The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1867-10-23
LETTERS FROM HON.. WIN. a. GRAHAM
.si1.Id lI.,I q AND ,oTMERs. ,-s.rli ~ ).


reason oftenuasenients of business, to- "a
be present at the meeting of the con- :, ]
seryatiye people of Wake, at Ralelgn,y "a
on the 18th instant, and to address tnem ii,,
on the topics involved in tlie'ppproaca'dss
ine.electioh, in accordance withlths M -
vitation Received from you q few days ,a Y,
since. regret this, both because OF n
the pleasure should have derived from %
a free communication withIso intelli- :
gent an assemblage Of the icitizens OF -
the steSStte On the duties of the present ,o
time, and because the topics in question ID
are too numerous and suggestive to- pc q
treated satisfactorily in q letter, with. -
out unbecoming tediousness. ,s.l'a q y .,' s,n
WAS pleased 10. observing that such 4,
a meeting had been ncalled. In the opin- Ia
ion of some with whom hayeacora-o2
yersed, it was supposed there had been
too great delay among conservative
citizens in comm anicating together, in
the face Of very active exertions ito i
form a. party adverse e-them-ana.te---
ihs IL was asss IN illes9Sred
.stfFs .ss Ri'sssf
not been much disturbed by apprehen-
'sions OF this kind. The whitepopnla-i Z
tionlof North Chfolina, by the census of =
1860, outnumbers the, black in the pro-
portion q, two to one, or thsFeaPoutsJ
and, aft6f deducting all who aresohs
franchised under the military acts OF =.
Congress, the majority Of voters of the
former will stand to the. latter some.
what in that proportion. This white
population, which, has been heretofore
Tie depository Of the political power :.
of f'the State, is as faithful to the cohsti-
tuition of the United States as it ever
was, ofias that Of any other state of the !
Union is now, Out theylhavesa an intelli- 90
gent comprehension of their rights and p
oluties as electors andas citizens, and, .
even withoutimuch consultation or cen-i I.
cert, will, in my opinion, cast majori-i p
ty of votes only in favor of such meas Z
ures and candidates as will best pro-o
mote their safety and happiness. To
the military authority which has been
established over them, they, yield a.
ready obedience, Even where. it may
supersede, their ancient and cherished
laws and usages, they bow before. it and
make no issue. But when, by the law,
an issue is presented to them, to be
solved through an election, it is natural
lyto be understood, as the term imports, "
that they are to have their choice to
vote either upon measures or candidates !
as each individual voter according TO q
his viewsiofl the public interest or his
sense efsdutysmay preferilsT }gi'aiee
THE bill ofrights of the state, from =
1776 until now, proclaims' that g elec-oo
tions ought to be free.' It's a note-ii
worthy fact that, in France, where, so
far as elections are allowed, universal
manhood suffrage prevails, that under
tie first Buonaparte in. 1904 and under
the third, in 1852, a republican form OF
government was converted into a mon "a,
archichal or despotic one, through the !
ceremony of an election, and by 8 vote
of the people approaching to unanimity.
These results We're, of course, attfibu-'
ted only TO the Influence of .ddress and :
fear.s But in England and America :,
suchinfidenees are not allowed, to op- .
crate; and like bribery or fraud, would u
render an election void According to /
our theory,i if the 9elector at the polls
shall express, not his own sentiments,
bat those,of some other person ior au- !
thority, the election itself is but an idle d
form, An election with US, therefore, 4.
is an occasion for serious thought. in !.
quiry, unreseryed consultation and free i
discussion; and our ,snffrages ale, ac-s
customed to be given, according to the
convictions of our minds, effected
through such means. - ,,,s ..,'r. 81,
In the election now before US, the, !.
electors are to vote sSfor a convention
or against a convention" and, at the !.
same time, for delegates to represent
their cou1ties in convention, provided
the Affirmative vote 'slialfbe sufficient,
according to the provisions of the law .
Such convention, if called, IS to DELHI.
crate on the formation. Of constitutions,
IN whichsthere shall be provision, IA
"that the elective franchise shall be en-
joyed bya4 such persons as have the
qualifications for electors In the pres
ent election y that is, all the male citi-
zens of the state, twenty-one years old,
and upwards, of whatever race, color Z
or previous oonditioH, who have been
resident in the state for one year previ-
oustothe day Of anyselection, except
such as may be. sdisfranchised for par !,
ticipation IN therebellion, or for felony
at common law:nr Il make this quota 9
tion with care, tor the purpose Of col Il
lating it in my subsequent remarks, /,
with the qualifications of voters in
some OF the leading states now repre-
sented in. congress, whose members
have shown extraord binary zeal in pre-
scribing Its terms to us, 1igs,s ,l.+iT
Never, heretofore, in America, has
theJelectiye franchise been extended to
new classes Of; voters, except through.
the agency. Of conventions chosen by
those who had enjoyed it exclusively
before. Congress, by the acts under
consideration, has extended it to all
males ofthe black race twenty-one years
ofage and upwards, with no other oual-lg q
iications than those above recited; but
only So far, however, as regards the I
present election. And, according to
my,recollectiony itgwas stated in the
debateion these acts by Mr.. Fessenden,
ofMaine, certainly oone of the ablest
and most experienced, members of the
senate that no permanent regulation of
this nature could be constitutionally
established in, q state without the sane
tion of its people land think the cor
rectness Of the remark was acquiesced
in by the subsequent action Of congress.
Congress, then hss, provided that in /,
the present. election the, black |, race, ,
with no other, than the qualifications
already stated, shall vote. That was
their act II shaIr Be provided that
they snail 50 vote in all future time. the
act will be16urs. 1T is not sought to be
disguised, that congress desires that j
we shallso provide, and lit is strong-
lyfintiuiated, that representation inco1-Js
gress will notsbe allowed us until it is
done;. bntitis still left TO the people of