The farmer and mechanic., 1913-01-07

combined population Of 294,312 sent
to the General Assembly sixteen more
commoners and eight more senator's
than twenty-seven counties west OF
laeion OF ee5 more people. A prop
erty qualification was requisite TOT
membership in the General Assembly
and inasmuch as all state omclais
were elected by the Legislature. not |
by the people directly, Property, not
theory of Property was that the pest
government is that which governs
least Adherents Of this school OF
politics taught, therefore. that gov
eminent had fulfilled its mission when
it had preserved order, punished
taxation. But another school Of poll
teal thought, originating in the coun-
ties west of Raleigh where the in
stitution OF slavery had not secured
so strong a foothold, was now begin
ming to make itself heard. It's ad-
herents favored a constitutional con-
vention to revise the basis Of rep
resentation, to give to the people the
right to elect their chief magistrate,
and in other respects TO make the
government popular IN practice as
we'll as in form: and they advocated
internal improvements, geological
| surveys, the conservation of resources.
| asylums for the insane, public schools,
| schools for the deaf and dumb and
for the blind, and numerous other pro-
greSSive measures which all right
| thinking people now acknowledge to
| be governmental in their nature.
| These men were the Progressives of
| their day.
Morehead found his place among
| these Progressives. AS a member Of
the General Assembly he was among
the foremost in advocating a consti-
tutional convention. He supported
measures for the building Of good
the Improvement Of inland naviga-
| ton, for drainage Of swamps, and
for railroad surveys. He opposed a
bill to prevent the education Of ne
groes. moved the appointment of a
select committee on the colonization
Of slaves, introduced bill providing
for their emancipation under certain
conditions, and displayed SO much
interest in measures for the amelicra-
ton Of the conditions of the slaves
: that his opponents. when he became
candidate for Governor: charged
him with being at heart an abolition
) ist. He endeayored to secure the ap-
; preparation of funds for the collection
Of material for the preservation OF
the history of North Carolina; and
took a deep interest IN all measures
for the promotion Of public educa-
ton. In 1927. as chairman of the
) Committee on Education, he reported
unfavorabiy a bill to repeal the act
of 1925 which had created the Liter
ary Fund ''for the establishment OF
l common schools" In submitting his
report he said:
your committee believe that the
passage Of that act must have beer
3 greeted by every philanthropist ant
friend OF civil liberty as the founda
I ton on which was to rest the future
I h oQ y,
I perpetuity OF our political institutions
From the very nature O
i our civil institutions, the people mus
act; 1t is wisdom and policy to teacl
I them to act from the lights Of rea
I ! son, and not from the blind impuls
e pendent of any political influence tina
I general education might have you
e committee are Of opinion that an,
: state or sovereign, having the mean
y at command. are morally criminal /
8 they neglect to contribute to eac1
e citizen or subject that individual use
a fulness and happiness which arise
G from a well-cultured understanding
W. Your committee cannot con
r ceive q nooler idea than that Of tn
L genius Of our country, lowering owe
y the tattered son OF some miseFabl
It hovel, leading his infant but giganti
d mind in the paths OF useful know]
,e edge, and pointing out to his nobl
Re ambition the open. way by which tal
le ented merit may reach the highe.
[e honors and preferments of our gov
8 efnment.''
e The committee. accordingly, una
ts nimously recommended the rejectie
OF OF the bill to discontinue the LiteraI
T. Fund. The recommendation was AZ
es cepted, the bill was lost, the Literaz
1e Fund was saved, and the foundatio
" On which our common school sy.
Is tenn Was afterwards built was Or,
IA served intact.
In the convention Of 1895, in whfc
s. he represented GuilfoFd county. Nor,
be head supported the amendments O
ry fered to tho Constitution designed
at democrAtize the State gpvernmeu
ce Two OF these amendments tn partic,
n lar have had a. far-reaching IND
Is ence on our history. One OF the
n placed representation in the Hou;
., OF Commons on a basis Of FEEDER
SO population: the other gave the peop
ep directly the election OF the Govern
te. To the latter VIC may trace the orir.