The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-02-26

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doctrine of secession. s
I'll. Those who refuse to sccept the civil
and political equality of an men. a'sff
Now, sin, let Us see whoare excluded from
Office by the mai ,rity report, and in exami
ming the, oath of office, it may not be out of
place to remark, that your committee regard.
cd it, as a foregone conclusion, that the How
ard amendment must very soon become the
law of the land. Twenty three States have
already adopted it. and by tho very terms OF
the reconstruction acts themselves, the rebel
States must adopt it, before they can hope
to have their representatives admitted to
the halls of Congress. With this explana-
ton, sir, will read the oath prescr ibed by
your Committee. - st
Now what does this oath mean2 To
what great cardinal principles docs it COM
nit every man who takes it2 The oath to
support the Constitutions of the United States
carries with it, as remarked, the Howard
amendment, which is the XIV. article. The
oath to support the laws carries with it the
Civil Rights Bill and the Reconstruction
Acts. The oath to support the Constitution
of North Carolina carries with 1t the doc
trine of universal suffrage, and renounces
forever (see 4th section of our bill of rights
the right of secession, Thus, it will be
perceived that every office-holder in this
State, who subscribes to the oath of office,
embodied in the majority report, swears that
he is not banned by the Howard amendment,
that he recognizes the civil and political
equality of all men, and that he will never
/ aid in the secession of this State from the
Union The only differences in regard to
this subject than in the. two reports, on the
/ Republican side, Dire these. .t..,-..
9a fst. That the majority report excludes
persons from holding office VIII" have been
iudicially pronounced to ne of unsound
mind. Now, sir, it seems to me, that no
such exclusion ought to he made Indeed
I think it would be libel upon the good
sense of the people of North Carolina to for
bid them in the fundamental law of the land
to elect a person to office. who had been pro-
nounced to be of unsound mind As re.
marked, when discussing the subject of suf-
faage, such an exclusion would be an lncum-
brince upon the Constitution, and is entire
ly unnecessary.
The second difference is that the majority
report excludes from office all such as deny
the existence of Deity. There was some
difference of opinion in the committee in
regard TO the propnety of making this
test of office, but upon consultation and ma
ture reflection, it was thought that in the
very nature Of things, no oath would bind
man who denied the existence of higher
power.
In regard to the minority report of Mr.
French would only say that the majority
of the committe regard his exceptions as
mere surplusagc. The XIV Article of the
Constitution excludes the excepted classes
from State, as well as from Federal offices.
and the oath of Office prescribed by your
committee, carries with it the Howard
Amendment.
Having thus shown the distinctive points
of difference between the several minorites,
and the majority reports, ask the atten-
ton OF the Convention for very few mo-
ments longer whilst point ont the peculiar
merits of the latter. l think, sir, there are
two propositions. which every delegate will
accept as true, without an argument. In
the first place. that the fundamental princ-
piles of the government, contained in the
constitution of a State, should be expressed
in language as short and as comprehensive
as possible. Every word should be well
weighed and all surpusage should be care
fully excluded from the text of the Consti-
tntion. Now, sir, if this Convention, ac-
cepting. as know it does. the correctness of
the positions have just taken. believes tina
the oath of office, prescribed by the majority
of the committee, covers the whole grounds
of the minority oath, then I ask its adop
ton. i .i'7-i t-.l -tleiitd ira 4
The other proposition, which feel sure
you will all accept, is this-that it is the du-
ty of this Convention to conform its action.
as nearly as possible. to the requirements of
the reconstruction acts of Congress. What,
sir, are those requirements The most care
less reader will observe, that these acts are
intended to aid the loyal men of the South
to reconstruct their State governments upon
basis of civil and political equality and
that when this purpose is accomplished,
they cease by their very language to operate
further. There are but two positive com
mands contained in these acts, which the peo-
pie of the rebel States are bound to obey.
One is to establish a constitution, republican
in form. The other is, that the first Legis-
lature which assemblies under the new Con-
stitution. shall adopt the Howard Amend
. ment. To make a Constitution republican
in form is to grant to every man civil and
political equality To disfranchise any citi
zen of this Country would be to take away
certain inherent rights and would thus be in
violation of the very purpose, for which we
are assembled. Again, sir, the XIV article
of the Constitution comedies universal sutf-
rage, but excludes certain gentlemen from
Office think. sir it does not become us to
be more harsh in the treatment of our fellow
citizens that the Congress of that nation has
been, whose authority was defed, whose
flag was spurned whose thousands of sons
were hurried to untimely graves. Let us
leave this whole matter of suffrage and eligi-
bility to Off e, where Congress has left it.
Let US impose no terms of prescription, which
the government has not imposed. Let US
not, l pray you, in the coming contest, take
upon ourselves any gratuitous burden or
forge and place in the hands of our adverse
ries any weapons, which may be used to de-
feat the Constitution, which will soon be
submitted to the people of North Carolina.
for their ratification or rejection. Let US
rather, as the mighty party of progress and
liberal ideas. lift ourselves above the preju-
dices and passions of the hour and invite the
curtain OF oblivian to fall upon the terrible
past. Let its streams of tears and its rivers
of blood, be blotted forever from our mem
cries. Let no petty animosities, no personal
resentments enter into the Constitution
which we are now framing but. with
malice towards none and with charity for
ALL" let US go to our great work; and
when that work is done-when the great
temple of liberty, which we have been called
here to build, is finished, let no stain OF
blood, no mark of prescription, mar Its
beauty; but let it stand out, in all its parts
| from its base tn ito summit as nure nc Pariar