The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1865-10-17

authorities tor presentment, indictment and trial
in the respective counties where the offences are
alleged to have been committed.
p Unfinished Business.
The "ordnanee declaring what laws and or
dinaDces are in force and for other purposes"
! came up as the unfinished business.
The section in regard to declaring that those
persons lately regarded as slaves and now eman-
cipated, who cohabt together as man and wife,
shall be- deemed to have been lawfully married
from the time of their cohabltation and the issue
reported to be born of such cohabltatOn shall
/ be deemed to have been born in lawful wedlock
and legitimate from their birth, was under dis
cusson, and the careful and learned debate, in
which Messrs. Moore of Wake, Phillips of Or
ange, Wright Of New Hanover, Howard of Will
son, Winston Of franklin, Conigland of Hall
fax, McGehee of Caswell and Dockery of Rich
mond, evinced not only much legal research,
but great interest for the freedmen. The Sec
ton amended in several particulars, and
was finally stricken out by vote Of sixty-eight
to forty-two, upon the suggestion of Mr. Phillips
Of Orange and the report of Pool OF BERTHE In
regard to freedmen to refer the whole matter
0! "freedman's CODE to commission.
The ordinance as amended passed its second
reading, s.
Several delegates gave notice that upon the
third reading they would o1ier amendments, and
the ordinance will be reported as finally passed
The resolutions (heretofpre reported,) asking
for a general amnesty of the Presdent.of the
United States, for all the citizens of North
Carolina not yet pardoned, were passed.
An ordinance introduced by Mr. Settle, emit
tied San ordinance recognizing the just debts
Of North Carolina and prohibiting the payment
CIT public debts created and incurred in aid
of4ke rebellion" with the adverse report of the
Committee on Finance to which it was referred
came up their second reading.
Mr. Mebane Of Alamance, moved to lay them
on the table The motion did not prevail
yeas 81, nays 81. The Convention adjourned.
Tenth Day.
Thursday, October IL.
Mr Walkup of Union, introduced the follow
ing resolution A resoluton for the appoint
ment of committee 70 memorable Congress to
remove the free persons Of COLOR from this State.
Resolvea, That committee of seven, one
from each Congressional District in this State,
be appointed to take into consideration the pro-
priety Of memoralizing the Congress of the
United States for the removal from this State of
all free persons Of color, or any part Of them,
and especially, Of those persons lately held as
slaves, but now emancipated And that they
report the result Of their deliberations for the
action Of this Convention.
Unfinished Business
The ordinance introduced by Nj Settle to re-
cognize the just debts of the State, and to pro-
hibit the payment of all debts contracted in |
aid Of the rebellion came up as the unfinished 7
business
Messrs Thompson and Ward advocated the
ordinance refusing to pay the war debt Mr.
Winston opposed it.
AT the close of the discussion, Mr. B Moore
offered the following as a substitute for Nj
Settles ordinance
dn Ordinance IN Relation TO the Public Debt.
Be it ordained by the delegates of the people |
of North Carolina, in Convention assembled, and /
tits hereby declared and ordained by the au-
thofity Of the same, That it shall be the duty
Of the General Assembly as soon as practicable,
and at farthess within three years after the LIST
day Of January, 1866, I'd make provision for the
redeeming such of the bonds of the State and
the coupons thereof, shall then be due and
payable, and we're not issued after the LIST of
January, 1861. And that after the 1st day Of
eral Assembly, aud they are hereby instructed
to make provision for the payment Of such others
issued before the said lst day of January 1861,
and their coupons as they may become DUE
Provided, however, that nothing herein con-
taued shall be SO construed as to prevent the
General Assembly from inquring into the price
obtalned upon the sale of the bonds issued in
behalf of the Wilmington, Charlotte & Ruther-
ford Railroad Company, and amending this Or
dinance as to those if it shall appear that any
reduction ought ia justice to be made
Be it further ordained, That it shall ndt be
in the power of the General Assembly before
the year 1871, to assume the payment of any
part of agy debt Of the State contracted to aid
in prosecuting the late rebellion of the>State
agains: the United States Provided, however,
that nothing in this ordinance contained shall
be construed as an instruction then to assume
said debts, or any part of them, or ASIAN expEes-
sion of opinion whether any part thereof should
De paid.
The Convention then adjourned.
Elerenh Day.
Friday, October 18th.
The ordinance for laying off the State into
seven Congressional districts was passed.
The ordinance in relation to the public debt
taken up as unfinished business and after
some discussion vas laid on the table by vote
Of sixty three to fifty.
The pay of members Of the Convention was
fixed at SIX dollars per day and mileage.
The ordnance declaring what laws and ordi-
nances are 10 force, was taken up on the third
reading but before any action was had On it the
Convention adjourned.
THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES /:
John Van Buren,, in speech at Albany, n.
Y, recently, said: +
cit is very curious fact, that during the last r
sixty five years only three Federalist Presidents
have been elected Generals Harrison and Tay-
lor, AID Mr. Lncoln Each one Of these died
in the Presidential Office, and the Vice Presi- :