Communicate"
5.
FOK THE FKEK l'KKS.
776- Sta Constitution.
No. 4.
ll.vin-in. ho l.st two number, cnclcav
red to present as concisely as possible
ihe oir Mons that h ive been urg.d a
,int ihe existing organization ot the l
viuuvc department of our Stale govern
7,inni, and briefly adverted to the prac
tical advantages that might result as well
from a reduction of the mzn of the Legis
lature, as from a change in the basis upon
which it should be constituted, in accor
dance with the plan I proposed at the
commencement of these papers, I now
proceed to notice some other points con
nected with J his great question.
Among the reforms that have been
pressed with so much earnestness upon
the public attention, there is probably not
one upon which there has been a greater
unanimity of opinion, than in regard to
the propriety of abolishing borough rep
resentation. Under the present 'Consti
tution, seven towns in the State, the ag
gregate amount ot whose qualified voters
cannot exceed 1500, are entitled each to
one member in the House of Commons,
being an average of one representative;
lor every 214 voters. The annual ex
penc thus incurred amounts to $1243
taking i ln estimates of the last year as
the bais of -he calculation. The amount
in itself is certainly unimportunt; but it is
just so much p .i i t from the coffers of the
State, in violation, it is alleged, of the
rights 'if others. Doubtless the provis
ion in the Constitution, which confers
upon these borough towns the right of
representation, was predicated upon the
supposition, that they possessed, or in
the lapse of time, would possess, a sepa
rate and distinct interest. But that ex
perience, has warranted such a principle,
do one, 1 presume, will affirm. Perhaps
the unalterable decrees of Providence
have forbid that any distinct commercial
interest should grow up in North Caroli
na; .mil until the obstacles which have
heretofore impeded- our advancement
shall have been countervailed, no satis
factory reason can be given for the con
tinuance of a public burden from which
the State derives no adequate advantage.
Nor can it be regarded as a very impor
tant privilege to those towns that are thus
represented. To most of them it has
proved a grievous curse, and nothing is
hazarded in the assertion that more feuds
and broils have grown out of contested
elections in the borough towns than in all
the counties combined.
It has also been proposed to place the
election of the Governor in the hands of
the people. Under the mode by which
he is chosen at present, that, is by the Le
gislature, the county of Edgecombe
which contains 1G00 qualified voters has
do more influence in his election, than
the ( ounty of Haywood which contains
but 550. But independently of the glar
ing inequality which this statement ex
hibits, a more substantial objection is to
be found in the practical evil that the
present mode induces. In all free, con
stitutional governments it has been con
sidered a settled axiom, that their several
departments should be kept separate and
distinct. This is necessary to ensure in
dependent action among the co-ordinate
brant lies of the government. In practice
ou Governor is in a stteof perpetual
dependence upon the Legislature. From
tin? body he derives his official existence,
and to it he is indebted for the means by
which he is enabled to maintain the dig.
uily of his station. Custom has affixed
something like disgrace to a failure to be
re elected. Hence to ensure that object,
the bold and fearless independence which
should characterize the Chief Magistrate
of a sovereign State must frequently be
compromised, and the first Executive
officer of the State sinks into the pliant
tool of the Legislature. Let the people
elect tlu; Governor, and thus make him
independent of the Legislature and thi
evil will be obviated. Another advan
tagc, by no means inconsiderable, would
be gained by removing his election from
the Legislature, m ukiug away so fruit
lul a source of discord and contention.
One at all familiar with the mode of con
ducting elections in our Legislature, and
their results, need not be told how the
harmony of its councils is distracted by
the frequent recurrence of these contests.
Besides the Governor, being the chief
Executive officer of the Stale, should be
in fact, as he was intended to be in theory,
the' immediate representative of the sove
reign power, and directly responsible to it.
In this way he can best execute its high
behests and act more efficiently as a
check upon the Legislature.
The propriety of excluding free ne
groes from the polls is so palpable, that
it is needless to do more than state that
this is one of the objects proposed.
The 52nd article of the Constitution
provides that all w ho may deny the truth
of the Protestant religion shall be exclu
ded from all ofiices of profit or trust in
the State. In these days of universal
enlightenment, when the mists of bigotry
and intolerance arc so rapidly being dis
sipated, even in tin; governments of the
old world, it is scarcely necessary to in
sist upon the erasure of so odious a re
striction. It is a relic of a barbarous
agi inconsistent with the great princi
ples of religious freedom that caused our
pilgrim fathers to seek a home in the
Western world, and incompatible with
the bill of rights, which declares that all
men have the natural and unalienable
right to worship God according to the
dictates of their own consciences. Reli
gion should ben matter between a man's
conscience and his Maker; and in a coun
try professing to be free;, it is absurd to
prescribe the acknowledgment of any
particular religious creed as a qualifica
tion for civil office.
