Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1842-08-06
the fnrmerly prescribed limits 81

IhJHl9tdTa.
These are all the amendments the iegisla
lure Of ls4l conceived requisite ftom past e8
Periencc. They may have been right, or the,
may have been wrong it is not for rs, or an,
j othef lndividul to say but, if we feposc conf
dencs In q decision made by nm overwhelmipt
majority Of the people, We must acknowledge
that Legislature correct. Had the people con
~Asidered the amendments proposed too litnltet
her too extensiye-tiat more, OF less. was re.
auifed~-we uinst believe. they would. In con.
forfhity with the injuncttans nj the Consfitu
ton, have ~felecied the legislative act before
them, and haFe given Instructions 10 a future
legislature, as 10 the naturesand extent Of the
amendments desired. This they have no,
done the law has received fhe sanction Of
their voice, md waits only their fral Judgment
to be invested with more thar, the ordinary
%sanctitv Of law.
but that final, OF second decision. seems i'm.
perfectly understood by our correspondent
and by many others 1t is supposed ION what
grounds WI can hardly deterrnine), that the
second vote Of the peopl Is To be taken on a
Seeo d legislative act, which act will confer
on inc 1"nYc iron plen Try pawers. fcr'es,
mere Is nothing in the Con ,~titntipn # T%.ouisi-
ana 10 warrant this snrpesii5nn, The second
net OF the legislature viii have this 6 head and
front and no other, viz 10 announce to the
people. "hy authority" that y majority have
voted for a convention, aud that The vote Of
SAID majority ntfist We affirmed or annullad At
The next general elections.
II asked the reasons for this duplicate vote
why the people should be required to de-
eide twice on one subject 1-<,llf answer il,
sHct % tie nil If the c1asttuttoa. The franz
ers ofas,ai Instrument, auare ofthe versatility
Of the mas*, when i~tnpelled by excitement or
operated on BY novelty, awtsely resolved TO
give pertnanencs and stability 10 their works,
by rendering chances 50 slow 10 effect that the
most ample time for reflection should be AL
lowed. like Van Buren,, they were parilsans
OF t1e sober second thoughts" and IN q case
ri such weight, they considered II Of the first
Importance Tint no partial motive or gtitteripe
error should influence the peoples decisions.
Hence they determined that tho first should be
corroborated by a subsequent vote, before d |
convention for amending the constitution
could be called, The time thus allotted, from
The Passage OF the act specifying the ~"aiter.
atoms Intended to the mect1ns of the conycu-
non, Is sixyears, VIZ from 1871 10 ts47. And
whosshatl say That The period is too long, or
that the uodus ogeranM for amending the con.
stltutiob Is lamely conceived or awkwaralv |
expressed II comes down 10 rs sach as We
Ind il, sanctioned BY the voice Of The peoples
he convention which drafted that instrument
vas piehary It's powers were deriyed ifnme-
ilatelg from the people, ami it, work received
he peoples appreciation.
There AZ much III The Constitution # Loui-
'tana TO admire; many deep-drawn lines of
elevated wisdom and strong Judgment; and
me of the most admirable ARTICLES in@the
Whole instrutnentis the 7tf, designating clear
y and distinctly the methoakhy which future
generations may change the construction Of
he1re political edihce, beginning at its very
'ase, without oyerturning and DESTROYING the
'nttre fabric. This article is the written voice
one generation 10 its posterity. Through
we hold conference and counsel with our
those who have retired. or arc
asst retiring from the busy scenes Of life. In
his they give us taeit infintalion Of the dam
Of party leglsiationj Of the horrors OF poll
lca1 confusion, anarchy and revolution. They
TODD upon the threshold Of times which de-
aenstratcd in characters Of blood the innpor-
ance Of these reflections and deeply IMPRESS
d with what they had seen and heard. they
to their children a guiding law,
Inch they well knew. if carefully and reli-
lousiy observed, would preserve them from
aose horrible scenes, through which they
had passed
The position of our correspondent, that the
invention, when assembled, will Took To the
LIST act Of the legislature Chat which declares
convention 10 have been called for BY the
as the charter Of their powers, is un-
Imported by the letter or spirit Of the consfi-
Itton, or by h has already transpired, and
lnst, we Think be the consequence Of some
fusion TO which he ii Subject! For example.
cannot be denied thai the voters of Louisi-
NJ. IN rntInD {pr ~ u,yxfnst a /
July last. voted fer or against certain spe-
-hc alterations proposed to be operated in
If present constitution. Now, does the con-
tuition give MS TO understand that at the nexl
ection We shall vote for different or addition :
amendments! No:-are not these all that
legislature deemed necessary Yes. Have
Ut the people, through the constitution, given
e Legislature the authority TO decide what IS {
IN this case and what's Botf Ger t
they have and the voice Of the iegis- {
ture is here the voice of the maiority-oft
e peopfe-as much So as If the latter by one q
reclamation had shouted forth :
cir high and indomitabfe will. ,
1t may be said that the present generation {
lnnat be bound by the laws Of generations :
IVY gone from the stage of action. Ncr d
we contend that present generations are G
'uHd flrtbertlian they assent to said laws. I
he people of Louisiana, at the elections Of
t1y. sofeInnly sssented to tia. clause in tire
institution through which our fathers advised q
e pacific amendment of that instrument.
ne sons have made the act Of their fathers r
own ; they have adopted it, and cannot,
by a terrible convuIsion, now cast il aside. {
IN future, they do not coincide with the se- t
stature in the proposed amendments, thev e
tst reject the n in 1914, and Immediately a- a
r require tbs passage Of a new Law, seiting )
rth the notifications desired. But il, attna,
the present law again receives r.
notion of the people, it will 20 before ne
INVENTION when that body assemblies. ct shed ;
the two-fold expression of the pc sa.e's re-
I've, thatsIt. and it alone, shall be # cir guide :
action and their subject TO act open. Let !.
en- neglect any suggestion th erein found, !
ID they neglect their sworn Glausy; let them
ISIS by one hair the limit ~t'.erein laid down.
id they are no more a cony ension-thev hsye
longer a chart or cor pass from the pso- :
e to guide them. and III their acts mnst fall 6
'gatory and ssitI-born to Inc earth. :
But we are raki..g cur remarks too lengthy ! !
WIN he,e t-ave the subject for the pre- :
nj. IA future, we should find occasion to !
VeFt 70 1t, II will be TO offer illustrations of :
huer iaeapacitv of the convention to stray :
ofp the law IN question. without grossly vie- 8
Ing the will Of the people. !:
Rack OF PTsafEs--At a meeting of the Geo !.
Society in London, recently, tie /.
iairn3an stated some interesting facts 90 a :