NORTH CAROLINA. 



563 



raenceJ on the 20th of November, 1871, and a 

 bill was introduced that day in the Senate, 

 entitled, " An act to alter the constitution of 

 North Carolina," proposing a long series of 

 amendments to that instrument to be made by 

 legislative enactments. The bill was referred 

 to a committee on constitutional reform, and a 

 message was sent to the House proposing to 

 raise a joint select committee on constitutional 

 reform. The House concurred, when the 

 joint committee was appointed, consisting of 

 fifteen members six Senators and nine Rep- 

 resentatives. In the Lower House also, a bill 

 was introduced on November 21st, " proposing 

 amendments to the constitution of North 

 Carolina," which was referred, with many 

 other bills of a like import. 



The committee presented their report on 

 December 8th, and with it a substitute for all 

 these bills. The report says : 



The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional 

 Amendment beg leave to report that they have care- 

 fully considered all the bills on this subject which 

 have been referred to them in either House. These 

 bills are numerous ; but, though they differ to some 

 extent in substance as well as phraseology, they 

 agree in several main features. The committee have 

 therefore culled from them those provisions in which 

 the various bills most generally coincide in sub- 

 stance, and which appear most important, and these 

 they have incorporated into a bill which they here- 

 with present as a substitute for all the bills referred 

 to them, and recommend its passage. 



The substance of the bill, concisely stated, em- 

 braces the following points : The striking out of the 

 provisions relating to the State debt, the township 

 system, the State census, the code commission, and 

 the Superintendent of Public Works ; the reduction of 

 the number of judges, and requiring the Superior 

 Court judges to hold courts in rotation; biennial 

 sessions of the General Assembly, and biennial 

 terms of executive officers ; the prohibition of persons 

 holding two offices at once ; the provision that deaf 

 and dumb and insane persons having adequate 

 means shall defray the expenses of the State in 

 taking care of them ; empowering the Legislature, if 

 they deem it best, to change the form of county 

 government and the officers having the^ control of 

 probate business; to distribute the jurisdiction of all 

 Courts except the Supreme ; to establish Superior 

 courts, if needful ; and to regulate and perfect the 

 school system. 



It is believed that the adoption of these amend- 

 ments will give the people of the State a much better 

 and cheaper system of internal administration, and 

 more in harmony with their taste and character. 



As one of the chief objects aimed at, in al- 

 tering the constitution, was, to apply some 

 remedy capable of freeing the State from the 

 almost desperate condition of her finances, this 

 subject shared in a great measure the attention 

 of the General Assembly. Several bills were 

 introduced, among which we mention one in 

 the Senate on November 25th, entitled "An 

 act to commute, compromise, compound, and 

 adjust, the debt of the State," which was or- 

 dered to be printed. In the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, the following preamble and resolu- 

 tion were "introduced on November 22d : 



Whereas, The State debt is now greater than the 

 people of the State can pay without ruin, and the 

 circumstances attending its creation and the mannci 



of its application clearly show that the persons com- 

 posing a majority of the Legislature making tha 

 debt were not in sympathy with the people of the 

 State, but were in fact strangely elected under the 

 bayonet ; and 



Whereas, These so-called representatives voted 

 between twenty and thirty millions of money for 

 the ostensible purpose of building certain railroads, 

 but with the real purpose of enriching themselves 

 and their friends ; and 



Whereas^ Of the enormous sum so voted barely 

 half a million has been expended on said railroads, 

 the remainder having been embezzled ; and 



Whereas, It becomes our duty clearly to indicate 

 ourpurpose regarding this debt ; and 



Whereas, The Congress of the United States com- 

 pelled the repudiation of what was commonly known 

 as the "war debt" due almost entirely to our 

 people, and contracted for the best and holiest pur- 

 pose : therefore 



Resolved, That the judiciary committee be in- 

 structed to prepare and introduce, at as early a day 

 as possible, a bill to provide for the repudiation of 

 the entire debt of the State. 



During the debates which took place con- 

 cerning the amount of the debt and its in- 

 terest, and in regard to the mode of paying it, 

 very different sentiments were expressed, and 

 various plans suggested, by the members. 

 Many agreed to recognize the debt at about 

 $20,000,000 as honestly contracted, and not to 

 recognize the debt of the so-called special-tax 

 bonds, except in so far as the State had actually 

 received an equivalent for her assumed obliga- 

 tion. This equivalent was reckoned at some 

 $500,000, whereas the issue of such bonds 

 amounted to $11,407,000, and the interest on 

 this sum to $1,500,000 more. Others would 

 reduce the whole debt still further, even below 

 $10,000,000, and not assume the rest. Others 

 would repudiate it entirely. As to the mode 

 of payment, some said the State should pay it 

 entirely ; not a few proposed to treat with the 

 creditors in the hope of effecting a compro- 

 mise by reduction, commutation, or otherwise, 

 in such a manner and to such amount as the 

 State and the people could possibly bear with- 

 out ruin; others proposed to free the State 

 from the whole of her debt by delivering all 

 she possessed into the hands of her creditors at 

 once, by the process of bankruptcy. 



In his annual message, dated November 20, 

 1871, the Governor dwells at length on the 

 subject of the public debt as the most impor- 

 tant matter pending before the Legislature. 

 He says : 



The report of the public Treasurer exhibits the 

 condition of the debt. An analysis of it will show 

 that the debt consists of the following classes : 

 First: "Old," or "ante-war debt," includ- 

 ing $383,045 held by the Board of Educa- 

 tion, which is in the form of a certificate 



issued in lieu of old bonds $8,761,245 



Accrued interest 1,583,515 



$10,349,760 



Second : Bonds issued since the war, under 

 acts passed before, in aid of internal im- 

 provements $3,015,000 



Accrued interest 542,700 



$3,557,700 



