Wilmington journal., 1868-04-03

against it, But the reverse is true, and
| they have been created for no other pur-
pose than to provide for such irresponsible
adventures" as Menninger, Ashley,
Tourgee, and the numerous families of
Trenches, and the like, who, now that
bummin@" has ceased, are to be made
high otfici lis of by negro votes.
RADICAL.-But, these offices are neces-
sary to the proper carrying on of the gov
ernment, and cannot we'll be dispensed
with.
CoNsERvATIvE.-Cou not eight Judges
ride the circuits, as we'll US twelve ?-and
could not three Supreme Court Judges
have done better than five ? Have not
three Supreme Court Judges, and eight Su-
their duties, and fully maintained the iu-
dicial character of the State =?
RADICAL.-I confess that, in the main,
the Judiciary has done we'll enough.
CONSERVATIVE We'll, my friend, it is
best to ''let we'll enough alone" especially
when not to let it alone is to cost the al
ready impoverished people of the State the
sum of fifteen or eighteen thousand dollars
every year.
RADIcAn.-In the matter of the Judges,
/ think it would have been better to let the
old Constitution stand as it was. But it
should be our first duty to get back into
the Union.
CoNsERvATIvE.- is the general ar
gument of your party friends. We are al
ready in the Union, never having been out
of it, set out to tell what thought was
i1 the Constitution, which should impose
upon the absolute duty of rejecting that
document at the coming election. The
most objectionable might say, the most
nfamous-feature of this new Constitu-
ton, is that which makes it obligatory
upon us the Legislature to levy tax, at the
present time, and in the present crippled
and impoverished condition of our people,
to pay the annual interest on the States
indebtedness.
RADICA1.-You are not in favor of Repu-
diation, are you
CoNsERvATIyE.-No,s sir, [ am far from
it, and this feature of the new Constitution
will do more towards making Our people
repudiate than all the legislation which has
been done in twenty years, not excepting
the secession of the State, and its defeat
Our own courts are closed against the citi
zens of the State by this very Constitution,
while Northern creditors are allowed to
collect their debts in the Federal Courts,
and, IN doing so, to sell your roof from
over the heads of your wife and children.
And, while such is our situation, this Con-
stitution declares that these people, Whose
lands, and whose ALL, are to be taken from
them by these Northern "Shylocks, ')
shall be taxed to the tune of 81, 200, 600 a
year to pay interest on the State debt,
which is almost entirely in the hands fthese
Northern men. It is an outrage, vii
lainous outrage upon the poor taxpayers.
who can now hardly make support for
their families.
RADIcA1.-But, my dear sir, you say you
are not in favor of Reputation. Then
what do you propose to do, when you OBJ
ject to paying only the interest on what the
State owes ?
CONSERVATIVE will tell you. l would
tell these Northern bondholders that the
debt is a just and honest one-that are 1CW
pay ii, but not before eoe are admitted ~ our
rights in the Union, and labor shall become
regulated, order retored, industry re-
vived, and the wealth and prosper
ity of the good old days shall return
to bless us and our good old North
Carolina. The bondholder is rich-we are
poor. He can afford to wait without inju-
ry to him or his.
RAD1oAL.--You are making strong case
for your side, but still yom hare not paid
echdt y0u O1Oe.
CONSERVATIVE THAT is true; but we are
going to pay it. When an honest man is
unable to pay an honest debt. all that can
be required of him, morally or legally, is
to acknowledge the debt, and promise to
pay it ,che's he has the ability TO pay it.
RADICA1.-Our State debt is not over
fifteen million of dollars, and we ought to
be able to pay the interest OH that amount
CoNsERvATIvE.-I grant that we ought to
Io< III. HIIk Of &c
not all we have to pay. Let us look at this
matter as it is, and without party prejudice.
The State debt, by the end of the present
year, will not be less than $19, ZOO, 000.-
| The interest on this sum, at per cent.
| amounts to ST., 100000. Under the new
Constitution we shall have to raise not less
| than $500, 900 for the purpose of carrying
on tie public schools. This makes the
| sum amount to 81, $40, 600. Then we have
to raise tax to support the State Govern
| ment, which, since tho increase of the
| number of Judges and other high salaried
| officers, by the new Constitution, will not
amount to less than $4,000 This brings
it up to the snug sum of 81, $40, 600. But
| this sum, even. does not begin to be ALL
The new constitution requires warehouses;
| &C., to be constructed, and the county taxes
| will not amount to Il less sum thar
| SOOO,UOU. 1ulS UEluSS our IdASS, 1OT EOtdGe
and county purposes, up to the enormous
sum of 50, $40, 600 ! In addition to this, the
! Federal tax will not be less than 81, 800, 900
So, it is reduced to an absolute certainty
that, under the proposed constitution, the
people. poor as they are, will have to raise
each year, in the way of public taxes, the
stupendous. the unreasonable, and infa
nous sum of over FOUR MILLIONS OF
| DOLLARS and the greater portion o.
this sum is to go into the pockets of North
ern "Shylocks" and brokers.
RADIcA1-There must be some mistake
about this, for our people cannot pay one
tenth of this sum. You are mistaken.
| CoNsERvATIvE-I do not give you m1o
word for it. give you the figures. There
cannot be any mistake, for Figures do no
lie."
RADIcAL--Why, sir, our people could no
raise this amount of money, if their indi
vidual lives depended upon it.
| CoNsERvATIvE--Tha may be true,--an(
| that fact only makes the necessity to defea
| the constitution the more urgent and obi
| gatory upon the people. The truth is, thl
proposed constitution, in financial poin
of view, is an absurdity for it requires tina
to be done which is impossible to be done
Four millions of taxes could not be collec
ted out of the people of North Carolina