Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-04-16
THE CONVENTION AND tn II LEG
zSEAFayE IL e = = Dc Il C r . Ms
UPON les POWERS.

True to IFS habits and TO it's instincts |
the Radicar party continues its opposI-
ton TO an caange IN the iniquitous |
Conetitutis {. forced upon Us seven |
long wear years ago. From April,
1868. wi1e1, IN obedience to its man
dates, CAM y turned his bayonets from
blood letting to Constitution-makin
to April, 1875, the Radical party has
persistently and dogged!y opposed any
and every change in the Constitution.
During the whole Of these anxious
eventful years no proposition for any
change IN tie Constitution, vine her
by Convention or by leg sslatlve enact |
rnent, has ever received the assent OF
that party; on the contrary every
such proposition has been bitterly ard
persisteutly opposed and SO success |
fully too that it was not until five
years had passed that tho first amend
lnent could be gotten directly before
the paopIe. But from that day the
fate If the Radical party vas sealed
Not only were tie amendments then
submitted TO them ratified by the
people, but 1T the very next election
two-thirds OF the members they sent
to the Legislature belonged to that
political party which had pledged
itself from the imposition Of the Con
stitution to destroy all of it, obnoxious
features at the earlieet possible day.
The Legislature thus constituted met
IN Raleigh and IL due course Of tine
passed by the regular constitutional
two thirds vote bill calling a Con
yention to alter and amond the Con
stitntion, and thus by the redemption
OF it's oft repeated pledges tie Demo
cratic party after a long and hotiy
contested fight-a fight that lasted
as long as the war OF the Revolution
has brought the people Of North Caro-
lna t. the point that marks the end Of
hope ana the beginning OF fruition.
But what is victo Y worth unless We
secure its fruits What would be
thought of a victorious army, that,
after handsomely winning q holly con-
tested battle, should permit its fruits
to slip from its grasp. The Demo
cratic party is now in the position of
an army that has just won a splendid
victory, and the question is whether
we shall enjoy the fruits Of that vic
tory, or whether We shall throw them
away We mast not delude ourselves
into the belief that because we have
beaten the Radical partyso badly it no
longer exists, or that it is no longer IN
enemy. Tie Radical party aud the
Democratic party can never become
one except by mortality putting on i'm
mortality, and corruption putting on
corruption. The copf;c ct between the
two is an irrepressible one and has
not vet been ended.
But to come to particulars. The
Convention has been ordered and will
undoubtedly assemble. There is no
power upon earth under either State
or Federal laws that can now prevent
the assembling Of the Convention on
the 9th of September next, But still
the irrepressible conflict goes on. It
being impossible to prevent the Con-
vention from assembling the purpose
now is to possess acontroling Influence
among It's members when it doe, as
semble, in order to secure it's immediate
adjournmeGt sine die that is, as soon as
it shall have complied by organization
with the act Of Assembly calling ii
into existence but before the Consti-
tuition shall have been touched. That
such is the purpose of the Radical
party is openly avowed in IFS last issue
by perhaps the most prominent Radi-
cal paper in the State, we refer of
course to the Statesville A7nericGn.
And thus it is proposed TO cheat US
out of the fruits OF a victory won after
seven years of hard fighting. Shall
yae permit it to be done?
The only reason aside from ali in
disposition TO change the Constitution
that we have seen urged thus far, why
such a course ought to be pursued, is
enc that has been urged out of the
State as well as in it, and that is the
fear that the Convention. If majority
Of its members shall be Democrats, will
disreg gard the restrictions and prohibit
tons, the Legislature saw fit to i'm
pose upon it's action and change the
homestead and other provisions of the
Constitution that it is assumed and we
III ink rightfully assumed, the people
desire not to be interfered with. That
the Democratic party has no such pur
pose every sensible, well informed
man knows full we'll In the first
place, two-thirds Of the Legislature
ratimposed the restrict ons WEI Dem
ocrata. Ii q Democratic Legislature
imposed the restrictions, what reason
is there to suppose that a Democratic
Convention would disregard them If it
could ? None III the world. Have
= Y Democratic speakers urged such a
course? Not a one so far as we
lave heard. Have any Democratic
papers urged such a course =? SO far
a. We Know The Salisbury Waterman
is the only paper throughout the
length and breadth of the State that
has seen proper to advocate policy
that if adopted by the party will IL
cur humble judgment prove its death
warrant There IS 10 danger then
that any such policy viii he adopted
tn every way in which legislators can
be bound the members of the Conven-
ii"n viii be bound to regard the re-
strictions and prohibitions imposed
npon them by the Act of Assembly to
which the Convention owes its exist
ence. Before he can vote npop the
most unimpOrtant question every