ARISTIDES.
ra3iS
turn
lLP
FRIDAY, OCTOISKIl 10, 1S31.
(fyin consequence of the indisposition of the
Kditor and his assistant no paper was issued
from this office the past week.
Xt'to Hank. We learn that the following
enilemen have heen appointed llv Hoard of
Directors of the lhauch at this place: Richard
Henry Lewis, Spencer D. Cotten, Ely Porter,
Wilhs Wilkins and Dempsey Bryan and that
Richard Henry Lewis has heen chosen Presi
dent, and Peter P. Lawrence, Cashier Clerk
not yet appointed. It is expected that this
Branch will go into operation early in the ensu
ing month.
The Newbern Sentinel states that the follow
ing gentlemen compoe the Board of Directors
of the Branch established at that place: Asa
Jones, John K. Uonnel, John it. Uryan, Konert
Primrose and William Hollister and that Asa
Jones has heen chosen President, John M. Rob
erts, Cashier, and Frederick J. Jones, Teller
and Clerk.
The essay contains much sound doc
trine, well sustained by reasoning; but, a
we are pressed for room, and as the doc
trines inculcated in it are generally ad
mitted where our paper circulates most
extensively, we shall give only the open
ing and concluding paragraphs.
New Cotton. The Fayelteville Ob
server of the 23d tilt, says: About 12 ot
15 bales of new Cotton have been receiv
ed, the quality only fair. A load of 7
bales, rood qaulity, of the crop of Gen.
Dockcry of Richmond county, was
bought by Mr. O. P. Stark on Thursday
last, at I02. Last year's crop will com
mand from 11 to 12) cts. per lb.
The last Freshet. Whn a month,
we have had the two most severe Fresh
ets ever known in this section of country.
The last, which occurred on Sunday week,
is said to have done greater injury in ma
ny places than the first. The Stages
have hardly yet resumed (heir wonted
regularity, and the wonder is, how they
can get along at all, with the roads in so
disordered a condition. The passengers
in the Stage from the North, on the night
after the late Fresh, came very near los
ing their lives at Crab Tree Creek, in this
vicinity, a stream which, in ordinary
times, may be easily waded... Ral. Reg.
Nnc Paper. We arc informed that
a new Paper, friendly to the views of the
Administration, is speedily to be estab
lished in this City under the, Editorial
control of Col. Philo White, former Pro
prietor of the W estern Carolinian, but
more recently an Agent of the General
Government abroad. The Editor is a
practical printer withal, and from his
past experience, will, we have no doubt,
bating its politics, publish an interesting
paper. ib.
(fUVe observe with pleasure that several of
the prominent journals of this State have taken
favorable notice of the opinions of our corres
pondent " Aristides," on the subject of the State
Constitution. The Raleigh Register republishes
the articles in question, and the Salisbury Caro
linian gives copious extracts, accompanied with
the following complimentary remarks:
A good sign from the Fast. The
"Tarborough Free Press," of the 12th
instant, contains a well-written essay iti
favor of Constitutional Reform. This is
most cheering, as it emanates from a sec
tion of the State that has hitherto most
strenuously opposed all change. The
writer promises a series of essays on the
subject. The object of the first one is to
prove that a Convention may be limited,
and thus to relieve the apprehensions of
those who oppose the meeting of such a
body, lest it might destroy all that is val
uable, as well as all that is faulty, in our
present Constitution.
We hail this sign as the harbinger of
success to the friends of Reform, and of
fuiure unanimity and good feeling bc
iwp.cn different sections of our native
State.
Our State Capitol. Wc Icarn that
Col. Bragg who was appotuted Superin
tendant, vice William S. Drummond,
Fsq. removed, has himself been notified
that the Commissioners will not need his
services ufter the 9lh of October ensu
ing. We learn further, that it is the in
tention of the Board to abolish altoget
her, the office of Superintendant, from
a belief that the public work can be
carried on with equal rapidity, and great
er economy, without one. ib.
Valuable Land. A gentleman, we
understand, recently sold a tract of land
in Hyde county, lying on Mattamuskeet
lake, divided into lots, as follows: One
lot of 45 acre's, at CO dollars per acre
2700; one of 120 acres, at 50 dollars per
acre $6000; and one of 190 acres at 30
dollars per acre 5700; making, for
355 acres, the handsome sum of 14,400
dollars! The land was raised to this
value by being well drained by a canal.
