The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-03-25
aRALEIGH, N. G., March 8, 1867.

To the people of North Carolina: T
1t is frequently asserted by the Conserva-
tive press and speakers, that this Conven-
ton has adopted, in the new Constitution,
provisions tending to produce social equality
between the white and colored races, and
even degrade the white race below the col
ored. The necessary ignorance prevailing at
this time, as to the actual proceedings of
the Convention, may allow temporary cur
rency to such misrepresentation. / declare
them entirely untounded. The speciica-
tions are generally as follows:
LIST. 1t is declared, especially in hand
bill circulated in Beaufort county, that the
Convention has required that white and col
ored men shall be enrolled and mustered in
the same militia company. This is palpably
erroneous. The 2d Section of the Report
on Militia, which has been adopted. says:
1.-THE General Assembly shall provide for
the recognizing, arming, equipping and
tlisciplining of the militia, and for paying
the same when called into active service"
Thus the whole matter is left to the Legis-
lature, as it always heretofore has been. and
until that body shall alter the law, it will
remain as it now is
Su IL 10 odlo IudG Tic SOuNcIIlOIi IC-
quire white and colored children tn attend
the same schools. This is equally erroneous.
The 10th Section of the Report of the
Committee on Education empowers the
Board Of Education ito legislate and make
all needful rules and regulations in rela-
| tion to free public Schools" &C.. and
Section I'd gives the General Assembly q
control over the whole subject The Board
| of Education consists of the Governor, Lieut.
| Governor, Secretary of State, State Urea
surer, Auditor, Superintendent of Public
| Works. Superintendent of Public Instruction,
and the Attorney General--all ofwhom are
| elected by the people. So that before chill
dren OF different races can be required to at
! tend the same schools, or to be instructed by
| teachers of different color from their own,
| itmust be sanctioned by these high officers,
elected by the people, of which a majority
of at least $4,000 voters are white. and also
by Legislature elected in a State which
! contains 80 counties, in at least 20 of which
there are white majorities.
! Sd. 1t is charged that the Convention
| favors lntermarriages between the different
| races because it refused to insert in the
| Constitution clause forbiddng Them. The
| Convention did so refuse; not because any
man of any color in it favored such inter-
marriages, any more than they favored
mixed militia companies. or mixed schools.
No single individual in the Convention
favored any of these things. But it was
thought the Constitution was no proper
place for provisions respecting them. None
such were contained in the Constitutions of
1776 Or of 1885, nor in the Constitution
which was framed in 1865 by the very men
who now insist that the Constitution now
being formed, degrades white men because
it does not contain them. Further, Section
"a of the Report of the Committee on the
judicial Department, declare sthe laws of
North Carolina not repugnant to this Con-
stitution, shall be in force until lawfully
altered" The effect of this is to continue the
| present law which prohibits mixed marriages,
as vel. as the present laws respecting the mi
litia and schools which are continued in force
until positively altered by the Legislature
These observations mist convince every
candid man who wishes to know the truth,
that the charges against the Republican
party in the Convention, on these subjects,
are palpably false, and if they continue to
be made after this correction, they must be
deemed insipccre, and intended to deceive.
.r.t...lsa.,s... ~ -WM B. RODMAN.