Wilmington journal., 1876-07-21
THE CONVEN sION ANU THE
NU NJ = ~ a.

n VI u u ID n EN ~.
people do not need-to be told
how anxiously and how unscrupulously
the enemies of constitutional reform
have songht to prevent any and every
change in, the Candy Constitution. /.
= Up to the very day that it adjourned
almost, it was said the Convention
would, take from, the people the few
rights they still enjoyed, especial y
were they told that their homesteads
would be lost; but the result proves
the charge to have been utterly false,
and to-day the homestead is as safe as
any Constitution and laws can make it.
In.ieed. the only proposition affecting
the homestead an personal property
exemption provisions presented to the
Convention for. it's consideration was
inttoducsi by Radical delegate. 1t
was promptly declared to be within
the restrictions imposed by the act OF
Assembly calling the Conventi1n and
therefore beyond its powez.. to change
in 'aaipi!y aaip!y way. a.. - ., -. ...,
It was sai1 the Convention
would discriminate in favor of
lawyer and rich men in exempting
property from. taxation, put the Con-
stitution stands unchanged by the
smendments in that respect. 1t was
said that in order to keep negroes from
voting the Convention would in the
future require of white men also a
property qualification for voting, but
the amendments make no such requi, e.
ment.
It was said the Convention would
not obey the restrictions imposed
upon it's power by the act of the AS
sembly calling it into existence, but no
man can point to single instance in
which the Convention .disregarded
those restrictions. It is true that a
large number of the Radical delegates
in the Convention formally protested
IN writing against being required to
take the oath to obey the restrictions
and against it's binding effect when
taken. The Democrats made no such
protest, but cheerfully took the oath
and faithfully obeyed it.
It was said that by the action of the
Convention the sessions of the
Legislature would be heightened
and the expense to the people
increased; and the truth is the
amendments both greatly shorten the
sessions of the Legislature and greatly
diminish their cost. It was said that,
in round numbers, the Convention
would cost the people of North Caro-
lima the vast sum of five hundred
thousand dollars, and in point of fact
it has not cost in exact numbers as
much as thirty>two Thousand dollars
barely more than one twentieth part of
i've hundred Thousand dollars. "
1t was said the amendments would
not be submitted to the people for rat
ifcation, or if they were submitted,
thatnot more than thirty days would
be given for their consideration. But
the Convention did submit all the
amendments to the people for ratifca-
ton aud gave thirteen months instead
of thirty days fcl their consideration
and examination. a - .a
The work of the Convention has
come to all end and time has shown
all the charges made against it by the
enemies of Constitutional reform to
have been false. utterly false The
work of the people is still to be done
If they will only be as. trne to them
selves as was the ,Oonvention, all will
be we'll. DO we wish to be free from
the Candy Con stitution, or do we wish
to remain slaves under it still longer ?
That is the question we have now to
decide. We can decide it just as we
wish, for the power to do so is placed
incur hands by the; proposed ID amend
{ a.