The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-06-27


government is the popular branch Of our
General Assembly, to he the representative
of the voice Of the people in truth and real
ity, or in name and shadoU, only2 Reject
this property qualifcati61 in the House of
Commons, and you plsee the white citizens
of North -Carolina. upon equal footing with
equal privileges in the government, Adopt
it and you disfranchise more than touiSfJths
of the tax paying white men of the Statei
Our friends in this hall, with comnenda-
BILE zeal, have struggled successfully for .
basis of ofrepresentatipn in the apportippncnt
of members of the General Assembly, upon
what they recognized as the true theory of
free government. Butlet me tell thea With
due Difference, that without stsikis J this
odious and oppressive restriction from our
Constitution. they have caught the shadow
and missed the Substance.
Yon invest the Counties of larger white
population with the right of increased repre-
sentation and at the same time disfranchise
more than .tour,htAs of the citizens of these
very Counties from, participationin in this right
which you hold so sacred and SO dear. To,
use an, drgumentnm ad homituAn, of what
avail to tourJtths of your people is right,
| if they are excluded from its exercise. What
| good reason has been or can be given for this
exclusion and ddisfranchisement Why should
tour.ftths of the citizens of North Carolina,
possessing like proportion of the intel
Igence and the patriotism of the State, sur
render to the remaining one.fffM the ad-
ministration of the laws and the government,
with only the poor privileges reserved OF
| eleyating Others tn positions to which they
| themselves cannNt aspire
Its folly is only parallelled by the striking
| example of venality in holy evils of x selling
a birthright for mess of pottage."
What is free suffrage in elections to Office,
with wholesale restrictions in the exercise of
its functions and the enjoyment of its privi-
lcges 1t is the beaded bubble that floats
upon the rim of the cup, and not the cool and
refreshing draught beneath the foam.
Upon our action in this regard, depends
the solution of the question whether the
| popular voice shall be represented at all in
the administration of the government, or
| whether 1t shall be hushed in our counses as
hcretaf6ro.
The experience of the past should afford
wisdom to guard against the evils of the flu
ture. The powerful influence of exclusive
interests without sufficient power to counter
act and control them may be traced in the
pages of history through many long cen
turies of madness and folly. Their advocates
and defenders have erected monuments of
their mistaken policy SO numerous and so
glaring. that thousand in repulsive form
greet every look and every thought as the
eye and the imagination survey the devasta-
ted fields of our once happy country!
/ North Cardinals status to day, stripped Of
| l. h., IL,
power, writhing in humiliation and welter-
ing in blood, towers in this category as a
melancholy example
Gentlemen seem reluctant to make this
alteration because the old constitution con-
tains It, In the proposed change we need
not be ashamed OF the illustrious example oi
the great and wise men who framed the
Federal constitution. They required nc
property qualification ofa President, members
of Congress or any other officer.
An amendment was offered by Mr.. Baker
requiring a residence of five years and taxa
BILE property or $500. Lost
On Mr.. Kings amendment the yeas and
nays were demanded, and resulted as fol
lows:
YEAs-Messrs. Alexander, Bagley, Baines
Berry. Boyden, Brickell, Buxton, Caldwell
of Burke, Caldwell of Guilford, Faircloth
Ferebee, Gillian, Goodwin, Harris of Gull
ford, Hodge, Joyner, King, Lash, Manly
Mcdonald of Moore McGee, McIvor, N. A.
Mclean, Nat. Mclean, Moore of Wake, Muir
ply, Patterson, Perkins, Phillips, Polk
Rush, Satterthwaite. Smith of Anson, Smith
OF Johnston. Spencer of Hyde, Spencer Of
Montgomery, Starbuck, Stephenson, Thomp.
son. Walkup, Warren, Wilson, Winburne
Winston and Wright-50.
NAYs-Messrs Adams, Allen, Baker, Bar
row, Bingham, Bradley, Brown, Bryan, Bur
gin, Clark, Dick, Ellis, Faulkner, Foy, Fur
ches. Gahagan, Garland, Garrett, Grissom
Harris of Rutherford, Harrison, Haynes, Hen
ry, jackson, Jarvis, Jones of Davidson, Jones
of Henderson, Jones Of Rowan, Logan
Love of Jackson, Lyon, McCauley, McCor
kle, McKoy of Sampson, Mcdonald of Chat
ham, Mclaughlin, Moore of Chatham, Nor
fleet, Person, Pool, Richardson, Rumley
Settle, Sloan, Smith of Wilkes, Stewart
Swan, and Ward-49
The question recurring on Mr.. Forkner'.
amendment abolishing property qualifica
ton: -4
AYEs-Messrs. Adams, Baker, Bingham
Bradley, Brown, Brooks, Bryan, Burgin, By
mum, Clark, Dick. Dickey, Ellis, Faulkner
Foy, Furches, Gahagan, Garland, Garrett
Grissom, Harris of Rutherford, Harrison
Haynes, Henry, Jackson, Jarvis, Jones OF Da
wilson, Jones of Henderson, Jones of Row
an, Logan, Love Jackson, Lyon, McCaulcy
McCorkle, Mcdonald of Chatham, Mcdonald
OF Moore, Mclaughlin, Moore Of Chatham
Norfeet, Person, Pool, Richardson, Settle
Sloan, Smith of Wilkes, Stephenson, Stewart
Swan and Ward-d7
NAys-Messrs. Alexander, Allen, Bagley
Baines, Barrow, Berry, Boyden, Brickell
Buxton. Caldwell of Burke, Caldwell O
Guilford, Cowper, Eaton, Faircloth Fere
bee, Gillian, Goodwin, Harris of Guilford
Hodge, Joyner, King, Lash, Manly, McKo!
of Sampson, McGehee, McIyor, N. A. Nc
Murphy, Patterson, Pearsall. Perkins, Phil
lips, Polk, Rumley, Rush, Smith of Anson
Smith of Johnston, Spencer Of Hyde, Spence
of Montgomery, Starbuck. Thompson, Walk
up, Warren, Wilson, Winburne, Winston
and Wright-50.
Mr. Baines, an amendment making eli
gibleage 25 years for Commons Not agreed to
Il Mr.. Baker moved to make qualification o
residence 5 years instead of one. Not agree,
. to.
Il Mr.. Caldwell of Burk moved an amend
ment requiring the annual payment of take
on land qualification. Lost.
Section 10 was altered and made to rea,
that every person having one sixteenth par
Of negro blood or more shall be deemed
: person of color.
Mr.. Satterthwaite ain additional sectio
that no new county shall he formed that doe
not contain the 12Oth part of the white nor
prive other counties of said 1a0th part
, Adopted.
MIR. Settle offered an amendment to se.;tio
4 of article s that no person holding office i
any bank or railroad shall be entitled to
seat in the General Assembly.
Pending the discussion of which the Hous
adjourned.