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

Nav, more; as old sectional feelings have died oas
nner tha ha1py auspices Of our amended constitu-
ton the east has extended her aid and freely paid
her taxes to build up those splendid monuments @
State and individual enterprise lnternai ius
which we're Swallowed forth IN 1880, as
the means whereby the wealth Of the west was to oe
increased 80 AS to equaze her representation IN the
Senate--uutil now, in both Houses Of the Generais
Assembly. east and west are scarcely known. and
stand at almost perfect equilibrium The east ana
the Shareholder demand the performance OF your
part of the contract to build these very railroads.
the debt has been incurred which now produces our
comparatively heavy taxation. -
OF what benefit has the provision which requires
that the capitation tax upon all individuals subject
to the same shall he equal yet been to the slave
holder and the east Hitherto, until very lately.
our taxes have been light, and their weight could
have easily been borne; but now for the first time
in the history of our State, they are becoming
heavy, and this is urged a reason why the plight
ed faith of the State should be broken. and funda-
principle of our polity destroyed. What, fellow
citizens we ask is the object of constitutional
government what principle are our American
constitutions based? Is it not upon the necessity
of giving to minorities means Of protecting them
selves from aggression and from tyranny in order
to preserve their freedom! This minority not to
have positive power to control majority, but
negative power, to prevent majority from Cypress
ing them, Is it not fundamental principle that
all the great interests of State must necessarily
suffer in republic unless this negative power OF
protecting themselves is bestowed in the organic
law? But when is this protection needed? Not
when there is no temptation offered to the majority
from self interest to encroach, for then there no
inducement to do wrong, and in an ordinarily virtu-
Gus community the weaker needs no protection
Men are not devils, and do not love wrong for
wrongs sake. 1t is when taxes become burdensone
that the majority who impose Them and must assist
in paying them, are inclined. from selfish motives,
to break down the constitutional barriers which
protect mnorties from unjust and unequal burdens.
The very fact that taxation is becoming burdensome
is the strongest reason why the compromises of
1884 and 1885 should be strictly adhered to and re-
giously observed for it was for protection at just
such moments as this that the STAKEHOLDER and the
east insisted upon that provision in the constitution
which secures them from oppressive taxation; and
remember, fellow-ctizens. for what purposes our
present taxes imposed and collected; it is not
only to pay the ordinary expenses of our State gov
eminent, but also pay debts contracted in building
up internal improvements both in the east and the
west but mostly in the west, and also to raise mon
les to continue that system Of improvements, the
appropriations were made the honey was voted
the debts were contracted under our present const
tuition No whisper was heard of proposed change
of our whole system Of taxation, when the represen
tatres of taxpayers consented to these appropria-
tons by the State and you must recognize the fact
that there is great difference between changing an
ordinary revenue law, and altering our whole sys-
tenn of taxation by constitutional amendment
When an appropri ton is made the taxpayer
looks upon the former as variable, as likely to be
altered with each recurring legislature but the lat
ter he regards ought to regard sacred at least
he counts upon the fundamental law as ired until
its change is demanded by a decided expression of
hat 70 o,,A
uprightness and honor, can call upon slavehold-
ers east or west to pay the greater proportion OF
appropriations W ich have already been made and
debts which have already been contracted for rail-
roads which eastern as we'll as western, slavehoding
as well as non-slaveholling votes have built
up and are now building, when they who cast
their votes for these roads, at the time of ma
king these appropriations and of contracting these
debts, presumed and rightly presumed they would
pay them under the then organic law; espe-
ciay, when the sole protection afforded to the east
and the slave owner is not limit to any amount of
taxation which the legislature may fit to impose;
but those counties embracing large slave popula-
ton say through the constitution, 70 those embra-
cling preponderatng white one tax our slave pop
ulation to what extent you will, but do not your
selves go scot ee do not tax our black population
white population. For our present constitution
taxes slave population at least three times much
as it does white population. -.l
But fellow citiZens, some of the advocates of
change in the constitution admit that the clause
which they desire to strike out formed part of the
compromise of the convention bill of 1884 and of the
convention of 1885; indeed so much was admitted
upon the floor Of the late Opposition convention BY
one Of the leaders of this party but it was urged
that clause of the constitution framed in 1886, which
required property qualification of fifty acres of
land to entite citizen to vote for State Senator
had been since stricken out and free suffrage sub-
stituted for it. chiefly through the agency of the
Democratic party; that this also formed part of
the compromise of that date, and since by striking
it ont the compromise was violated in one parficu-
lar it was no longer binding on any one Fellow
citizens, the Democratic party does not shrink from
the responsibility Of that act we claim the credit
of free suffrage, though those who noao call them
selves Oppositionists were very anxious at one time
and under another name to share it with us; that
measure did not disturb the equilibrium of our con-
stitution it simply gave to the people of the whole
State the right to select from among the treehoders
those who should represent them, both in the Sem
ate and in the House of Commons leaving the great
landed interest of this State protected, by the i'm
portant fact that each member of both branches Of
our General Assembly was yet required to he con-
siderable freeholdcr and the Governor of the State
must also have large landed qualification: it was
presumed that men could not be easily induced tt
legiSate against their own interest," either by
sivey taxing lands or by imposing other unequal
burdens upon the landowner; but the proposed
change of the Opposition party entirely different
it takes away from about $3.50 900 900 Of property
IN the State every protection which is thrown
around it in our organic law; that great interest il
left subject to any amount of taxation which til,
legislature may fit, in the haste of ordinary leg
islation to impose and to any other burdens which
may be laid upon it.
1 d. - m
ment to state thatit is not supported by the fact
Of history. The freehold qualification formerly re
CURED for elector Of State Senator had nothing Il
do with the compromise of 1884 and 1885, made be
tween the east and the west There was no effor
to change the constitution of 1776 at that time, il
this respect The freehold qualification had its orr
gin in the colonial government of North. Carolina
when this State was under the dominion of the Bri,
ish Grown. In 1774 when Josiah Martin, the las
royal Governor of North-Carolna, became alarmc