Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-10-09


Convention means war, and wer
; you to argue to convince the m of thei
error until Gabriel sounds his trun1,
for last move, TIE effort would fail o
success.
We sincerely hope our friends vii
pause ere it is too late. The part,
: has won glorious victory; let us Sc
cure its fruits by q prudent course
aud not throw it away by seeking t.
accomplish impossibilities. We hav
mentioned the Wilmington JOURNAL
particularly, as espousing the move, be
cause of its leading position and, de
servediy, vast influence there arr
others of our valued contemporaries i,
y the same path A glance at the past
with close observation of the pres
ent. will satisfy them that to press
this issne is to ensure defeat Wash
in.JtOn Echo,
We have purposely delayed refer
ing to the kindly but firm protest o
our contemporary against the positic1
which the JOURNAL has taken upon lie
Convention issue for obvious reasons
So clearly are we of the opinion thai
the ''sober second thought of oul
people and papers, would show them
the overpowering necessity Of Con
sututional Convention to reform
abuses under which North Carolina
is retrograding rather than ad-
vancing, and which cannot be RENE
died legally in any other way, that al!
would unite in demand upon the
Legislature to call one. Nor have We
despaired From our stand dpoint,
were we to hesitate to a2itate the
question We would be guilty of &
negligence of daty to our State and
party amounting to crime.
Ever since the adoption of the pres
ent Constitution the Democratic Con-
servatiye speakers and papers pron,is-
ed the people many reforms in the
State government if the party was sue
cessful Il 1870 the people, tired Of
the abuses of the Radical party, and
| afraid OF the enormous powers which
G1vrrno-: Holden was exercising in the
arrest and imprisonment Of peaceable
citizens, returned a very large maj ajority
| of Democratic Conservatives to the
| Legislature. Sc great was the de-
mand for constitutional reform that
| the Legislature referred the question
of Convention to the people by a
vote of bare majority of each House,
resorting to remedy the legality of
| x--h;ol Tho IaaCt C,1JSctinnnl
by many of the best lawyers in the
State. The Federal Administration,
taking advantage of these grave
doubts, and the disturbed condition
OF ali the Southern States, threatened
! a new reconstrrction and military in
| terventioD. The Convention was de-
feated by nearly ten thouaand ma
iority. But so jealous we're those who
voted against the call of their true in
! tereets, that the Democratic-C Conserva-
tives had good working majority of
the delegates, who were elected
ct the same time that the call was sub
mitted.
| The demand for reform still con
| tinued and when the Legislature met
at its second session the Democrats Of
the body adopted some thirty odd
amendments to the Constitution. But
when the new Legislature assembled
in the Fall of 1872, but eight of these
amendments permitted to pass by
| the Republican members, and most of
them Of minor Importance. These the
people adopted in 1873, but :heir le-
gality is questioned ard the matter is
now pending in the Supreme Court
We had supposed that the necessity
for Constitutional reform, therefore,
! was quite as pressing as ever; indeed,
as our people became sorer under the
heavy burdens of the government that
it was even greater, and all that was
nece sary was to secure the two-thirds
majority in both Houses, and the re-
form was fixed fact, as it was Wit; i
necessity.
This majority has been secured.
Nothing remains now to be done, but
! to vote for Convention, elect delegates,
revise the Constitution, ard the es-
ent Legislature could meet next Fail,
J elect officers ana otherwise carry out
the provisions of the new Constitu-
| ton.
But when everything isin our power
and the necessities of the people de-
mand action, we are told on all sides
to wait-it would be ill-advised to do
right at this time-we must conciliate
President Grant, Attorney-GeneraI
Williams and Beast Butler by doing
nothing for our own welfare and
then, too, here and there North Car
olina Republican voted with us, and a
few Republican counties elected Dem
ocratic members, and they might be
mad and we have suffered SO long
under protest, we can now possess our
souls in patience voluntarily.
And how long? Until we appease
the insane vengeance of Grant. Williams
AID Butler? until we convert Abbott
and Tourgee and Cahtwell, to Conser-
vatism? or until the Federal Govern
ment relieves us of our heavy burdens
oftaxation and debt? Or shall we wait
until we have two-thirds majority in
both Houses of the Legislature again !?
Two years hence President is to be
elected, and who can tell what infu-
ences, judicial, military and monetary,
will be brought to bear upon the
North Carolina elections? Let the his
tory of 1872 answer.
Shall we then throw away the present
opportunity? Shall we disregard the
sufferings of our people? Shall we do
nothing for our State, burdened with
heavy fraudulent debt? Shall we do
nothing to economize our Govern
ment, to improve the laws and their