NORTH CAROLINA. 



5G' 



cent, for the next twenty years. By this pro- 

 cess the whole indebtedness of North Carolina 

 would be reduced to $4,500,000. 



Information of the features of this bill in 

 its early stages having reached the creditors 

 abroad, a citizen of New York, who holds 

 North Carolina bonds to the amount of $87,- 

 000, wrote to Governor Brogden, complaining 

 of the contemplated provisions of the funding 

 act as partial in favor of the State, and unjust 

 to her creditors ; and proposing that the rate 

 of funding the principal should be at the least 

 fifty cents in the dollar, and the annual inter- 

 est six per cent. The Governor communicated 

 this letter to the Senate on the 8th of March, 

 1875, when a Senator characterized it as an 

 insult, and moved to table it, which was done 

 without further consideration. 



The bill calling a convention of the people 

 for the purpose of amending the State consti- 

 tution was the subject of considerable excite- 

 ment from the beginning of the adjourned 

 session till its final passage. An amendment 

 to the bill providing that, instead of calling 

 directly a convention, the Legislature should 

 submit to the decision of the people the ques- 

 tion of "convention or no convention," was 

 offered in the House, and rejected by a vote 

 of yeas 28, nays 83. The question on the 

 passage of the bill being then put, it passed : 

 yeas 81, nays 33. 



The act premises that " the present consti- 

 tution of North Carolina is, in many important 

 particulars, unsuited to the wants and condi- 

 tion of our people," and ordains, in section 1, 

 "that a convention of the people of North 

 Carolina be, and the same is hereby, called to 

 meet in the hall of the House of Representa- 

 tives in the city of Raleigh on Monday, the 6th 

 day of September, 1875, for the purpose of 

 considering and adopting such amendments to 

 the constitution as they may deem necessary 

 and expedient, subject only to the restrictions 

 hereinafter provided." 



The said convention shall consist of one hun- 

 dred and twenty delegates, each county being 

 entitled to the same number of delegates as it 

 has members in the House of Representatives. 

 The first Thursday in August, 1875, was ap- 

 pointed for the election of delegates. 



The convention was expressly forbidden to 

 consider, debate, adopt, or propose any amend- 

 ment or ordinance upon the subjects of the 

 homestead and personal-property exemptions, 

 and a large number of other matters. 



A bill changing the day for all elections in 

 the State, and fixing it on the Tuesday next 

 after the first Monday in November, passed 

 the Senate on March 17th, and the House of 

 Representatives on the 20th. 



The better to secure suitable action from 

 party adherents in choosing delegates to the 

 convention at the August election, the Exec- 

 utive Democratic Central Committee, under 

 date of June 1, 1875, issued a lengthy " Ad- 

 dress to the People of North Carolina," urging 



the necessity of holding a convention to sup- 

 ply the omissions and correct th'e objectiona- 

 ble provisions of the constitution. 



The Republican State Executive Committee 

 published, on their part, an " Address to the 

 Voters of North Carolina," dated June 16, 

 1875, denying any necessity or use for hold- 

 ing a Constitutional Convention, and condemn- 

 ing the action of the Democratic party in call- 

 ing such a convention. 



During the political campaign preceding the 

 election of delegates to the convention in Au- 

 gust, each of the two parties vigorously can- 

 vassed the State. The result of that election 

 was rather unfavorable to the Democrats, who 

 had reckoned on a good majority of delegates 

 as certain ; whereas, of the one hundred and 

 seventeen members elected they could scarcely 

 count fifty-nine as Democrats, fifty-eight being 

 regular Republicans. The death of ex-Gov- 

 ernor William Alexander Graham, one of the 

 delegates-elect, which occurred shortly after 

 the election, rendered the number of Demo- 

 crats in the convention equal to that of the 

 Republicans. 



The delegates assembled on September 6, 

 1875, and adjourned sine die on the llth of 

 October. 



The convention provided for the publication 

 of its ordinances ; and that they shall be sub- 

 mitted to the voters for ratification or rejec- 

 tion at the general election to be held on the 

 Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 

 1876; thus giving the citizens a full year's 

 time to consider the proposed amendments. 



The new instrument forbids the calling of 

 a Constitutional Convention unless the ques- 

 tion is first submitted to the people. 



To section 24 of Article I. the following 

 clause is added: "Nothing herein contained 

 shall justify the practice of carrying concealed 

 weapons, or prevent the Legislature from en- 

 acting penal statutes against such practice." 



To section 25 of the same article a clause 

 is also added, " that secret political societies 

 are dangerous to the liberties of a free people, 

 and are not to be tolerated." 



The sessions of the General Assembly are re- 

 quired to begin in January instead of Novem- 

 ber. The duration of each session shall not 

 exceed sixty days. If it is prolonged beyond 

 that period, the members of the Legislature 

 shall receive no pay; which is fixed at four 

 dollars for each day, and ten cents mileage. 



Section 29, Article II., of the old constitu- 

 tion is amended by the new, which allows 

 the Legislature to change the time for holding 

 elections for the General Assembly". 



All the judicial power is to be vested in a 

 court for the trial of impeachments, a Supreme 

 Court, Superior Courts, courts of justices of 

 the peace, and such others inferior to the Su- 

 preme Court as may be established by law. 



The number of the Justices of the Supreme 

 Court is reduced from five to three, and that 

 of Judges in the State from twelve to nine. 



