Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-06-21


along, doing little or nothing, except tinkerlng
with the State Constitution. AS if initiating the
example of the Congress of the United States,
our Convention seems to have passion for amend
ing the Constitution Never did Revenue bill
run the gauntlet of so many interested and section
i amendments, in times of the highest political
excitement, as the Constitution of the State is
now subjected to. Delegates, who unable to
write fair sentence, are offering amendments
With such rapidity and boldness to strike with
alarm the truly great constitutional lawyers of that
body. Many of them seem to desire to re-write
the Constitution in order to fit it exactly to the
interest of their county or for the benefit of them
selves, or some personal friend, and from the on
slauehts now being made, unless the conserva-
tism of the State comes to the aid OF the minority
of the Convention we will hardly be able to re-
coenize the checks and balances of our State Gov
eminent and the spirit of radicalism which is now
,ervertine the Constitution of the United States
to the base purposes of party will destroy many
f not all of the conservative elements of our State
Constitution.
At present the most important amendment uh-
der consideration is the change of the basis OF rep
resentation. It would seem from the votes al
ready given, and from the indications thrown out
by our Raleigh exchanges, that the representation
in the Senate will be fixed by the taxation on the
| property basis, and that of the House OF COM
mons by population. The advocates OF the rep
resentation by population alone, in both Houses
seem determined and prepared to contend man
fnlly for an amendment to meet their views Inc
effect of this would be to give the entire control
of the Government to the West while the prop
erty of the State would have no representatives.
and very little protection Such Legislation, now
ever. is in keeping with the radicallsm OF the day
! OF all the subjects under consideration Ill the
Convention the Stay Law is the one which has
the most interest to people. Rel1et to those
who staked everything on the late war is impera-
tive. The abolition of property in slaves has de-
stroved the solvency of whole communities. Inc
obliteratiou of such large proportion OF the
wealth of the South, by the stroke of pen, add"
ed to the ravages, destruction and necessary con-
sumption of the conquering and the conquered
armies made insolvency necessary and expected
| condition The failure of the Stay Law IN South
, Carolina and Alabama, to stand the test OF the
Constitution, and the similarity OF the la" upon
this subject passed by our Legislature, has caused
the consideration of this subject one calling fot
the most careful investigation. AT an early Gay
of the present session, committee was appointed
COMPOSED of seven of the most eminent lawyers
of the body of whom Judge Howard OF Edge
lcombe, was chairman to investigate the matter
This committee has reported an ordinance, which
is now nnder consideration. AS soon as 1t II
nassed our readers shall be advised of its provls
ions. In the meantime cannot gather iron
the reports of the debates upon the subject where
= in it differs from the one now inexistence
There have been several Intellectual attempts Il
adjourn sine die, and there is now proposition Il
adjourn to future day. The amendments to TIT
= Constitution made by the Convention to be sub
mitted to the people in the meantime for thel
ratification or rejection.
] A proposition now pending is to postpone TIN
elections for State officers until October next, II
. order to submit the amendments to the Constltu
ton to the qualified voters at the regular election
o in August next. Neither of these latter propose
r tons have as yet come to q final vote, but iron
the refusal of the Convention to suspend the rule
in order to go Immediately into the consideration
of the one postponing the elections until October
n only by vote of forty seven ayes to htty-hV
l. nays, two-thirds being required, it would appea
= that it will pass by considerable majority
It We Judge that but little interest is taken In tn
t deliberations of the Convention by the member
l. themselves as we do not recolect to have yet no
e ticed o vote where there were not twenty-five o
= thirty members absent.