The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-02-12

and familiar, that it seems somewhat
at this day, to raise doubt or question
concerning it."
Mr.. Tourgee. -When property is taken
from an individual by the State and given
to corporation, the tenure by which prop
erty is held is from the State, and the inter
est of the State is above all private interest
Mr.. Graham, of Orange.-Property can be
taken bv the State, when the owner is COM
pensated.
Mr.. Tourgee.-Very we'll. In the Consti-
tuition we have the clear power to protect
any man from poverty, and keep sufficient
amount of property in his hands to support
his family and educate his children. All
outside of that must go to pay his just and
honest debts. And such q provision in the
Constitution of North Carolina would strike
fearful blow at the landed aristocracy of
the State. Two-thirds of the lands of the
State are now in the hands OF about fifteen
hundred persons, and most all OF them are
greatly indebted. .9if..
Now the ordinance under consideration is
entirely powerless to effect relief. The courts
of the provisional government are undertle
control of the miltsry authority. If we are
to make determinations in favor OF the
debtor, it can only be done by suppication
to Gen. Candy. sz.-...s-a-zss
Mr.. Rodman-There is a resolution to
that effect, appended to this ordinance
- Mr.. Tourgee-I know that. But instead
of asking him to administer our ordinance,
we had better ask him to exercise his own
powers. Besides the distinction against
debts since May, 1865, is unjust. General
orders now exempt twenty acres of land
from sale, whether worth two thousand dol
lars or twenty-five cents. When gentlemen
say there IS protection now, they forget
that this exemption is not protection to all
the people The Court house door of Gull
ford is plastered with notices of sales of
land, for petty sums, because the debts
which they owe do not come under the pro-
lection of general orders. Many of these
sales are tor debts since 1865, and most for
debts before the war. Since the war, the
people went into business, mainly upon the
faith of debts, which are now uncollectable.
One gentlemen of his acquaintance had fit
teen thousand dollars of this character due
him, he went into business since the war,
and is now likely to be sold out in less than
three weeks. His present debts were con-
tracted since the war, but it is as manifestly
debt of the war as if it had been contract
ed in 1868, and it is equally unjust to COM
pei its payment. He hoped the Convention
would not permit man to be beggared simp-
" because he went in debt since the war
No reason why they should not he as well
protected as any Others. The abstract char
acter of the contracts is the same. 1t is
duty to stay both until the homestead close
can be inserted in the Constitution. The
condition OF the people demands protection,
but he repeated that this ordinance left them
out in the cold. If this Convention refuses
passage of homestead law, it will fail to
discharge the highest duty evertlevolyed on
any legislative body. Let us now adopt a
substitute praying Gen. Candy to suspendall
sales under thirty days after the vote upon
the ratification of this Constitution Then
put a homestead provision in the Constitu-
ton, and in his belief all the relief that was
necessary would be conferred.