The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-07-18

) & Z -
4 in the House Of Commons while In the Sen
ate, one-third of the people have the control
ling power over the other tBo-thirds, anG
that the Legislature, in neither branch, moi
in both together, representssa majority o1
the people, and is, therefore, anti-republicar
in character. n
2. Ihave intimated that a wise political
forecast would require of US, that we should
i give restricted right of suffrage to all the
citizens of the State, as the surest foundation
for the peace, security and stability of our
I government
8. have shown that, without the right OF
suffrage, there is no pretense of reason or
! policy, for making the negro basis of rep
resentation in the House Of Commons.
| 4. Assuming that the negro, not having
| the right of voting, and not bearing the re-
latlon OF constituent to representative, will,
at once, cease to be basis of apportionment,
endeavored to show that white population
is the NATURAL just and equal basis, for the
House of Commons.
5. undertook to establish that taxation
OF property, as basis for the Senate, is con-
trary to the maxims of republics, inyidious
and unequal in application, that, in the
words OF John Milton, there can be no fun
.damental law which is not grounded on
right reason, in justice, and in moral right y
That the right of suffrage is right dear to
the people, but of what value is that right,
when you say that 500 men in one district
shall elect one Senator, and 5000 men in
another district shall elect one, and that they
both shall have an equal voice? It is true,
you give to every man an equal right to vote,
but, when you say that the vote of every
man shall not have an equal weight in the
government, you destroy the whole value of
that right. Suppose you were to declare that
five hundred voters in Hertford-that county
having that number of voters-should elect
one Senator, and that in Haywood district,
which has five thousand voters, only five
hundred out of the five thousand should
vote for Senator'S Would it not be regar-
ded as monstrous injustice? Yet that is the
precise case now!
6. l then endeavored to show that popula-
ton is the true, just and natural basis of rep
resentation, conforming both to the letter
and spirit of the American government, and
is the only basis which can allay discomfort
and secure the lasting harmony and cordial
cooperation of the whole people of the State,
in its administration.
That there should be different basis of
the two Houses as check, the one upon
the other, is untrue. The wisdom of our
system and the Legislature check, consists in
having two houses, sitting in seperate cham
bers of unequal numbers, and celebrating
apart, and independent, the one of the other.
There is no reason why they both should
not be essentially popular in this State, as
they are in nearly all the other States of the
Union. For while it is true that constitu-
lions are made to protect the rights of mi
norties, it is no less true. that their grand
design and perfection, consist in the full, de-
liberate and mature development of the will
of the majority. Such must be the end of
all free governments
If, then the Constitution of North Caro-
lima not only protects the rights of the mi
nority, but actually overthrows and subverts
the will of the majority, and substitutes that
OF the minority, as the ruling power in the
State, honor and justice overriding those
petty local advantages which the present
system confers, should urge us to this COM
prehensive and catholic reform of the Con-
stitution.