Year: 1868

NbA hNUAke


Well may some of the radical lead
ers say that old North Carolina has
passed away, and that new State is
,bout to start on new career.


Every thing that made US separate
and distinct people is fast crumbliug
under the rude assaults of Northern men
" hom negroes have elected members
of the Convention so,calied.


1t only needs that anything should be
sacred and dear to tie people of the
State to at once array against it these
men who. so far from being content
to adapt themselves to the customs and
laws of the people among whom they
have chosen to settle, are doing their
utmost to make this whole people con-
form to the usascs of the States they
may happen to hail from.


In nothing perhaps is this more
mainly seen than in the changes att
tempted to be made in the Judiciary
system of the State.


One Of the greatest needs of this
system is independence, and this the
judiciary of North Carolina have en-
loved in the highest degree. Under
the present system the Judiciary of the
State has reached and maintained the
highest eminence for learning and
moral worth, while the genius OF many
of its Judge, dead and alive have
won for it consideration and weight
inferior to no State in the Union, and
probably no where can there be found
a more clear, lucid and learned exposi-
tion of the great principles of the Com
mou law than is contained in the dcci-
sions of the Supreme Court of North
Carolina.


This is admitted by those who are
attempting to introduce change, and
are not content to let well enough alone
Is it wise to change that which has
produced results equal to any, if not
the best? particularly so when it is
confessed that the change in some o.
the other States has been gradually
lowering the standard of excellence
maintained in these very States under
system like our own.


Were we to enter into an examina
ton of the causes that have tended tt
produce and maintain the excellency o
our Judiciary, we should find that per
haps the most powerful one was tn,
freedom of our judges from party an'
party politics. Elected by the lcgisla
ture, to position in which they wer
at once independent for life, the hencl
has seldom, if ever, been the reward o
partizan service Merit has been mad
the test of qualification, and little O
no motive existed for consultin
availability, to which political parties il
popular elections so often find them
selves forced to resort Thus relieve
from the shaekles of party, those VII
might wish 10 win distinction at the bal
and on the bench have made their prc
fession specially as it were, and tn
highest honors Of the bench hav
crowned the attainmerts Of many VIII
have had but little, if any, connectio
with party politics.


Thus removed from the popular pre-
judices and passions, and uninfuence
by the rise a1d fall of parties, the jr
dietary has been the great power i
the Government, and to it 10 an EN-
nent degree is due the sturdy, NOR;
character of our people.


Introduce the change proposed, an
make all the judges elective by tn
people, and at once their independence
is destroyed, and they must degenerat
into mere instruments of party.


We believe no intelligent portion {
our people approve Of this change
Supreme Court Judges elected by is
norant negroes can fud favor with n
portion Of our whites, and this chang
alone should insure the defeat Of th
Constitution.