The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-21

the voters to be all Colored men-be-
fore they were made citizens by the
14th amendment-and all white men
except about an average in each counv
ty of two hundred and fifty of it's most
honored citizens-every man who up
to 1861 had been elected to a public
office. Registrars were appointed in
each county by the Charleston "Bre-
vet Major General" and in October,
1867, they reported 103, $50 white and
1851 colored men as qualified voters.
The spirit and purpose of this re
construction" outrage which was
passed by an overwhelming majority
over the veto of the President, may
be learned from the following passage
in the veto message:
Thus, over all these ten States,
this military government is now de-
clared to have unlimited authority.
1t is impossible to conceive
any state of society more intolerable
than this. OF what avail wilt
it be to any one of those Southern
people, when seized by a file of SOL
diers ''-cOlored soldiers they were
20 ask for the cause of arrest, or for
the production CT the warrant? OF
what avail to ask for the privilege of
bail when in military custody, which
knows no such thing as bail?'
An election was ordered by the
| commander of the district, the re-
turns were sent to him, he declared
the result and the so-called conven-
ton was directed to assemble by the
following order:
Headquarters Second Military District,
Charleston, S. c., Dec. 81, 1867.
General Order No. 165.
At the election held in the State
Of North Carolina on the 18th and
goth days of November, 1867, a ma
jority of the registered voters of said
State having voted on the question of
holding such convention, the delegates
| elected thereto and hereafter named,
are hereby notified, in conformity
with the provisions of the fourth sec
ton Of the Act of Congress of March
23rd, 1867, to assemble in convention,
in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina,
at noon on Tuesday, the 14th day of
January, 1868, for the purpose of
framing q Constitution and Civil Gov
eminent, according to the provisions
of the aforesaid Act of the 23rd day
of March, 1867, and the Act of the
End day of March, 1867, to which it
is supplementary A copy of this or
der will be forwarded to each of the
persons hereafter named. and shall
be evidence of his having been elect
ed as q delegate to the aforesaid con-
Vention.
BY command of Brevet Major-Gen-
eral,
E. R. S. CANDY.
(Offcial.l
LOUIS v. CAZIARC.
Aided Camp, Act'g. Asst. Adj't.
General.
JACOB z. CHURR.
Act'g. Asst. Adj't. General.
Whether the list was determined
| by honest inspection of the returns
the reader must be his own judge af-
ter reading the following dispatch
mailed in Charleston the day before
the convention met:
Charleston. S. c., Jan. 10, 1868.
To Commanding Officer Post of Raj
eigh.
General Order No. 165 is amended
as follows: Insert James McCubbins
in place of Isaac M. Shaver, as dele
gate from Davie and Rowan counties,
and John G.. Marler in place of Ed
win p. Bartlett, from Ashe, Allegheny,
Watauga, Surry and Yadkin counties.
After this body assembled it or
| dered Hon. Kemp p. Battle, State
! Treasurer, to furnish the money for
its expenses. He refused to comply;
and in his communication to the body
he said:
THE convention now in session does
not derive its existence in any man
ner from the present State govern
ment or under it's constitution. 1t has
| assembled under other authority, &c.
Thereupon General Candy was APP
pealed to- and he ordered Mr.. Battle
to pay the expenses of the conven-
ton; and furthermore, he directed
! the tax assessors of the State to add
to the assessments already made, or
about to be made, for 1868, under the
authority of the laws of the State, the
tax levied under the ordinance before
cited" (Which this convention had
| oil a
of North Carolina to stand and de-
liver" to a body of rulers which haG
no excuse for it's existence as such i'll
the Constitution of the State or of the
| United States, and no more right to
| impose burdens on our people than
the king of Spain has.
This convention, having finished
the work for which it was created,
proceeded, without authority and in
imitation of the lawless spirit of its
masters, to the assumption of the
right to impose additional burdens
| on the helpless people of the State.
| 1t saddled on them a bonded debt of
$1,183,000, the pretended object be-
| ing railroad construction. They were
placed on the market and sold, the
| purchasers being well aware of the
powerlessness of the convention to is
sue them, and of the probability that
| they would be repudiated by the State
whenever the carpet Dagger should
pass into 'innocuous desuetude."
Thus it is beyond dispute that the
people of the State are under not a
whit of moral obligation to pay these
| bonds; and it is equally clear that no
| self-respecting court can attempt to
enforce the payment
The Legislature of 1868, go and 20.
But there were other bonds issued
and we will now inquire into their
history.
The Candy Constitution was adopt
ed on the 21st of April, 1868, accord
| ing to an order sent out from Char
lesion on the 23rd of the preceding
| March. Here is an extract from the
| order:
| Headquarters Second Military District
! Charleston, S. c., March %, 1868.
General Order No. "A.
| 1t is ordered:
First, That an election be held in
] the State of North Carolina, COM
mencing on Tuesday, the 21st day of
/ = |, f,,I, oil icfo cd n