The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-06-28

The delegate from Cam den, Mr.. Ferebee,.
had boosted that he i3eloneed to the Henry
Clay school of po]itics He would ask him
IF Henry Clay would have ever refused to
take an oatllto support the constitution Of
his Stats not Inconsistent with that of the
United States He reckoned not. And
here be would say the difference between the
sentiments of the gentleman from Camden
and those of Harry Clay, was as wide as the
difference between Heaven and he'll!
Mr.. Conigland in reply said that we had
been informed by Mr.. Moore, of Wake, that
there is clause in the present Constitution
requiring an oath of this sort. Such being
| thecase, whence the necessity ofincorporating
such clause at present 2 Much differeaeeaef
opinion as to the propriety of this clause is
now entertained; and why should it now be
considered SO necessary, which heretofore
has not been considered necessary The
delegate from Rowan has asked would Hen
ry Clay have hesitated to take an oath like
this2 1 answer that as regards Constitu-
ton now proposed to be made, he would
not only not have taken an oath to support
it, but his clarion voice would have, been
heard from Maine to California against it.
To use the words of the delegate, the Con-
stitution of the days of Clay is as different
from that now proposed, as Heaven from
hell! 1t proposes not only to exclude nine
tenths of our people, who are usually elected
to Office, not only from federal offices, but
from State offices also. Can any true son of the
South assent to tllis2 Rather than purchase
office at such price, would stay forever at
| home. If could, would not attain the
highest elevation by swearing to support
Constitution, from the formation of which
my voice is excluded and nine-tenths of my
own people DISTINGUISHED.
Let our State Constitution remain as it is
in this particular. 1t is good enough for me
as 1t is, and will be good enough if it re-
mains so. -
Mr.. Odom made an eloquent reply He
favored the section as reported by the COM
mittee, and was himself prepared to swear to
support the Constitution of this State, not
inconsistent with the Constitution of the
United States But this seemed unpleasant
to some. 1t aroused them. They talked of
Congress, the proposed amendments to the
Constitution, &c. What are you going to
do, should those amendments be adopted?
Are you going to submit to them? Then
what is there Objectionable in this oath r.
But you object. Then, if they are adopted,
are you going to reUolutionize againq Are
you going to resist the authority of the gov
eminent once mcre2 AS for himself, he in
tended hereafter to defend the stars and
| stripes wherever that banner fioated. PRO
longed applause. He had lost the savings
of fifty years, but he had willingly submitted
and intended to abide the ISSUE He would
prefer to return to the Union with the con-
cessions already made, but that seemed inn
possible now. Who was to blame for it p
Not President johnson nor the Congress,
but those people here at home, who have
ruined US once before. 1t now appeared that
further concessions are to be made. Between
the granting of further concessions and the
Inauguration of another revolution, he had
but one choice-make the concessions. We
had fought once and been whipped. Let US
confess it. He was for peace and harmony
hereafter.
Mr. Howard said he thought the discussion
had given the question an importance which
it did not deserve; and as he intended to
vote for the amendment of the delegate from
Craven he desired the Convention to under
stand the two propositions The amendment
proposed to retain the present oath which
contains the very words proposed to be
stricken out. and in addition an oath of al
legiance to the State. Seeing no reason for
abridging the present oath he preferred the
amendment. This discussion about secession
he thought entirely out of place. That ques-
ton had been referred to the sword, the only
arbiter-and was settled. No delegate could
entertain the notion that any one could take
Office under the State without an oath to
support the Constitution of the United
States such proposition was preposterous
and absurd.
While saying this, he did not wish to be
understood as attempting to conceal his own
sentiments. What gentleman called seces-
sion-that the general government had no
right to coerce State, he had always be-
lieved, now believed, and expected tos.con-
tinue to believe to be the true construction of
the Constitution as intended by the trainers
of the Government; but Others thought
otherwise and they had established their
construction, and he had agreed and expect
ed honestly to abide by it.
The Convention then came to a vote, and
the amendment of Mr.. Manly was rejected,
as follows: .- E-.r .e.{
YEAs-Messrs. Bagley, Berry, Conigland,
McKoy of Sampson, Mcdonald of Chatham,
Person, Smith of Johnston, Spencer of Hyde,
Winburne, and Wright.-16.
NAYs.---Messrs. Adams, Alexander, Allen,
Baines, Baker, Barrow, Bingham, Boyden,
Bradley, Brickell, Bryan, Burgin, Buxton,
Caldwell of Burke, Caldwell of Guilford,
Dick, Dickey, Faircloth, Faulkner, Furches,
win, Grissom, Harris of Guilford, Harris of
Rutherford. Harrison, Haynes, H enry-5Iodge,
jackson, Johnston, Jones ot>Henderson,
Jones of Rowan, Joyce, King, Lyon, Mckay
of Harnett, Mcdonald of Moore, McIvor, N.
Mclean, Mclaughlin, Norfeet, Odom, Pat
terson, Phillips, Polk, Rush, Settle, Sloan,
Smith of Arson, Smith of Wilkes, Starbuck,
Stephenson, Stewart, Walkup, Warren, and
Williams-62.
The Constitution then passed its final
reading.
NoTE-In the report of the proceedings
on the Stay Law the amendment offered by
Mr.. Grissom, and which that gentleman ear
nestly labored to incorporate into the law
| every time it came up, was not given in full.
1t is as follows:
Be at further ordained, That no sale of real
estate which may be hereafter made I'M
| der executions issuing upon judgments here
| tofore or hereafter recovered on contracts en-
tered into before the first day of May, A. d.
| 1865, shall be valid unless the same shall
bring price equal to t,co-thirds at least, of
| its assessed tax valuation in force at the
| time Of such sale. - l1
THE NoRTH-CARoIINA RAuRoAp.-The
annual meeting of the stockholders of this
road will be held in Hillsboro', on the 18th
of July. We have on more occasions than