Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-07-28
Convention

In directing attention to the Convention
Act, elsewhere published, We desire to
reiterate arguments we have heretofore
adduced In favor of Convention.
The preamble Of the Bill sets forth
specifically some Of the reasons why the
people. in their sovereign capacity, are
thus appealed to FOR the relief Con-
veEtioD, and only Convention. can afford
to our oppressed State.
In it the General Assembly declares
that the present Constitution is burden
some and oppressive to the citizens and
that some of its provisions are not adapted
to the acd7.ts and condition of the people.
ia ell governments the citizens are d.
vided into two classes-one the people
and the other the ofice-holders. Neces
sarily there must be some Office holders to
administer the affairs of the people and
that Constitution is wisely framed which
provides for just so many drones or Cffice-
holders and no more as are required to
TRANSACT the public business. If provision
be made for more of this non producing
class, who live out of the sweat of the peo
pie, than are absolutely required to keep
the government in existence, then is the
Constitution which creates their Offices
oppressive, and if their number be large
the Constitution becomes burdensome.
Now the Legislature declares the Con-
stitution, in this respect, burdensome. To
the opinion of that body, which represents
the views and feelings of the people from
the seabosrd to the mountains, there are
more offices created by our present Consti
tuition than are necessary for the proper
administration of public affairs. The men
filing 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 "por-
Quisites to make up the deficiency. They
will live from the peoples crib-righseous-
~ Or unrighteously-by means fair or foul.
They are as the lilies of the ield-they
toll not, neither do they spio, Yet Solo
mon, in all his glory, is not arrayed S one
of these.
In fact the experience of all times, Of all
sance-and worse than q nuisance, folly
and an evil in the land Among pros
porous natioLs it is a sore evil to tax the
people for the support of men whose SER
vices are not needed by the community,
and in this State, in the impoverished con-
dition of our citizens it is a monstroos :y-
ranny that the poor should be ground
nd l1r c:r
to subsist superfuoua, unnecessary office
holders.
It is requisite that We should enulnerate
some OF these Offices which ate burden to
the people, The Superintendent Of Pub
lie Works-a very high sounding name for
an oficer-but what does that signify
since there are no duties for che incnm-
bent to perform ? There are four Associ-
ate Justices of the Supreme Court. That
sounds "big" for North Carolina !; but
why have double the number that former
~ composed the Court, and who still had
plenty of time to spare Il is perhaps O
"nice thing " for some aspiring lawyer to
get good berth on the Bench of the su-
preme Court, but if his services are not
needed by the people why should we be
taxed for his beneft-simply to crafty his
ambition-by clarifying him to our detri-
ment.
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 addition
al gentlemen OF the legal fraternity. by
paying them twenty i've hundred dollars
each per annum, and giving them = han
die to their names. While We hazard moth.
ing in saying that, with our old judicial
system restored and the code of "unciviI
proceeding abolished, eight Judges could
transact our business in the Courts equally
as well as they used to do until two years
since. And besides, there are Lightweight
ppohaka Jud0nn IN &bo QkoAa no1 sern