Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-12-13
ED,rORTAL CORREsPOND ESCE
Too mucn AeShsA~.
tiOn',-A Recess Con stftusAOm@A
Amendments-The MineraI HesO0E
ceS Of the State-FOresgu AmmiSFa'
tIOu-PrOfessOr Kerr.
RALEIGH, n. u, Dct. :

fNOM-RrOfeSSOF kACITs
RALEIGH, n. c., Dec. ., 1872. !
Dftr Journal All hope for speedy /
Adjournment ci,ac die vas destroyed, lot
tic present at least, ty tie adoption Dy the
Scuat>, on Saturday, Of tho House he5oin-
tio., 81 take a recess frcm .ho 10th Of this |
month 10 the 18th Of January. There are !
sone gentlemen, however, WHO still cling % |
the idea that all the work can DC done De- |
fore New Years day. One Ct the greatest
evils of the present Constitution Is the pro-
vision that compels tie Legislature to meet
every year. No people were over cursed
with too much legislation " TO greater
extent than arc the people Of North caro-
lima today. With first one Reconstruction
Convention and then another, and Special
and annual sessions Of the Legislature, 1t
has boon scarcely possible 10 print ana pup
Iish g law before new laT-making BODY
Was in session and hard at work repeating
or changing It. To such magnitude has
the evil grown, that new compilation OF
the laws las become necessity not only
70 clients, but to lawyers and judges as well.
Bus if these annual sessions continue
even this new compilation viii afford only
temporary relief. Twelve months VIII hot
mass over our heads before there Will De
onacte:! :. Bills 10 be entitled acts to amend
| an Art entitled an act, &C." Cd infnitt1n.
| In view Of the crying evils consequent upon
| compulsory annual sessions, there Is force
| In the suggestion, made by Senator Flem-
! ming on Saturday, that the first session OF
every Legislature ought u t'e as short as
! passible, leaving to the second session the
! bulk of the work, when the members Will
| have had time to consider a!ii matulc their
! views.
! If, however, those who think Il impHs-
! sibla to complete before the 3lst Decem-
her. all the work that ought TO be done al
fhis session of the legislature b" correct,
il IS good policy to take long recess and
to begin it at All early day, il order TO en-
able members to be ct home on Christmas
and New Year, to attend - the business
that necessarily must be transacted III set
Ting up the affairs OF tho outgoing year aid
cutting out the work for the incoming one
Il is nothing but simple justice to the West
ern members, if recess be taken at al
that it should give them time TO go to their
homes and return, as otherwise they would
be KEPT in Raleigh upon their own expense
as members draw neither per diem hol
mileage during recess Indeed, so far a!
the cost to the State is concerned, it mat
tiers not whether a recess be taken or not.
-, But, for many and good reasons, it
much to be hoped thai tho Radicals viii
unite, with our friends III striking from TIL
, Constitution a provision SO ob}ect;onahl
as that which requires annual sessions c
- the Legislature.
Tho iirst question:, doubtless, and III
, n ln one, that the Joiut Committee o
Constitut icnaI Reform viii consider, viii b
whether the bill of amendments can b
acted upon Ia detail. aid accepted in par
and rejected in part, or whether it must
acted upon az an entirety. The fceiin
seems 10 1T that the interest Of the Stat
:. demands ;bat 10 mere theoretical specUlt
. tive opinions as to the strict legal aspect {
the question shall stand Iii the way Of th
\ adoption Of such amendments as tho Rad
=, cal, may consent 20 unite with uS ia pa:
:. sing 4 Iuay be safely affirmed, as I'll
o Supreme tcurt viii endorse whatcge
= atti3n the E.,,iical party may take In til
! prltus,:S, that whatever amendments ma
=, b. passed now by tT0<hiIt2s vote an
J ratified iy tie people a. Tie polls, will b;
:. CONC part OF tue organic law oi the Stat
! without Uhiecticn or question ~ 10 IL
!, validity 81 the mode III which tbs wol
:. was tiUUn. We sinccIelE trust this may !!
: the case. Nrr y i'll i. Le TIC first time, eve
: il, i'll the ulhuion Of sciiic, t1iS should l.
=, 'JudgctOadc law" that deftt:s have bee
, cured by judicial lesisiatt,In." As Stns
tor Worth said the other dag, we tli!uk
is the policy CT oar party, as We canEot g
, al! Of the proposed alucuduleu;s Ti,boI
thc help Of the Radicals, to ir;n hands Wit
; them in securing such 81 item as they ma
approve. They are a! 3t-t1, AID a
needed, but If wo canuot ~ ali, We nlt.st b
content with i part, upc7 tae pIiucipl
that Lalf loaf is better than I'D Loaf
. The Constitution, as Il stands, is siupl
Il iiHtSdUCtS tudS pt4gHG "a SC ohdOSN Al liz
! quickest lawful way. possible. Conceive'
in sin and born in Iniquity, as it was, "
are not disposed to Hticklo too much upol
, the order Of its conversion and reformation
Regarding It as the fruit CT fracd and vic
. lenco aud military tsurpatiop, We canno
help thinking that 10 show al oTer-nice scnsi
tiveness, which would make tis hold bacl
from accepting an au.eioEation Of its bur
densome provisions, no matter how it ma!
be brought about, Is wrong.
Amongst the bills intended to be intro
duced, ls one instructing the State Geolo
gist to collect cabinet Of specimens Of the
mineral and metallic wealth Of Nortl
| Carolina, to be sent for exhibition to the
great Worlds Industrial Exposition, to bt
held next year at Vienna. The suggestion
cones from Mr.. Duffy, the accomplished
editor of the Greensboro Patriot, and Il
strikes us will furnish, it carried OFT, The
most sensible and practical step yet take1
to turn the tide Of emigration to the Dor
Ge;s Of North Carolina. We doubt L
any State in the world can furnish so mag
niticent and varied display Of mineral
and metallic wealth as can be made by ar
exhibition of specimens from North Caro-
lima. We can make a showing that will
draw the eager gaze of European capital
lists. All they need to be convinced of they
L. q