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


have under our fuudamentz law 81 sacred compact
ksr} eIss 81 rex 8 sass SbSszet. have been de-
priv ofthH pro tf F60s wrongful act viii
bard tstiH apot1tr. But compromise or con-
tract however sacred, may be altered by the par
ties who made IT, both at law and in ethics; the
compromise in 1885 was between the east and the
west and for whichever partys benefit the freehold
qualification of electors for Senator may have been
retained in our constitution in 1885, that party,
whether east or west, assented to and favored the
change which effected free suffrage. For when the
popular vote was taken upon that measure in 1857,
only seven of the seventy eight counties which voted
were against It two of which counties were in the
east and five in the west only one of the congress
sioal districts of the eight opposed to it and
that was theifth district Mr.. Gilmers; and ont of
the SO 1886 votes which were cast, the measure OBJ
tanned majority of 3062a. East and west all sec
lions and alb pDTEaRolders must be presumed ii to
have favored It An in the legislatures Of 1854
and 1856, there was an equally striking approach
But. lep1x .citeens this ctasge which thus.dis-
tnrbs sacred e6apromise and .disregards the holy
obligations of dighted faith is to be effected, accord
ing to the Opposition atform, By an open and an
restricted conrehiOn forrepssing cannot say deld
ing our constitution. If this were not rendered GER
tain by the platform ITSELF as it is, wehave ample
ASSURANCE of it in the comments of the Raleigh Re
oister ofMarch 7th 1860 which tanntingly asks If
the Democratic convention will also advocate an
open convention as the Opposition party have.
Here, then we have text and comment; for the
purpose Of eiecting one alteration in our organic
law which has not itself been demanded by the pop
ular voice; at time when we are suffering
Ger no reafevis, and when no Urgent public neces-
sity 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 left in the
State it is proposed, We say, to resolve ourselves
into the first elements of Society and rebuild our
constitutional edifce. Truly, this is the spirit of
revolution itself; it is than spirit of revolu-
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 accredt so old document, they
may fin6 among its sacred teachings, that prud-
ence indeed will dictate that governments long
tablshed should not be changed for light and tran
silent causes" We would refer them. if their new
| ~ discovered zeal for reform would heed such an
cient 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 an
their nature prejudicial, people ought TO be
very circumspect in doing it, and never be inclined
to make innovations without the most pressing rea-
| sons, absolute necessity"
CONCLUDED IN OUR NENT)