them. if their new
~ discovered zeal for reform would heed such an
Gent authority, to great writer upon the law Of
nations who in his old-time wisdom thought that
"great changes in State, being delicate and very
dangerous affairs, and frequent changes being in
their omn nature prejudicinl a people ought to be
very circumspect in doing it, and never be inclined
to make innovations without the most pressing rea-
sons, or an absolute necessity"
CONCLUDED ON 2D PAGE.)