The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-06-27
Baltimore Sun .

to Earn an Honest Living in Certain
Northern and Western Cities.
Baltimore Sun.
Some of our esteemed contempor-
aries in the North are disquieting
themselves in vain and becoming un-
| necessarily excited by the decision of
the Virginia convention that ii was
not required of its members to take
an oath of office. The Philadelphia
Press says that the convention made
a bad start in refusing to take the
oath of allegiance to the United States
and adds that Its action on the first
day of the session virtually says that
it expects to violate the Constitution
of the United States in framing the
suffrage clause of the new State Con-
stitution and that it does not wish to
stultify itself by swearing allegiance
to the Constitution it intends to vio
late"
The New York Press says: after
so large and representative body of
Southerners have declared themselves
still disaffected to the United States
they can scarcel y object to the Fed
eral interference, which reviews their
proceedings, in creating and qualify
ing Federal Senators, Representatives
and electors" This, in the language
of Scripture, is seeking occasion
against the South. SO anxious are
our friends of the Northern press to
make warfare upon the people of the
South that any occasion will suffice
for pretext. If the convention had
taken the oath that was suggested
perhaps that would have been equal
cause of otfense. These papers do
not wait to find out whether their
complaints are well founded or not.
They condemn just the same. The
utterance of the Philadelphia Press is
especially significant. 1t is a leading
paper, a representative paper in a
city which is just now making great
effort to get the trade OF the South,
and which of all the cities of the
Union has been one of the most bitter
and unjust in its hostility to the
Southern people. AS long as there is
any prospect Of making money out of
the South their words are soft as
butter, having war in their heart.
But in the midst of all the palavering
about friendship and reciprocal trade
comes this frank expression of hos
tilitv from one of its leading papers.
In his address to the Virginia con
vention, the presiding officer, Mr..
John Goode, after referring to the
wicked folly of conferring the fran
chise upon negroes totally unprepared
for it's exercise and just fresh from
slavery, went on to say that never
theless the Fifteenth Amendment is
a part of the Constitution of the
United States and must be obeycd in
good faith. 1t is a prime object OF
the convention not to violate the
Fifteenth Amendment nor any part of
the Constitution for they well know
that if they do their work will come
naught, for the Federal courts will
set it aside.
The convention, in point of fact,
decided that its members need not
| take an oath because there was no
oath prescribed. This was the whole
matter. Every member of the con-
vention has taken the oath to support
the Constitution Of the United States,
some of them many times. TO take
it again could not add to their obliga-
ton: to refuse to take it could not de-
tract from it. The law which called
! the convention together contained no
| requirement to take the oath. and the
present Constitution, in the Judgment
of majority of the members, pre-
| scribes none. There is an oath for
officers of the State, bat after thor
ough discussion Of the question and
examining many authorities, it was
concluded that members Of the con-
| vention are not officers of the State
in the meaning Of the Constitution.
The existing Constitution of Nir-
gina, known as the Underwood Con
stitution, as originally drafted and
submitted, did contain form OF
oath which might have been required
of member of the convention. But,
acting under the authority OF General
| Grant, the people voted on this clause
of this Constitution separately and
defeated it. There is. in fact, an i'm
portant principle involved in thi-
question. That question is whether
this convention is the supreme power
of the State, representing the sOver
eighty of the people, or whether il
can be trammeied or controlled bs
the terms of Constitution which II
is assem bled to set aside. That Con.
! stitution, in express terms, prohibit:
anv subsequent Constitutional con
vention from doing certain things
One Of the members declared that i
they were to swear as members o
the convention to obey that clause il
the Constitution, they might as vel
ad journ and 90 home. II one Consti
tutional convention can bind 4 suhse
auent convention as to what it can 0
cannot do, it can prohibit the holdin.
of convention, and then the righ
of the people '.to altar, reform o
abolish their form Of government il
such manner as they may deem eK
pedient" does not exist. COnven
tions in Northern States and Nesterl
States have assembled and frame
Constitutions without taking an
oath and have escaped criticism
some of them have enacted Consti
tutions without any submission /
the people. But, in the eye Of Phila
delphia, whatever is done in tn
South is wrong, except when it send
its trade to the City OF Brotherl