Wilmington journal., 1875-01-29
VOL. 81.
COW VENTEak<.

Inc action OF the Executive Com
mIttee at It's recent session in Raleigh,
WAS truly gratifying. and will, We
members of the Legislature. With
this official endorsement by the party
OF the proposition to call a Conven-
tlon, there can scarcely be any iurther
opposition to it within our own lines;
tor unless gentlemen deny the author
lty of the Committee, the voice of the
party has been heard, and that voice
Ii for CONVENTION. Those gentle
men who have so long been SO solicit
GUS for the advocates of Convention to
! close their mouths for the sake of
harmony. if they desire to preserve
the appearance of consistency, must
! no longer be heard in opposition.
And is the opinion of the Executive
Committee, composed rs it was of
members from all parts of the State.
! al"ed by the advice Of gentlemen of
the press and other representative
men from all parts of the State, worth
nothing in forming an opinion as to
the will of the party? Aud is the will
OF the party binding on it's members?
After an expression of its will,
what ought to control the action of
gentleman if there should happen to
be variance between the whole party
and his particular locality? Is his |
political allie glance due to the whole |
party, or is it due to the fragment? |
This Is question for Certain gentle
men who have earnestly and conscien-
tiously opposed the call of Conven-
ton, new to consider. Opposition up |
to this point, and difference of opinion,
was perfectly legitimate; but will 1t be
so any longer? Has not the party
spoken, and bas it not spoken in favor
OF a Convention ? This is the aues-
tion.
And can gentlemen who look to the
future, and whose friends look fondly
to the future for them, afford to put
themselves in opposition to the delb-
erately expressed will of the party
upou so vital an ISSUE a1 the one now
presented If they are not bound
now by every tie of party fealty and
by every necessity of party discipline
t. yield heir private convictions, whs II
aud under what circun stances will
they be bound?
1t must be membered that this de-
cssion of the Executive Committee is
not the result of any mere sud len
ehulition of feeling. For FIVE long
months the discussion has been going
on. At first public sentiment, SO far
as it was expressed, was against the
Convention movement. The press was
overwhelmingly against it, And still
the discussion went on and still Con
vention grew. All sections of the State
We're he ID from, and still the discus
siou went on, and still Convention
grew. At last, in course of time, the
press became largely in favor OF Con
ventiou, and ali pretence that the peo-
pie, save in certain localities, were op-
posed to it fell to the ground. Mean
while the Legislature met, and, uu
willing to act at once, postponed the
question until after the recess, and at
the same time the Executive Commit
tee was summoned to meet i'll Raleigh
At day more than five months subse
quent to the beginning q the discus
sion, he Legislature re-assembled
and the Committee assembled, with its
Invited guests. Legislators were theIe
from every part of the State; mem
bers of the Committee were there from
every part of the State; gentlemen of
the press were there from every par:
of the State, and other invited guests
were there from every part of the
State And after two days solemn,
earnest, deliberation, the Com nitte-
declared in favor Of the call of a Con
vention
Could anything be more intelligent
ly done, n ore deliberately done ? Have
We not the right then to say we think
it IS now the duty of everc true mem
Der of the party to cease opposition
to the call of Convention?