As a consequence of the provisions of the North Carolina constitution, in 1830 the voting population of eastern North Carolina (consisting exclusively of men with property) made up less than 10 percent of the total white population. Yet this 10 percent elected the majority of legislators for the entire state. The legislators they chose tended to represent their interests—a wealthy aristocratic few. These undemocratic lawmakers, as we have learned, had little interest in developing roads, schools or services for the “common peasants” of North Carolina.
As frustrations mounted between the well-represented eastern populace and the poorly regarded western populace (déjà vu), the push for legislative dominance became a flat-out political war. The following example illustrates the shenanigans.
By 1835, the western population (west of Raleigh) outnumbered the eastern. To counter this dilemma, eastern politicians not only discouraged the creation of western counties but also began splitting their counties in half to ensure that eastern delegates would outnumber the west (this explains why North Carolina contains many smaller eastern counties to this day). Western advocates countered with an ingratiating scheme of their own—offering to name their proposed counties after eastern leaders, hoping the honorees would take the bait. (Ashe, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Haywood, Iredell and Macon Counties were all named in this groveling fashion.)
It all reached a boil when western delegates finally succeeded in pushing through a bill calling for constitutional reform. The ensuing Constitutional Convention sought to address east-west factions that had dominated (and inhibited) North Carolina for over one hundred years. Cutting to the chase, among other amendments, the 1835 convention managed to establish the membership of the Senate and House at 50 and 120 members, respectively; the governor was now to be elected by the populace (rather than the eastern legislature); and Catholics were no longer considered unfit for public service (good luck getting elected). Unlike the original state constitution, the amendments were subjected to a public vote, which passed only with the help of a large western populace. As to be expected, voters from western counties voted “yes” and voters from eastern counties voted “no”—and for once, population numbers mattered.
The resulting changes led to the first western-led legislature in NC history. It would dominate political decisions for the next fifteen years, bringing road improvements, railroads, public schools, state banks and a general sense of bustling industry to a neglected western North Carolina.