The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-08-21
Constitutional Reform.

Last week we gave some details Oh the opJee'e vi
the Constitutional Reformers, who met In mass meet
ing in the Tabernacle in this CITY, but Mr. Holman,
the President of the State Association, IN letter
addressed TO its Corresponding Secretary, goes SO
fully into the subject that we induced to publish
some extracts from his letter, that the object sought
to be accomplished may be thoroughly understood.
This movement is one of vast Importance, intimate
" affecting all our citizens and our form Of govern
ment. and therefore we give without apology the
extracts which follow. Alter some Introductory
observations, he says;-
The whole rigbtful sovereign power of government
extends and is limited to the making and executing of all
necessary rules general and impartial plain ntell
BILE ALL which in their tend and are honestly
signed 10 every individual his equal natural
rights against all fraud, Injustice oppres
to industry the products ofs tolls to all men their proper
ther personal security their liberty the free
dom OF opinion and speech and the pursuit efher happi
ness by all ways and means not injurious the equal
tura rights of Others These, the government must
cure; it cannot do By the laws of nature the
suons OF the country aud the established general udg
all rghtiul egn power. BY fatal and resistless
necessity they pom sibe God and all the
ment their errorshe crimes OF their
crimes-and both visited upon them in their whole
force of misery and nfamy 10 the form OF their govern
ment therefore all the Just Of government which
from their nature admit Of it, should BE- exercised by the
lie directly and in the mode best calculated to enable
them to form the most ct opinion and express 1t in
the distinct They should del. ate pow
except from proveabe necessity, and then only TO
agents chosen by themselves practicable and
limited by clear and definite rules to the line of their duty
and made responsible possbie.o the people, In all
cases from the nature
of the subject be grievous and injury
the people, their right and duty euge the judgments
OF III servants before they are executed should be Sc
cured and at short and stated periods the people should
in solemn and deliberate manner, sit in Judgment all
the acts of their to approve. condemn reform
and improve. only by such government, for such
ends constituted aud administered, that free people
acqut their consciences to God and discharge their
d uties To humanity
Is constitution judged by its letter but by the
practical workings OF delegated power it, such
Dug to bet brief statement OF some oil the results
| &C heved by delegated power will best answer.
1t has attempted by law that wealth and
fort which well directed skiiul industry alone ere.
ate and secure; and in period OF profound unin
errupted health and extended commerce, has produc
ed only debts, deficits and misery. BY debts it woalf
make all and pay all; and by debts it has produced
debtor State debtor cities debtor counties and viii
lagos with severe and increasing, direct
and indirect avoid the losses miseries and amy in
seperable from social bankruptcy. Although the state
debt has been sweed eight millions and
the interest it, and the current of the State
from all sources forcing direct stion cannot
o' useless offices retrench expenditures; and while
only one OF oil its works will pay its current expenses
threatens to add millions to debt aud taxation
plee works begun surveyed and approved In the pecu
mary disresses OF the State has made free and dapg
use OF the common school, literature, and deposIte
funds devoted to education; and in the growing
of its profigacy eager them
1t has renqushed without confederation to comps-
ny VIGOROUSLY fraudulent bankrupt three millions,
which delegated and the had both repeat
edy to the people to be safe and ADEQUATE
ry for the amount at rewardng the trescherous
ssehood of the past and vtng perfdy in the future
nearly two ions OF like securities against the compa-
ny. II has created banking systems without personal
sponsbilIty the part of the banker with power is
paper money largely tn be made out of nothing with
nothing to redeem it forcing all coins from circulaon
afordng currency the most unstable-at time
pandng into vast abundance, exciting the reckless
speculation then rotten and suspended exhibiting the
most demeralizng spectacle of universal swindng FAC
cordIng 70 law"and contracted to circulating tor
men, and when the pay the interest the
State debt had not been provided and its credit rapid
sinking i was found that delegated power had made
the State debtor to the banking institutions for than
five millions OF dollars, of which two millions
due-thus oblging them to the amount Of these mil
to turn their acommunty made debtor by
the false pretences of Legislative credit system watch
ed and nursed these stems through the bankrupt failure
OF 10 safety fund and 26 free bank witnessing
their robberes Of the public money and their frauds
the community but when strongly urged by the public
voice, has as yet, weak wicked, been unable to i'm
pose on the banker that individual responsibility which
unfnchingly imposes all engaged productive in
dustry has filed numbered ana disfgured the staut,
books with charters and grants of special privileges
false In theory and rerncious in practice whereby the
favored few are enabled to live without labor on the
faithful and able officers Of government has multiplied
officers maintained perquses and salaries high rates
after year collected at the capitol in the
ofthe legislative session, host of applicansft means
to corrupt the legislature for office and place by
personal solicitation, tending to establish sale and
chase OF Offices By the forms of the constitution the L.
gature partakes p and exercises the highest Judicial
i
constitutional and binding. The time which ought to be
devoted to reforming and periectng the law and judicial
administration distracted by attention to appointments
and employed in hearing and deciding causes By multi
arious contradictory hasy undigesed statutes and IRE
ported cases, doubted distinguished explained, and
ruled" the whole body OF the law is rendered deformeJ
dark doubtful and uncertain. Like insolvent parr.
eide delegated power has destroyed the constitution
which gave existence by the force Of its aggregated
precedents made in contraven,on of that constitution
and hen is asked to propose Tor the adoption Of the
people. amendment to limit its debt and
here has del rahIv heen
tissue OF folly and crime refuses even to it
The People must therefore, reconstruct the edifce
freedom and safety and convention to amend the Con
s'ituton appears to the best and only practicable
means of performing this great and sacred duty.
To what should the reformation exend7 To all ascer
taned abuses As without strong and adequate
TO the rights OF property there be neither
comfort, iuli and fair development intel
ecual and moral man, the end and object of being
and as in our and every and country, the
vice OF d-lee ated power has been manifested corrupt
desire enable without labor to live on the lsbo,
and property Of others-the reform should especially be
directed to furnish and strong securities the
rights of labor ard property against thu ions and
special grants of power. The reform should be broad
solid and LIBERAL and proceed to state some the prn
cipal subjects.
It must retrench expenditure reform useless Offices
and make the revenues equal in snort and reasonable
period to the pay OF the whole of the public deut
secure That from destruct diversion by thu
legislative power and make that the people
shall be freed from debt and taxation for it.
q It mast limit the Legislative power debt and ex
as sringenty at least as proposed in the PEG
ples resolution, contained in the memorial Of the
mocracy Of HerAimer county to the last legislature En-
cept to suppress insurrecon repei INVASION del
should be without the direct deliberate
| OF the voter.
II must secure the Common School, Literature Dep
n other destructio
by the Legislative power.
a 1t must make all bankers issuing paper money ndiv
"a 1usy responsible for all demands against them, the
corporations associations and them from des
ID ing in fany kind and especially in the stocks
10 the State.
nf II fix safe and certain limits the powers of
municipal bodies TO debts and burt hens tho
II residing owning property within their taxing powe
e and on all corporations TO create debts.
. II the citizen against special Legislation
and the grant OF exclusive privileges whereby the favo
ed few authorized by law to devour the and
Il all he way ana known experience oLge deli
gated in its legislation TO that Law Of
III