The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1851-01-21
INDIANAPOLIS CORRESPONDS
INDIANAPoLIs, Jan. IA, 1851.

doings Of the Peoples Representatives
Whether they will be worthy ofihe attention
of your readers or, not OF course you will
.judge.-The Constitutional Convention has
Tor the last ten daysor more had under con-
sideration ,lie subject OF Banks and Banking,
and appear 10 be now as far from decision
of the questions involved as when the dis
cussion CONNIE nced. There are three dis.
linct parties in the Convention on the subject
OF Banks and Banking, viz: the No Bank
party, the Free Bank party, and the State
Bank party. Neither Of these parties can
command majority Of the votes OF the Con
ventlon, and the consequence is that when
proposition 10 prohibit al banks is introduced,
the Free Bank and the State Bank men unite,
aud vote it down; when a system Of Free
Banking is proposed. the No Bank and State
Bank parties combine and reject it, and when
the friends Of the State Bank system propose
their iavoriie plan, it is, by union OF the
other two parties consigned to the same Fate
Ii has long been evident that Rsthing can DE
done without compromise, and much time
has been unnecessarily wastedin the discus
sion of the subject. Common sense would
seem to dictate that the whole subject ought
to be referred TO a committee, and as neither
of the Bank parties can engrlft lis principle
upon the constitution, TO the exclusion OF the
Others, plan might re agreed upon and re-
ported Which would allow the Legislature TO
incor poraie Free Banks as well as a State
Bank. and then time would test the merits
and dement's of both systems. Or the ques-
tion might be disposed oil by Incorporating in
the Constitution such restrictions ON banking
as the public good may seem TO require with
out providing for any system or. systems OF
banking in theConstilnion. II heConvention
had al tire start adopted this plan. of leaving
matters of ordinary legislation to the General
Assembly, much time that has been wasted
might have been employed in performing the
duties for which the Convention was coil
vened. The Legislature has hitherto proved
itself competent TO protect both the married
as veil as the single women within her bor-
ders. and there would seem TO be no necessity
now to assign to the former distinct section
or article in the Constitution. The same may
be said of the homestead exemption principles
ami tie negro exclusion doctrine. If it was
doubted before, il is row quite manifest that
the Legislature made grand mistake in pro-
vlding that the Convention should consist oil
one huadred and fifty members. Fifty or
sevenry-fve members would have nude a
better Constitution, in less time, and at lar
less expense to The State The ordinary an
nual expenses Of the executive, legislative
aud judicial branches of the State Govern
ment are about $50. O00 whereas it is estima-
ted that this Convention alone wilI;eost tho
\ State from 500 600 to $4,000 Bss.des,
the Convention, as now CONSTITUTED is almost
wholly dessituie Of that dignity. order: and
calm delberatio1, which should characterize
a body met 10 deliberate on so grave a mat
ter Us that of forming a Constitution Tor a
sovereign State. Indeed the Convention will
not, in any of these respects. compare favor
ably with either brunch Of the present Gene
raj Assembly.
One great and radical change has already
been adopted by the Convention, almost NTH
out discussion. | allude TO the provision al
lowing persons who are not citizens of the
United States to vote, after declaring their in
tention to become citizens and after residing
one year in the United States and six months
in this State. Ii may well be doubted wheth-
er the foreign population themselves desifed
this change. Those of them who have be-
will be ap; to think it is making the elective
, franchise TOO cheap. Be this as it may, if the
term OF probation of foreigners ough: to be
shortened, ought or not the term Of proba-
. ton of our own young men be shortened al
so7 II a Mexican is qualified TO vote after
one years residence in the United States and
six months residence la this State. by simply
declaring his intention TO become n citizen
is it not fair 10 presume that Hoosier boys al
The age OF eighteen or niieteea are equally
chise! And IT there is any peculiar virtue
in declaration OF Intention. our own young
men might be required 10 declare heir ia
, tentioa 10 become trenty-one years Of age
Under the present Constitution the sovereign
power of The State is in the hands of the cit
liens of the State. and can any sufer dcpos
itory be found for il Native Americanisn
:. is one extreme and the Convestiea la:
? found out and adopted The other.
You have doubtless before now learned
!, that Mr.. Bright Was elected TO the Senate o.
the United States DIR. Noisinver of Parkt