PERSPECTIVE ?
Albemarle Assembly saw
many changes in 1 600 s
t
A* the Grand Assembly of the
County of Albemarle developed into
the General Assembly of the State of
North Carolina it underwent many
changes, especially during the
Proprietary era (1863-1729).
7 $
' &
? *
V
Originally a unicameral body, the
Assembly included two separate
houses after 1691, namely the Council
and the House of Burgesses.
The Council (the upper house)
consisted of the Governor and his
principal advisors. Membership in
the Council was a high privilege,
offered only to men of substance and
influence.
In 1665 provision was made for six
to 12 councillors to be chosen by the
Governor, but four years later it was
ordered that the councillors should
consist of the Lords Proprietors'
deputies and five other persons
elected by the Assembly.
In 1691 the five elected councillors
were omitted and the deputies alone
sat with the Governor. The ap
pointment of deputies was discon
tinued in 1724, after which tweleve
councillors were to be chosen by the
Proprietors.
Aside from major executive duties,
the Council also sat for some years as
the General Court, the Palatine's
Court, and the Court of Chancery.
The Council may be thought of as the
Council of State, State Senate,
Supreme Court, land grant office,
and probate court of its day.
With or without the Council, the
Governor held great power in the
Assembly. He could convene,
prorogue, or dissolve the legislature,
and no law could be passed without
his assent. He was the primary
representative of the Proprietors.
The chief representative of the
people was the Speaker of the lower
house, which body was called the
House of Burgesses, later the House
of Commons.
Ancestor of our present state
House of Representatives, the lower
house was elected by the qualified
voters of the province.
Early legislation defined voters as
adult freemen who had lived at least
one full year in the government and
had paid taxes for the year
preceeding an election.
Provisions were made in 1689 (and
reiterated in 1715) for elections to be
held the first Tuesday in September
every two years, with the burgesses
then elected meeting on the first
Monday in November next following.
Some evidence suggests early
assemblies were elected and con
vened at times other than those
mentioned above. Then, too, there
were times when the legitimacy of
government in North Carolina at all
levels was in doubt.
During Culpepper's Rebellion, for
example, an Assembly of
questionable legality sat at George
Durant's house in Perquimans.
Although their joint consent was
necessary for the passage of laws,
the two houses of assembly were
often in conflict. An interesting paper
from about 1703 illustrates the
character of some disputes.
The burgesses complained about a
Council order that messges be signed
by the Speaker, saying it was "an
Envading of the priviledges" of the
lower house "being Contrary to all
former practices."
They insisted their clerk was the
proper signatory. Meddling from the
upper house was not appreciated in
the lower.
(Part 2 next week.)
I
Writer takes random shots
BOOKS FOR BUCKS ? I've hit on
it! Sure. Why not? The celebrities are
doing it; why not yours truly? Bet
I've been at it a lot loqger than they
have. And I bet mine would be more
honest, for goodness' sake.
/NEW
, VIEW *
By Bartow Houston, Jr.
A Weekly Newspaper Column
. Independently distributed from
the Smokies to the Sea.
I mean, I really have been doing it
all these many, many years. I'm
talking about publishing my own
guide to physical fitness. Now, I may
not have quite the appeal of a Jane
Fonda or Victoria Principal, or even
Linda Evans, (am I just being
modest? ) but. doggone it* I know as
much ? more about physical fitness.
So, be on the lookout for the
"Bartow Houston Guide to Zestful
Living Trhough the Joys of Physical
Fitness in Just a Few Easy Lessons."
I'll probably give it a sub-title too,
but ml need time to come up with
something just as catchy as the title.
Can't wait 'til the big bucks begin to
roll in.
? o ?
STATUS SYMBOL ? Now. there's
no way I could convince anyone I'm
important. Among the reasons, and
they are many, is that I don't have
the right kind of chair. You see, when
I'm at my desk, which is seldom, my
chair could be a beat up wooden one,
or a less than level folding metal
chair, or a snitched plastic one, or
sometimes not one at all.
I mean, no class. Now, to show
those who come to your office ?
you've got to have your own office, of
course, to be really important ? that
you're somebody, I mean really
somebody, you need one of those
leather, real leather, not imitation,
mind you, chairs with high back.
Some of these babies cost a small
fortune, but the status benefits to be
derived from having others see your
executive chair make it all wor
thwhile.
No matter that your organization
could have used the money
elesewhere. The important thing is
your own sense of self-importantce.
