NORTH CAROLINA. 



573 



officers is to be forwarded to the Speaker of the 

 House of Representatives. The returns are to 

 be opened and published in the presence of 

 the two Houses. Appropriate penalties are 

 provided for neglect of duty by officials con- 

 cerned in receiving or making returns of votes, 

 as also for bribery or improper influence in 

 securing votes. The State Board of Canvass- 

 ers consists of the Governor, Secretary of State, 

 Attorney-General, and two members of the 

 Senate, one of each political party, to be select- 

 ed by the Governor. They must canvass the 

 county returns publicly in the Hall of the House 

 of Representatives on the third Monday after 

 the election." Special provision is made for the 

 election of Presidential electors and the return 

 and canvass of the votes cast therefor. The 

 county canvassers are required to ascertain the 

 number of votes for each candidate " by faith- 

 ful addition," and the result must be proclaimed 

 by the Sheriff from the State-house door. The 

 county returns must be canvassed by the State 

 Board in the presence of such persons as may 

 choose to attend in the Hall of the House of 

 Representatives, and the Secretary of State 

 shall certify to the Governor the names of as 

 many persons receiving the highest number of 

 votes for electors of President and Vice-Presi- 

 dent as the State may be entitled to in the 

 Electoral College. Provision is also made for 

 the meeting of the electors, and any elector 

 chosen, " with his own consent previously sig- 

 nified," is made liable to a forfeit of $500 if he 

 fail to attend. The making, delivering, or 

 transmitting of any false return, or making any 

 erasure or alteration in the poll-books, are 

 made an infamous crime, punishable by impris- 

 onment for not less than one year, and a forfeit- 

 ure of $500. It is further provided that the 

 next general election shall be held on the first 

 Thursday in August, 1878 ; but thereafter, un- 

 til otherwise provided, the general elections 

 shall be held on the Tuesday next after the 

 first Monday in November. 



An act was passed establishing a Department 

 of Agriculture, Immigration, and Statistics, and 

 for the Encouragement of Sheep Husbandry. 

 It is placed under, the control of a board, con- 

 sisting of the Governor, State Geologist, Master 

 of the State Grange of the Patrons of Husband- 

 ry, President of the State Agricultural Society, 

 and the President of the Agricultural College, 

 and two agriculturists, to be selected by the 

 board. The board is also required to appoint 

 a Commissioner of Agriculture, prescribe his 

 duties, and regulate his pay. Further provisions 

 are made regarding the collection and distribu- 

 tion of statistics and information, and the en- 

 couragement of agricultural interests.^ The 

 geological survey is closely connected with the 

 agricultural department, and the improvement 

 of fertilizers, the propagation of fish, the regis- 

 tration of mining statistics, and the encourage- 

 ment of immigration, are placed under its 

 charge. 



An act was passed to revise and consolidate 



the school laws. This made no very important 

 changes in the law. The State Board of Edu- 

 cation and the Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, the county boards and county exami- 

 ners, and the local school committees, still con- 

 stitute the official organization. White and 

 colored schools are separate, and funds for their 

 support are separately apportioned. 



An act was also passed providing for uniform 

 county governments. The counties are to be 

 divided into convenient districts, to be known 

 as townships, but without corporate powers. 

 The treasurer, register of deeds, and surveyor, 

 in each county, are to bo elected biennially by 

 the people ; but the justices of the peace, three 

 for each township, the official term of one ex- 

 piring every two years, are to be chosen by the 

 Legislature of the State, and the justices of the 

 peace elect the county commissioners. Among 

 the other acts passed was one authorizing the 

 county authorities to farm out convicts, and 

 " an act to prohibit the sale of liquors in cer- 

 tain localities." These localities were quite 

 numerous, and, for the most part, in the vicin- 

 ity of schools or churches. 



On the subject of adjusting the State debt, 

 the following report was made and acted upon : 



The committee on the debt of the State, and to 

 whom have been referred various propositions on tbe 

 subject, have carefully considered the whole matter, 

 and recommend that no action be taken at the pres- 

 ent time. It is unnecessary for us to declare our 

 faith in the integrity and honesty of the people of 

 North Carolina. Our State has ever borne an hon- 

 orable name for hsr fidelity to her engagements, and 

 we are sure her character in this respect baa not de- 

 generated. 



It can be said of our people as a body that they are 

 as true to their obligations as any in the world ; and 

 us a general thing the course of public events has 

 manifested a jealous purpose to foster the sense of 

 individual and of public honesty, and to strengthen 

 the force of those great principles on which society 

 is founded. It has been our uniform policy to pro- 

 mote habits of probity and sincere regard for the 

 right ; and in the great and trying emergency through 

 which we have been for years passing, the State has 

 uniformly shown a disposition to adhere to her hon- 

 orable traditions. 



In the opinion of the committee the State is not 

 now in a position to offer her creditors such a settle- 

 ment as they would likely accept. At the same time 

 the committee are of opinion tnat it is very desirable 

 to have the debt settled upon principles of equity and 

 justice. 



We therefore recommend that a commission be ap- 

 pointed, to be composed of the Governor, Treasurer, 

 Attorney-General, and two members each from the 

 Senate and House of Representatives, to consider tlio 

 whole matter and report to the next meeting of tho 

 General Assembly, and we hope some plan of settl 

 ment will be reported acceptable to the bondl 

 and not too burdensome to bo willingly sanctioned 

 by the people of North Carolina. 



The next General Assembly does not meet 

 until January, 1879. 



The Board of Education, having been an. 

 thorized to establish a normal school for white 

 males in connection with the State University, 

 provided for a brief summer term of six weeks 

 during the vacation of the college, and female* 

 as well as males were invited to attend tbe 



