Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-09-15
From ths Greensboro Patriot.
Constitutional Reform!

| From ths Greensboro Patriot.
Constitutional Reform!
Editors Of the Patriot:
| As friend of constitutional reform,
respectfully ask a small space IN your able
paper, to express briefly, aud without
elaboration, my views on this absorbing
question: question of the most vital IN
terest to the whole people of our beloved
old commonwealth. The State must be
saved. if possible, from financial ruin
from the intolerable burden of enormous
taxes, and f:om other insupportable op-
pressions, fastened upon it by the prese ns
constitution. And hold that every trde
Caroliuian who loves his ota'e and his
home, of Whatever party affiHation, with
patriotic resolve, ought TO unit, heart ana
hand, with all those who ar de1ermIb I'd
to avert this impending ruin of her people.
| The proposition that the PEOPLE call a
| convention has been voted down, but it's
defeat cannot be understood as GL ap-
proval of our present ill advised and badly
constructed constitution. The question
of Convention was, unfortunately, COM
plicated with several false and extraneous
| side issues, which caused its failure. Nor
is the result party triumph, Or a ttst Of
party strength, though interested po.i,i
clans may absardly claim it AS such. A
sufficient proof of the contrary Is found in
| the fact that while IN this coDgre so1onaI
district, Convention is defeated by one
| hundred and two votes, the CoBseryatIye &
elected eleven out of tie sixteen delegates
Constitutional doubts, by many w..o Gld
| not examine the question-appr"h henslUps
of disturbing the homesie sd-t0e colored
peoples fear Of loss of suffrsg sge-aud dread
| Of threatened federal bay o 4ete-ihese false
Issues defeated the Convention, as every
body knows, who knows any tki1 e; and not
the intrinsic merits or true Issues Of the
question.
50 that the true meaning of the recent
vote IS, that the people wish reform OF
the Organic Law brought about by meth
ods absolutely free from ali risks of public
disturbance or internal cOnvulsiOn. No
doubt the proposed Convention would
have been perfectly safe method, but the
contrary, as above alluded to. was indus
| triously proclaimed by demago8ues and
Office holders. III high and low places and
had its effoct upon the people, to whom
the trlaS and mlsfortun+s of Tie last de-
cade have tAug4t ext rdinary caution,
approaching even timidl'y. A kuo owledgo
of ihls peculiarly sensitive condition of
the public mind at this time, caused my
self and others, who earnestly desired a
Convention, TO doubt the expedieucy of
attempting to call one upon the plan pro-
posed, and therefore early as last win
ter, when the bill was before the General
the only expedient one in the present Goa
dition Of tbs country and OF parties. I lat
body thought differently, bat as this vas
matter of difference Of opinion On a
question Of policy only, and not of prlnci-
pie, l and Others who thought with me,
supported -the proposition heartily with
out, as l conceive, the least inconsistency.
But, (for the reasons giVen), it has been
lost and the result only shows that the
of rpf, ha
rying out of it's Ideas, must take into ac-
count the cautious and truly conservative
state of p1blio feeling. We mus persist
in our efforts to IefO:m the constitution.
because We believe an overwhelming ma
jority of the people of the State desire it,
as essential to their prosperity; bat We
must do so by means which not even po-
htlcal trlckste-s, nor dextrous demagoguee
can decry as dangerous, Though they may
be much more tedious and less thorough
than Convention would have been. In
short, we must now concentrate all our
energies upon the work of amending and
improving the Constitution by the Legis-
lative enactment plan.
Success by this plan is perfectly certain,
provided we proceed with caution and
moderation, prudence and patience.
Let the General Assembly, Immediately
on asst milling, propose scheme OF
amendments, embracing only such as are
most essential and undoubtedly de~1red by
large maj ority of the people. For let it
be remem bered, that two thirds OF the
Assembly next to be elected will have TO
concur in the same proposition, aud
| therefore it would be altogether futile t.
include among the projected ameudmeu's
any that is not overwhelmng'y pOpulac.
1t will be no time, nor proper occasion for
riders of hobbies, for theorists, for ex-
tremists, or rash counsellors to intrude
their pet ideas, favOrIte faucies, or ultra
principles. Let nothing be proposed tha
will not add to the streng b OF the enti,'
scheme. Many desirable and usrful things
must be left out, because they may be
debateab;e and uncertain Of popular ap-
proval as suffrage is constitut d, and mit III
cause the defeat of the eLtire proposition,
as q whole.
The following, in my opinion, are the
points most necessary to be included in
the proposition, and all which it Woald bs
iudicious and wise to propose at present:
l. Strike out of the Constitution every
thing relating to the public Gebt, and leave
that whole question within the control Of
the Legislature.
2 Abolish the township system and
government, end restore the County
Courts IL their main features as the FASTEST
and cheapest mothCd Of administering
county affai1s.
3. Provide fer three Supreme. and eight
Superior Court Judges, after tie e2plra-
lion of their terms respectively, ,Or as thor
offices become vacant--payIng tue Superior
| Court Judges an annual salary of 81, 900.
and have them to alternate ; and elect
them as at present, by the qualified voters
Cf the State.
4 Provide for the biennial sessions of
the General Assembly, and fix the ptr
diem at three dollars and mileage ten
cents.
5. Strike out the provision requiring a
State census in 1875 and every ten years
thereafter.
6. Abolish the provisions relating to
the code commission. and requiring code
of civil procedure.
7. Provide for biennial terms Of the
Governor and other Executive ofhcere. and
fix the salary of the Governor at So, OOO
annually, and reduce and Tx the salaries OF
other Executive officers.
8. Abolish the ofics Of Superintendent