Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-01-29
Our Masters.
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the nTSt place. II IS only necessary TO stale 10 snow
the faacy Of Mr.. Aispaughs opinion, that the peo-
pie have clothed the Convention with supreme
legislative, executive and judicial power"
This is indeed giving tangible form to the claim
to "kill and make alive" Its asserting power or
rather powers which the people never thought of
comforting upon the Convention. 1t is an assump
ton of the broadcast and most unlimited character,
for it assumes the existence of deSpotism without
check or balance, control restrain. Are the pSO
pie prepared to seated permanently in Raleigh
body claiming to grasp i'll its own hands all the
powers of the State, unreStraned by the Constitu-
ton, unchecked by the Judiciary, and welding the
energies Of the executive?
We beg of the Convention to he warned. We
beg OF its members to watch closely the moves of
ambitious managers We beg them to believe that
the people are not blind to what is going on. Let
not the members Of the Convention keep their eyes
closed. There must be an end to uSurpation of
powers however technically claimed, and there will
be retributlOn for every attempt even to grasp
them-every assertion even, of despotic power, in.
dlcatlns as does eager itching for its posses
sion.- Wilmington Journal
The foregoing dolorous appeal against despotism
is from quarter from which better things might
have been expected. The Editor of the Journal is
well-infOrmed, intelligent person, not easily nAu-
enced by sensation movements, and apt to estimate
things at their real value; and he kn0tcS that there
is danger that the State Convention will attempt
to exercise despotc power 1t does not follow that
power is despotIc because it is supreme nor can
the members of the Convention alter the fact that
the people, in their own name and for their own
purposes have committed to them the exercise Of
supreme power. Thus far this power has been
sparinsy and wisely used. The members of this
body themselves too true to liberty and justice
to attempt any thing which might even SAVIOR of
despotism; and besides they know their time is
ceSsariy short, and that any despotic act on their
part would be quoted as precedent by others, and
thus they might in the end fall victims to usurpa-
tons Of power which had been begun by them
selves. But we beg pardon for appearing even to
argue the question. No intelligent person believes
that the Convention has usurped power, or that it
is despotic body.
But the Journal has not only made charge
against the Convention which he cannot, as in
tellgent person, believe, but he has taken the lber
ty OF garbiing language from the Standard on which
to base this charge. The Editor quotes just enough
of our language to his purpose, and there he
stops He stops. too, in the midst Of sentence, as
we will show. We said
I'VE observe that Rev John AlSpaugh, who is a
candidate Tor the Convention in Forsyth takes the
ground that the Convention has no power to lcgiS-
late; and that that body ought at to dissolve.
Now in the first place it is only necessary to state,
TO show the fai.acy of Mr.. Al>paushS opinion that
the people have clothed the Convention with
preme legislative, executive and judicial power
wnch power must be exercised Tgr the people, and
subject TO their will
The reader will sec that the material, and indeed
qualifying portion of the sentence is omitted BY the
Journal. The Editor was not willing that his read
should declaration that the power
ferred to "HlnS he crercissd for Tic people, and sub
jet to their rijj" We declared and still declare,
that tic people are above the Convention but the
Jo,lrnal would have it that we regard the CoaCsn-
ton as the paramount power. Is it fair thus to
garble language and msstate the views OF 4 cotem-
porary The Journal knows 1t Is not.
So far as the power referred to is concerned, and
which is barely alluded to in the article from which
the Journal made its garbed extract, we fully and
cordially concur with Gov. Graham, in his recent
speech on Test OathS and Sediton." We concur
with him that
"Ir this Convention like French national As
sembly were declare itself in permanent session,
and arrosae all the powers Of government it would
give no lreater shock public sentiment ana make
no more dangerous stride towards dcSpOtiSin, than
would be effected by the passage of this the Test
Oath ordinance. 1t is true, there have been con-
fded to extensive powers, but they are delegated
powers, and must Ue exercised not whimSlcaily and
tyranncally but in conformity with those elemental
~ principles Of freedom and justice, on which are
/ founded American system of Constitutional
government Ii these violated, it is uSurpalion
! on our part--an abuse Of power equal TO uSurpa-
tion and for want Of other remedy, it may expect
/ To provoke that old and primary of resistance
/ on the part Of the people. When elected to these
! seats in the month of May last not under
stood to be placed above, out of the reach Of the
well known responsibilities OF the represent tive to
I the constituent body"
! This is in substance, the language we have uni
formly held in regard to the powers Of the Convcn-
/ ton. Mr.. A!Spaugh had taken the ground that the
! Convention had no power to legislate. We replied
that the Convention could if it chose to DO So not
" legslae but control both the judicial and
| tive departments Of the government Who disputes
! that? That was what we said but we added, that
/ the Convention must do every thing for the peO-
! pie, and subject TO their wHL" And then the Viii
mington Journal garbles our language, and goes to
! work to prove that we had claimed despotic power
! for the Convention and the Editor plunging
himself into the dismals, proceeds to "warn " the
Convention against ITSELF and the people against the
! Convention as despotc body, and the Convention
against the moves of ambitious managers" This
! is complimentary, truly The Convention is man
| aged, is it. Mr.. Journal? Now We know of no one
more ambitious " than the Editor of the Journal.
| lie is very ambitious and very managing; but
we hope that, in the future he will be more "ambi-
tious than he has heretofore shown himself to set
! forth the whole truth public questions, and to
deal Justly and fairly by his contemporaries.
! We beg leave, in conclusion, to repeat what we
/ said in our article of the Sth instant, from which
/ the Journal has made its garbled extract:
This outcry raised against the Convention is,
for the most part, the work of persons who dislike