Right? Right?
? o ?
MIDDLE INCOME? - And now I
read where I'm not even middle class
any longer. If ever I was. I mean, the
least any of us think of ourselves is
that, at the worst, we're middle1
class.
Shoot. Some of us even think a little
better of ourselves, even if our in
come dictates otherwise. But now
along comes data that tells me that
not only, income-wise, am I not
middle-middle class, but that I'm
lower-middle class, and in danger of
dropping out of that category too.
Mercy.
The middle part of the midd'e class
declined from 55 percent of the
population in 1978 to 42 percent in
1983. Disposable income fell more,
far more, for the lower one-fifth of
the population than for the upper
reaches of our society.
If misery loves company, as they
say, then I'm certainly not alone. Ah,
Mr. Reagan; are you really worried
about us lower-middle, and lower
class folks? Lordy, lordy.
? o ?
ECU NEAR THE TOP ? The
evidence is irrefutable. The ECU
football Pirates, whose '83 mark was
a very good eight and three, are in
the top four or five teams in the final
BHU (Bartow Houston's Unbiased)
poll.
You see, number one Miami
defeated the Bucs 12-7, scoring in the
last 1:04 of that game, then hung on
desperately as the Pirates came
within a heartbeat of scoring on a
pass at the end of that game.
ECU lost by one to Florida State,
who stomped you-know-who in the
Peach fiasco, and lost by seven to
Gator Bowl victor Florida. So. The
BHU poll, very wisely, ranked the
Purple and Gold in the top five.
And, of course, the Pirates were
far and away the best team in the
state. The next best team, quite
probably, would have to be Western
Carolina. After that? Randleman
High!
Looking back
21 Years Ago
By VIRGINIA WHITE TRANSEAU
HERTFORD TOWN BOARD
SIGNS 10-YEAR CONTRACT WITH
VEPCO FOR CURRENT: The
Hertford Town Board, meeting here
Monday night, approved a 10-year
contract with Virginia Electric k
Power Company.
The rate under which the town
purchases electricity for re-tale is
not changed. The old contract would
have expired in IMS, according to
Town Clerk Bobby Elliott.
FIRE DAMAGES LANDING
HOME ON SUNDAY NIGHT: The
Hertford Fire Department was
called out Sunday night at t:45 to the
horn* of Mr. and Mrs. William
Landing where a furnace explosion
did extensive damage.
The fire originated in a closet in the
home where the furnace explosion
occurred. The furnace was located in
the cloaet and the Ore spread bet
ween the walls to the attic of the
home, doing fire and smoke damage.
Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Fowler, who
have an apartment on the second
floor of the home, lost clothing stored
In a closet above the furnace.
STATE MAGAZINE FEATURES
ARTICLE BY MRS. AYDLETT:
"State Magazine's" January 4th
edition features an article entitled
"The Care of Feeding of the Crow
Hunter," written by Mrs. Jane
Ajrdlett.
Mrs. Aydlett is a member of the
English Department of Perquimans
County High School. She is married
to A. Larry Aydlett, manager of the
Perquimans County Chamber of
Commerce. The article featured In
"State Magazine" spoofs the hazards
of being married to a man who likes
to hunt crows.
PERQUIMANS PER CAPITA
INCOME ! 1,161 in 1M2: Governor
Terry Sanferd terms the report of
personal income In North Carolina
"as further proof, if any were
needed, that we must redouble our
efforts in North Csrolina to lift the
?eoaony of all sections aad an
THE
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Courthouse Square
P.O. Box 277
Hertford, N.C. 27944
Published Every Thursday
By Advance Publ., Elizabeth City
?lap* B. Williams
Monoging Editor
Pal Mansfield Cindy Leicester
Advertising Monoger Circulation Manager
Special thanks given to Cox
There are very few people in this
world that have the ability to touch
the lives of an entire community. In
Perquimans County you can consider
yourselves extremely lucky to have
one of those such people, William
Dennis "Bill" Cox.
A Chat
With Jane
By
Jane
Williams
Bill Cox has been a friend to people
in Hertford and Perquimans County
for many years. His love for the
people and the community has
stretched out into the entire area
surrounding Perquimans County.
The love of people for Bill Cox was
evident last Thursday night when
more than ISO people turned out for a
surprise banquet in honor of Bill to
show their appreciation for the many
things he has done for each of us,
either directly or indirectly in the
years he has been in Hertford.
