Year: 1876

ing it's provisions. The propose


amendments affect both these meth ID


very materially ana very greatly fo


the better.


l. Under the Constitution, as it no.


stands, the Legislature (two~thirds q


all it's members concurring) can call


Convention without any restriction


whatever and such Convention


will be absolutely sovereign an,


clothed with full authority t,


do all things that to it may


oeen, hest. The amendments require


not only that the call of the Conven,


tion shall have the concurrence OF


two thirds of the members of the


LEGISLATURE, but that, in addition, il


shall also receive the concurrence of a


majority of the people at the polls.


So that if the amendments shall be


ratified, before any Constitutional Con-


vention can meet, the call for it will


have first to be sanctioned by two


thirds of all the members of the two


Houses of tho General Assembly aud


afterward be sanctioned by the vote of


the majority of the people.


1t is manifest that under sucl, law,


no Convention will ever be held in


North Carolina; and this being SO, all


men who have honest fears about trust


ing conventions with power, ought to


SEE plainly that it is time for them to


sneak out in favor of the ratification


of the amendments. Indeed the very


reasons that induced good citizens, and
there were many of them who did so,
to oppose the call of the Constitutional
Convention last year naturally compel
them to favor now the ratification of
the amendments; in a word the amend
ments meet squarely the demand of
the anti-Convention men of last year,
by making it part of the Constitution
that no convention shall under any
circumstances be called without first
obtaining the consent of the people at
the ballot box upon the direct question
of convention or no convention. Ac-
cordingly, we find that Judge Fowlc,
who was one of the bitterest opposers
of the convention movement, is most
warmly advocating the ratification of
the amendments proposed by that
convention.


2. The other mode of altering the
Constitution, that by Legislative en-
actment, is also very materially |
changed and very greatly for the bet~
ter, inasmuch as it is made very much
simpler and places the entire control |
in the hands of the people-just where
it ought to be.


70 make any change by Legislative
enactment in the Constitution as it now
stands, one Legislature must, by the
vote of three-ffths of oil the members, |
pass a bill containing the proposed
amendment. 1t must then be pub
iished to the people six months before
the election of members for the next
Legislature. The new Legislature
must then pass the bill by two-thirds
vote of all the members, and after all
this, the bill must then be submitted
a long, tedious process, and was made
so designedly. If, however, the
amendments shall be ratified the diff
Guilty will no longer exist.


The following is the amendment
proposed to this part of the Oonstitu-
ton:


Sec. 2. No part of the Constitution
of this State shall be altered unless a
bill to alter the same shall have been
agreed to by three-fifths of each house
of the General Assembly. And the
amendment or amendments so agreed
to shall be submitted at the next
general election TO the qualified voters
of the whole State in such manner as
may be prescribed by law. And in the
event of their adoption by a majority
OF the votes cast, such amendment or
amendments shall become a part of
the Constitution of this State.


Every man can see for himself the
plain effect Of the changes Of this ar
ticie of the Constitution proposed to ,
be made by the amendments now pend
ing. 1t can be summed up in a single
word almost, that is to say, they re-
store full power to the people. With
the consent of the people everything
can be done, and without their consent
nothing can he done. The ratification
of the amendments will be substan>
TALLY a new declaration of independ- {
ence on the part of the people of
North Carolina, no less important and
no less sweeping than that made in
Mecklenburg in 1775 and that made in
Philadelphia in 1776.
If the Convention had done nothing
but propose the amendments to this
article, the great work of libera'ing
the people from the slavery of the
Canby Constitution would have been
for if these amend
ments shall be ratified, the people can
in less than three months redress any
grievance growing out of the Constitu-
ton, can cure all constitutional ills
Il at may effect them. But nothing,
not word, nor a letter, can be changed
without their consent and cooperation.


Is there any danger in this Is there
any danger in con6ding to the people
!, North Carolina the power to make
and o unmake their own government?
We +b;, X not. Nor can we ever think
there ~ ,s O, " danger in it, SO long as we
aarnestlv an 1 honestly believe in the
right Of the m pc, >ple to fashion and shape
their own opvor oments to suit them
selves. TIE S1ea Neon, e and not the Office
holders onabt eop of ~, tut to be masters
mere; but masters th> " WV ha rat;foG na; D