The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-10

supremacy. Accordingly to assure the
continuance of it's power, it followed
the policy Of off-setting new
in the West by the creation OF new
counties in the East without regard
to their population. In 1880, for in
stance, thirty-six Of the sixty-four
counties in the State were east OF Raj
eigh. These thirty-siX counties con-
tanned only f~orty-one per cent or the
voting population of the State; yet
they sent to the General Assembly
fifty-eight per cent of it's members.
The voting population Of these east
ern counties was only 81 per cent of
the total white population Of the State;
nevertheless this 81 per cent elected
a majority of the legislature by whom
the governor and all other state OIL
Gals were chosen and thus controlled
the government in all its branches.
"The State government" says a care
full student Of our constitutional his
tory, was developing into an arlstoc-
racy based upon county representa-
ton without regard to the right of the
majority to make the laws under
which they lived"
This aristocracy not only affrOnted
the Democracy of h Scotch-Irlsh
communities, it also obstructed the IN
dustrial development Of the German
communities in the West. The eco
nomic interests Of these communities
were duldSOIlSilC u TIE ldlSSSA-Id11C
policy Of the East. These interests
demanded a program Of state activi-
ties embracing internal improvements,
improved public highways, railroads,
geological surveys the conservation OF
resources, public schools, n other
progressive measures now universally
| acknowledged to be governmental III
their nature. The East resting it's in
dustrial and social system on extern
Sive plantations and slave labor, OPP
posed these democratic innovations,
and through its control Of the State
government successfully opposed them
| for many wears. The Scotch and Ger
man communities in the West, finding
both their political interests and their
material welfare involved in the tri-
umph of Democratic principles, de-
handed amendments to the Consti-
tuition so as to change the basis of
representation from lane to people, to
give to the people directly the cleo
ton Of their governor, and in other
respects to make the government
democratic in practice n in spirit as
Well as in form.
A long and bitter struggle, lasting
the better part Of q quarter-century,
followed before democracy won it's
first victory. During this period a
great democratic movement, world
wide in it's significance, swept over
the English-speaking countries of the
earth. In England it found express
sion in the Catholic Emancipation act,
the abolition of slavery throughout the
British Empire, and the Reform bill
Of 1882; in America it revealed itself
in the creation of new states with
constitutions recognizing manhood
suffrage, in the extension Of the suf-
frage in practically all the old states.
in the election OF Andrew Jackson to
the presidency, and in the growth Of
a strong anti-slavery sentiment in the
nation. 1t was 8 movement toward
democracy comparable only to that OF
our own time, and as North Carolina
can not now, so she could not then
withstand it's onward sweep. In 1884
the reformers won their first victory
by securing h passage Of an act
submitting to the people the question
Of calling a constitutional convention.
No greater triumph for democracy was
ever won in North Carolina For the
first time i'll their history the people
were to be consulted on a great pro
blem OF government; for the first
time the decision Of a great politi-
cal issue was submitted to a refereu-
dunn to the people.
This first referendum resulted in q
victory for democracy. The people
called a convention, charged with thu
duty Of purging the Constitution o.
it's u~ndemocratic features, and to +
sent their ablest men. These men. a:
a RUE, were III sympathy with tbs
democratic Of their day
They abolished borough representa-.
ton. They overthrow the territorial
basis of representation in the Hous'
of Commons, and adopted n resting
on population. They struck out o
, the Constitution the sectarian test 70,
4: offce-holding. They took the ~electic,
: Of the governor away from the Gen
I eral Assembly and gave it to the PEG
2 pie. They made provision for amend
i ing the Constitution by suh1nittin,
S proposed amendments to a referen
= dunn. Finally, unlike their predeces
= sors of 1776, they recognized the ris
t ing power OF democracy by submit
y ting thei. work for ratification to tn
e people.
The influence Of these changes O.
the industrial. Intellectual and poll
o teal life OF the State ca2 not easil
be over-estimated. Tney usheSed 1
an eYa OF nrQereSa that within tn