Wilmington journal., 1871-01-13
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL
WILMINGTON. n. c.,
SATURDAY. JANUARY 2. 1872
Convention.

feel assured it will pass the Legislature IN
its present shape, without material amend
ments. we suggest to our readers that the
Bill be preserved and further, We earn
astIv beg them to make it's contents known
tn their neighbors, and to strive by all the
means they may command, to secure 1or IL
a favorable and intelligent hearing when
the people are called on to decide the ques-
tions submitted by it to their sovereign de-
cision.
The preamble of the Bill sets forth spe-
officially some of the reasons why the Peo-
nle in their sovereign capacity are thus
appealed to for the relief Convention, and
oniy q Convention, can afford to our op-
pressed State.
In it the General Assembly declares that
the present Constitution is burdensome
and oppressive to the citizens and that
some of its provisions are not adapted to
She qUants and condition of the people.
In all governments the citizens are de-
vided into two classes-one the people
and the other the office-holders. Neces-
sarily there must be some offiee-holders to
administer the affairs of the people and
that Constitution is wisely framed which
provides for just so many drones or Office
holders and no more as are required to
transact the public business. If provision
be made for more of this non-produclng
class who live out of the sweat Of the peo-
pie, than are absolutely required to keep
the government in existence, then is the
.ol OtfIRQ9
oppressive, and if their number be large
the Constitution Deco mes burdensomc.
Now the Legislature declares the Con-
stitution, in this respect, burdensome. In
the opinion of that body, which represents
the views and feelings Of the people from
the seaboard to the mountains, there are
more Offices created by our present Constl-
luton than are necessary for the proper
administration of public affairs. The men
filling these superfuous Offices must be
paid they will have good round sum
for their services by hook or by crook
They will draw their salary from the funds
OF the public, and if that be insufficient to
meet their wants they will resort to "Per-
9uisites" to make up the deficiency. They
will live from the peoples righteous
ly or unrighteously-by means fair or
foul. They are Us the lilies of tho field
they toll not, neither do they spin, yet Solo
mon, in all his glory, is not arrayed as one
of these.
In fact the experience of all times, OF
all nations is, that too many offices are a
nuisance-and worse than nuisance. q
folly-and an evil IN the land. Among
prosperous nations it is O sore evil to tax
the people for the support of men whose
services are not needed by the community,
and in this State, in the impoverished
condition Of our citizens it is a monstrous
tyranny that the poor should be ground
down and overborne by oppressive taxes
to subsist superfaous, unnecessary office
holders.
It is requisite that we should enumer-
nte some of these offices which are a
burden to the people. The Superinten-
dent of Public WOrks-G very high
sounding name for an otlcer-but what
does that signify since thcro are no duties
for the incumbent to perform? There
preme Court. That sounds big" for
North Carolina but why have double the
number that formerly composed the Court,
and who still had plenty of time to spare ?
It is perhaps IS nice thing for some
aspiring lawyer to get good berth on the
Bench of the Supreme Court but if his
services are not needed by the people
why should we be taxed for his benefit
simply to crafty his ambition-by glori-
flying him to our detriment.
So, also, the number of Superior Court
Judges until 1868 was only eight under
the new Constitution we administer to the
self-love and qualification of four ad
ditional gentlemen of the legal fraternity,
by paying them twenty-five hundred dol
lars each per annum, and giving them a
handle to their names. While we hazard
nothing In saying that, with our old
judicial system restored and the code Of
"uncivil proceeding" abolished, eight
Judges could transact our business in the
Courts equally as we'll as they used to do
until two years since. And besides, there
are eighty-eight Probate Judges in the
Statei God save the mark-and God
save the people. Their average incomes
throughout the State has been ascertained
TO be more than four thousand dollars
each-three hudred and fiftytwo thousand
dollars year paid by our impoverished
people for eighty eight new tangled Judges,
without whom We had lived peaceably and
happily for a century, and whose services
can now be dispensed with without detri-
ment to the public interests. The entire
State expenses ought not to be more than
three hundred thousand dollars but the
Probate Judges take out of the peoples
pockets more than that amount.
And who needs us to recall to his renem-
brance the township oficers-the Boards
Of Trustees There are three to each
kownship-and So counties, averaging sew
an townships each, making 1,648 township
ehicers-who think themselves badly paid
A