The banquet, hosted by Henry and
Gerri Carney at the Angler's Cove,
not only gave those in attendance a
chance to say "Thank-you Bill", it
gave Bill and all of his friends an
opportunity to look over the record of
accomplishments that he has made
for this area.
Everything said about Bill was
said in total kindness. ...until Bill's
"friends" began their version of the
"Dean Martin Celebrity Roast".
The roast gave several of Bill's
friends the opportunity to poke a
little fun 'at him, and thus smear a
little mud on that perfect record of
his.
Although Governor Jim Hunt was
detained, he made sure that his talk
was delivered on time by his right
arm, Betty McCain. Hunt's talk
praised the efforts of Bill Cox not
only in Perquimans County, but
throughout the state of North
Carolina.
County Commissioner Chairman
Joe Nowell commented that through
the years he and Bill would have
discussions on things that needed
doing, and Bill would always call the
Governor. Nowell said that now when
he calls the Governor's office they
refer him to Bill Cox.
Billy White, Bill's opponent in the
last election told the crowd that it
was tough to be in the midst of a
campaign when you couldn't find
anything bad to say about your op
ponent.
Douglas Umphlett of Hertford
Motor Co. appeared briefly at the
banquet "in drag" to give her special
remarks on the kind of man Bill Cox
is. Umphlett looked ravishing all
decked out in screaming pink
The evening would not have been
complete without closing remarks
from the guest of honor, who as
always, humbled himself and told the
crowd that any accomplishments
that he might have made was due to
the support from each one of those
present.
Bill Cox is a humble man, a good
man and a natural born leader. What
he has done has been for the good of
the community that he loves, not for
any personal gain or satisfaction.
We'd like to take this opportunity to
say, "Thank-you Bill Cox for being
our friend."
Letters to the Editor
Thank-you
Editor
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
In every person's life there are
always many things and events that
stand out. We measure our lives by
things that happen. Thursday,
January 12, 1984, will be a day that I
will never forget. Having been in
vited to celebrate the anniversary of
two of my closest friends, Henry and
Gerri Carney, I arrived at their place
of business, The Angler's Cove, to
find that many of my friends had
planned a surprise party in my
honor.
I was so surprised that words failed
me, this doesn't happen very often.
I found the room full of friends and
family. My friends not only surprised
me, but had prepared a. delicious
meal, a slide program of some of the
events in my life, presented me with
several nice gifts, and made me feel
like "King For A Day."
In answer to my question, "Who
did all this?" I was told "that your
Maids did."I have not been able to
Hod out from anyone just who was
involved.
Thank you friends. I would like to
know what part each at you had in
this great day in m y life. You gave
important part in my life, and you
are responsible (or any success that I
have had.
My wife and family have been very
supportive and helpful; without their
help I could not have accomplished
anything of importance.
I have not found the right words to
say "Thank You", but this is just to
let each of you know that my family
and I appreciate this very great night
in our lives made possible by you, my
very dear friends.
With great appreciation.
Bill Cox
Salute to Jaycees
Editor,
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volunteerism U on the rise! A
group of young men in our com
munity who are a vital service
organisation still believe in the
philosophy that service to humanity
is the best work of life.
With economic conditions
becoming more strained, our country
needs volunteers now more than
ever.
The local Jaycettes would like to
say thank you to the local Jayeees
during U. S. Jaycee Week. January
15-21. This dynamic group of men has
been active in Hertford for more than
ten years.
Major projects that the
organization has completed s*]H the
4th of July fireworks, bloodmobiles,
Christmas parade, selling jelly for
the Burn Center, community
calendars, the Senior Citizens Party,
and helping with Christmas for a
needy family.
We, the Perquimans County
Jaycettes proudly hail our Jaycees
for the many accomplishments they
have contributed to our community.
Kay Winslow
Perquimans County
Jaycette President
Letters
The PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
welcomes the -opinion of its
readers. We print letters to the
editor on subjects of local, slate,
national and international in
terest.
Letters should be limited to 300
330 words and should include the
name, address and telephone
number of the writer. Only the
name and address will be
published with the letter.
The subject matter should be of
interest to t he community, not a
personal gripe. Letters may be
edited by oar news staff for
clarity and space limitations.
Mall letters to: The
Perquimans Weekly, P.O. Box
2T7, Hertford, N.C. 2TH4, or drop
them off at our offices at Cour
thouse Square.