Contiguous to it, lies a considerable
quantity of unimproved land, of equal
fertility, and possessing equal natural ad
vantages in every other respect, which, in
consequence of its liability to overflow
tor want ot canals, would not command
10 dollars per acre. Here are facts
which show the great value of the swamp
and marshy lands in the lower counties,
and demonstrate the importance and
practicability of having them drained.
The value of the land above alluded to
was actually enhanced, by this means, to
the amount of 300 to 500 per cent. The
State owns immense bodies of this land;
and it is believed that there is no enter
prize in which she could engage, which
would so readily and certainly enrich her
treasury, as the reclaiming this part of
her territory. Besides the immediate
return from the sale of the public land,
that of private individuals would be so
improved as to yield vastly more in taxes,
and to check the tide of emigration which
is now so rapidly draining the State of
its most valuable and public spirited citi
zens. Hal. Star.
dollars' pass every where as half eale
It is a kind of inspection, yet we think
nay finally make trouble, as those picTfcs
nay be counterfeited without incurrin,,
the same penalty which is attached to
eountcrfeiting the National Coin, or in
fact, any penalty at all.
N. Y. Jour, of Comt
Frauds upon the Government. The
Staunton Spectator states that ihirty-sev-en
bills of indictment were found against
persons for forgery, at the late session of
the Federal Court at Clarksburg, Va
The offenders were all connected wjtjj
frauds under the pension law.
State of the Treasury. The Globe of
the 24th ult. says, "Wo take much pleas,
ore in communicating the important fact
that the importations of specie into ew
York and New Orleans alone, during ouo
week, by recent returns at the Treasury
appear to have exceeded one million uf
dollars," much of which, the Globo addy,
is in gold. From the same paper vy
also learn that in addition to the revenue
received the first half of the year, and of
which we have formerly given the partic
ulars, the amount received in t he two
months which have elapsed of the last
half of the year, is said to equal, if not ex
ceed, the estimates made by the Secre
tary of the Treasury in his annual report,
and that the residue of all our once vast
national debt is now rapidly paying off,
and can all be discharged, as soon a
presented, without the least inconven
ience or embarrassment."
Washington, Sept. 30. The Presi
dent has returned home this Evening, in,
good health. Globe.
Fredericksburg. Sept. 26. We men
tioned, in our last, that Mr. Wm. S. Ar
cher, of the House of .Representatives,
had made an assault, on Friday, with a
cane, upon the senior editor of the En
quirer. We have since learnt that a
short time afterwards the son of Mr
Ritchie attacked Mr. Archer, and a ren
centre ensued. We feel authorised, from
the publicity which the affair has attained,
to stale that Mr. Archer and young Mr.
Ritchie, attended by their respective
friends, passed thro' town, this week, on
their way to the District, for the purpose
of settling their differences by a ducU
Arena.
The Petersburg Intelligencer, which
came to hand after the foregoing was irx
type, says,
"We take great pleasure in informing
our readers, upon authority to be relied
on, that the unfortunate difference be-
tween Mr. Archer and Mr. Ritchie (the
son of the senior editor of the Enquirer
has been happily adjusted."
North Carolina Gold Coin. The
Carolinians have contrived to put their
Gold into a shape to pass bj, tale. Sev
eral skilful essayists have established
themselves in the gold regions, and have
acquired so much reputation for accuracy,
that their pieces of gold marked "five
CTThe Washington (Georgia) Newsi
of the 13th ult. contains the following
melancholy intelligence:
"A great man has fallen in Israel.19
It is our melancholy duty to announce
the death of the Hon. WILLIAM IL
CRAWFORD, lie expired on the mor
ning of the 15lh inst., within eight miles?
of Elberton, whither he was going to
hold his semi-annual court. He was ta
ken violently with the bilious cholic, and
died the day after he was attacked.
Georgia has lost her distinguished son,
and our country one of its most promi
nent citizens. His Joss will be deeply
felt, and his death profoundly regretted.
Cholera. The report of the Board of
Health of Savannah of the 24th Sept.
states that no case of Cholera had appear
ed in that place for three successive days,
and only one in the last six. The dis
ease had assumed a milder form on the
plantations; but on some plantations it
has been known to subside, and even
disappear for a few days altogether, and
then return with increased violence. Be
tween six and seven hundred have al
ready fallen victims to it on about 15
plantations. Not more than five or six
cases had occurred at Augusta.
In New York, the disease has so far
subsided, that the Board of Health has
discontinued its reports. The last men
tioned only five deaths.
In Philadelphia there have recently