Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-01-16
The MISUNDERSTANDING Debates

The MISUNDERSTANDING Debates.
The House of Commons on Tuesday passed through
its third and final reading the Senate BILL appropi
ating $780, 900 for armng the State
Both houses were engaged yesterday in debating
the proposition to call Convention. In the House
Mr.. Person, the chairman of the committee on fed
eral relations introduced bill as substitute for
the bill heretofore reported by him from the COM
mittee; and in the Senate similar bill was intro.
duced by Mr.. Avery. This bill provides for calling
an unrestricted Convention hy two thirds of the Gen
eral Assembly, and makes provision as the first
bill did for submitting the action Of the Convention
to the people for their approval or rejection.
Mr.. Person advocated the substitute in speech
OF considerable length i'll which he took ground for
secession and distinctly declared that in his opinion
the Convention, if called, S1ouM at once udopt men-
snres for withdrawing North- Carolina from the
Tnion. This, be it remembered, comes from the
chairman of the committee. and from one who re-
conmends and urges that the action of the Conven-
ton shall be final In the course of the debate the
same gentleman. in reply to question propounded
by Mr. Davis. of Rutherford justified the taking the
forts in this State by force, in the event any at
leHpt uChlp " OCCupy tHeiH Will OHueu
States troops. This is nothing more nor less than
Ntrcason, and was so characterized by Mr. Davis. -
I'VE understand Mr. Person said the omission in
the first bill of the twe-thirds provision for calling
the Convention was unintentonal; but Mr.. Avery
distinctly admitted in the Senate that the idea Of
calling Convention BY "a bare majority had been
abandoned, and therefore the two-thirds provision
hal i,sop ;pcortnl in tho c,,hStfuta
Mr.. Person and Mr.. Avery, it seems want a
Convention to take the State at once out Of the
| Union but judging from Mr.. Erwin's remarks in
the Senate, he looks to Convention 10 take the
State out Of the Union, and in addition to MAZE
changes i'll the Constitution with reference 10 dd
raiorem and free persons of color. 90. ....5y
| We have neither time space to-day to enlarge
upon the substitute offered by Messrs Avery and
Person, br,t will say this, that no Convention
can be called without provision in the bill to sub
nit the action Of the Convention to the people for
! their approval or rejection. Tile public man soho
rotes agninxt alioring he people pass finally up
on the doingx Of tile Concenton, ,ciU be doomed-
And vet gentlemen who would thus ignore the peo-
pie, and 'precipitate" then, into revolution in hot
haste by an ordinance of secession, profess to be
| Democrats, while We and others who arc battling
for popular rights are read out disorganizers !
Let the people decide between us. The secession
leaders have been compelled by public opinion to
come to our position that bare majority Of the
Legislature cannot call Convention; and we now
notify them that they will have to fall another peg
by providing that the action of the proposed Conyen
t;op shall NOT he final nnt ~ nv the
people. e.y: =. ,z.,, =,
= More on this subject hereafter. ~
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