Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-04-10
Letter from the Hon. William A. Graham
HuLsBoRo', April LIST. 1868.

uiG., 1nVltlng me TO V1SlG 1CuIAerIOru anQ
address the people on the issues pending
in the approaching election. arrived here
during my absence from home; and since
my return. with an anxious desire to accept,
have delayed an answer until this time,
hoping that it might be in my power to do
SO, and to appoint day.
| But regret to inform you that appoint
ments have been already made for me
which, with few engagements of business,
will consume the time till the days of cleo
ton.
beg the people of Rutherford and the
adjacent counties to believe that there is no
part of the population of the State with
whom I should take greater interest in con.
ferring Oh the present state of the country
than themselves and if time permitted !
should not feel at liberty to decline q com
pliance with their wishes.
The Convention called under the anthor-
! ity of Congress, and which has sent out q
| proposed Constitution for the considera-
ton of the people, has been very sparing in
It's allowance of time. With an injunction
| in the Act, that not less than thirty days
should be given. the Convention, by its &C.
| ton, Wonld appear to have understood this
as an IntlmatlOn that no more than thirty
| days should be permitted for the delibera-
| tons OF the people on an instrument which
| this body was more than sixty DAYS in
| framing, and which, if carried into effect,
will make a revolution in almost every
| essential feature of the State government.
The Convention Of 1885, called by the peo-
pie Of the State under an act of their legis-
lature, and which proposed few amend
ments Of the old Constitution, allowed four
months (frOm July to NOvember) for the
| examination OF those amendments by the
people, before they were required to vote
on their ratification or rel ection. Such was
the example of Macon, Castor and their
great compeers such was their care and
anxiety, that the Constitution, the funda-
mental law, III all its parts, should have
the approval OF the sober Son8e of the peo-
pie, and, if not approved, that their work
Convention sprung from tho people, as did
that 4; had a ma iOrity of its members been
in sympathy with and dependent on the
communities they protested to represent :;
had they expected to be governed by the
regulations and to bear tho burthCnS they
were making provision to impose on
others, II like extension Of time, and regard
for the deliberate sense OF the people,
might have been expected from them
But, instead of being the servants of
the people in the ordinary sense of popular
representatives Of tho whites who have
always exercised the powers of government
heretofore, they were far more the servants
of that majority in Congress which called
the Convention into being upon basis of
constituency never authorized by the gov
erning authority of the State, and more So
licitous of appreciation in that quarter
than among the free white people at home.
But, as if to complicate affairs and confuse
~ al in o11
to voting for or against the Constitution, is
required at the same time to vote for some
forty or moro officers under the State gov
ernmcnt, and for members of the Legisla-
ture and Representatives n Congress. A
negative votein this condition of the matter
is prompted, not only as rebuke for the de-
MAI OF time necessary Tor proper under
standing OF the changes proposed as well
as to cut OFT the many new, unnecessary and
expensive Offices it Is sought to establish
On looking into the Constitution offered
for adoption, the objections are so numer-
Gus and decisive that it is impossible to
partcularize them all in the brief space of
q letter. [ am gratifed to see that this
task is being well performed in the dis
cnssion OF the public press and orally. 1
beg leave to bring to your attention one of
these objections, which, SO far as [ know,
has not yet been publicly commented on.
Article VI, sec. =, reads as follows
1T shall be the duty of the General AS
scmbly to provide from time to time for
the registration of all electors, and no per
son will be allowed TO vote without regis
tration, or to register without first taking
an oath or affirmation to support the Con-
StitutiOn and laws of the United States,
and the Constitution and laws of North
Carolina, not inconsistent Herewith
Here is a provision which deprives every
citizen Of the State of his birthright as an
elector, until he shall re-establish his title
to it by a. oath, and that an oath which
no conscientious man can take. No person
shall be allowed to vote without registra-
ton, nor be registered. without first taking
an oath or affirmation to support the Con-
stitution and laws of the United States
and the Constitution and laws of North
Carolina not inconsistent Herewith.
When was an oath of any kind ever be-
fore required as q qualification for voting?
Men who were appointed to office and were
required to take part in administering the
Government in any OF its departments were
very properly required to take ali oath of
office, as we'll as the oath to support the
Constitution OF the United States and of
the State; but no oath was ever required of
vote on paying trifing tax, as they be-
come competent to make a contract, by
mere age and residence and thousands
upon thousands of them have lived and
died without ever taking any oath, I'M
less called to testify in a Court of JUS
tice. 1t was in this sense that our peo-
pie rejoiced in the idea, so OPPORTUNITY
by st. Paul on a memorable
occasion, that they were " free-born. u
This Constitution proposes that hereafter
they shall only acquire this privilege by !
being sworn. If the oath were merely to
support the Con8titution of the State and
of thc United States, while it would be an
innovation and u useless multiplication Of
oaths to the detriment of religion and mo-
rality, there would be no objection to it
III point OF conscience. But is it not the |
most ridiculous OF all absurdities to re-
Quire man to be sworn to support all the !
laws Of the United States and of the
State Laws are public or private, Grim
nal OF civil, aud. III this country, con6tl-
tntional or unconstitutional. The statutes
of the United States, independently of the .
laws OF nations, admiralty, common law
and equity, as adopted by the Constitution
or by acts OF Congress, fill moro than