The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1870-12-14
Speech of Mr.. G. z. French
Upon the biz amending TIE 6kdrtsr Of IN
Citn of illumination.


L Speech of Mr.. G. q. French q
Upon the Dill amending TIE olsdrtsr Of he
City Of Wilmington. Il. .s5.a
Mr.. SPEAKER:-- wish to detain the
House very few minutes on this matter I
have not as yet heard any arguments in IA
vOr of this bill. | understand, however,
that it is urged in its defence, that major
ity of the property holders in Wilmington
are in favor of it. | design to- oppose its
passage. | wish to know whether there is
any fault to he found with the present
management of the city of Wilmington q
city whose financial condition is such that
while its debt is nearly as great in proper
| tion as that of the State of North Carolina,
its bonds are quoted as high or higher than
those of any city in the South,-a city whose
| government is not inferior to that of any
city of the United States
This bill, ifnot contrary to the letter the
Constitution, is contrary to its spirit The
Bill of Rights says that all political power
is vested in and derived from the people.
But this bill proposes to take the power
from the people, and to give it to the prop
| crty holders.
Again in section 90, the Bill of Rights
declares " as political rights and privileges
are not dependent upon or modified by pro-
perty, therefore no property qualification
ought to affect the right to vote or to hold
office"
Now, sir, contend that the purpose of
this bill is, and the result ofits passage will
be, to deprive the colored man of that right
of suffrage and of holding office which is
guaranteed by the constitution of the Uni
ted States. 1 affirm, sir, that this is the
plain purpose of the bill.
wish to ask any gentleman here if he be-
heves that the right of suffrage is given for
/ the protection of property alone ?-if it
| should not be regarded as much more for
the protection of persons-for the protection
of the rights of life and liberty rights as
| dear to the poor man as are his bricks and
mortar to the self styled aristocrats. 1 pro-
pose to shoe how the rights are to be tram
| pied on-how poor men are to be disfran-
| chised by the passage of this bill.
1 THE speaker here exhibited map of
Wilmington, showing the city districted in
to four very equal sections, by two lines
drawn at right angles
4 Here sir, is the city of Wilmington as now
l'districted. How equallyfit is districted is
evident to the eye. There is { little un-
\ avoidab.e inequality. One of these wards is
too large, it is the purpose of this bill to
make it larger. Now wish the House to look
on that picture and then on this.
| Here the speaker showed the map mark
ed with tortuous black lines, showing how
inequitably the city would be districted by
the bill before the House.
| Here is ward containing not more than
400 voters, here is another which contains
400 voters. That is one alderman will rep
resent in one ward 200 persons and in anoth-
er ward from 700 to 800. That is this bill
determines that 200 Democratic voters shall
have as much legislative power as 700 or 500
Republican voters. These are facts. The
bill DISTINGUISHES colored men to certain
extent. therefore contend that it is this
purpose and this alone which influenced the
introduction of this bill.
| have said that this ward which will be
made larger by this bill, is already too large.
At the last election about 200 men were
unable to deposit their votes, because the
time was too short to receive them all, and
the bill provides for no additional election
precincts.
| If this is to be plank in the platform of
the Democratic party, I wish 1t to be under
| otOOu. HafC uO HOpc, tL VI DclLS uDlc
to defeat this bill. But / wish to compel
the acknowledgement that property qualif-
cation is aplank In the Democratic platform.
l wish the people to know that all the
charges made by Republican speeches in the
canvass are well founded, and that is the
design OF the Democratic party to deprive
the colored man of the right to vote as soon
and as far as they have the power.
| Gentlemen of the Democratic party, the
question of States rights was decided by
the late war, and you now sustain the same
relation to the city of Wilmington, that
the national Congress sustains to you. And
while you are applying to the Congress of
the United States to have your Senator ad-
mitted to that body, do you think they
ought to listen to that application while
you treat in this unjust manner the wards
of the nation that have been committed to
your care. For these people have been and
are now the wards of the United States,
for they received their freedom and the
right of suffrage from the United States,
and not from you You, while you are
asking the removal of your own disabilities,
purpose 10 infiict this outrage upon the
wards of the United States, because they
do not own so many bricks, or so many
square feet of land ask if this is the
moderation which is proposed by your SEN
ator elect-if this is the moderation which
you yourselves propose! .,sst.
| shall close with simple word of warn
ing. Ii you continue to pass such meas
ures, if you continue to trample upon the
rights Of the poor you will, in about two
years time, arouse a wave of popular indig-
NATHAN, which, rolling from Cherokee to
Currituck, will engulf you in the miseries
of political damnation, and teach you that
the liberties of the people are not to be
trifed with. Id sg.t.5 s4df III z..s- y5ss.