The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-08-19
MASSACHUSETTS, CONVENTION.


correspondence OIIle ~ y. JrlDune.
BOSTON, Tuesday, August 9, 1854.
The Constitutional Convention closed i
labors at 2 o'clock this morning, after
session of 80 days. Several very importat
changes have been made in the fundament,
laws of the Old Commonwealth by the Cor
vention. Some of the changes are improve
ments, others are the reverse. The tw
questions which occupied the greatest shar
of time were the plurality and the basis O
the House of Representatives, neither o
which have been determined quite satisfac
torily.
The old system of town representation ha
been adhered to with slight modification
The House of Representatives will not b,
diminished in numbers under the new con
sttuton. 1t Will consist of about 400 mem
bers, which is too large by at least one-haf
The right ofrepresentation is an old right o
the towns, and they cling to it with death
like pertinacity. The friends of the district
system fought long and well for House
based upon population of convenient size, and
chosen in single districts but they were voted
down. However, toward the close of the
Session, General Wilson came forward with
proposition to have the Legislature of 1856
perfect scheme of district representation
based upon legal voters, which was adopted,
and forms part of the new Constitution
The Senate has been materially changed
Instead of being elected by counties based
upon population as heretofore, the State is to
be carved into 40 single Senatorial Districts
for the election of Senators, each District to
be based on population. This amendment
passed with great unanimity. The Senators
are to b.. elected on the plurality system.
The Governors Council, consisting of
eight members, are to be chosen in single
Districts by the people, instead of by the
Legislature as heretofore. A strong effort
was made to abolish the Council altogether,
but it failed of success.
Nearly al! the officers are made elective
by the people, instead of by appointment as
in the present Constitutions; these include
Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor and
Attorney General by the State at large,
annually; and District Attorneys, Sheriffs
Judges, Registers of Probate, and Clerks of
Courts, &C., every three years in the several
Counties and Districts. Trial Justices are
to be elected by the towns & cities. Justices
of the Peace and Judges Of the higher Courts
are to be appointed as hitherto by the Cover
nor and Council. The Judges of the Supreme
and Common Pleas Courts are to hold their
offices for ten years, and not during good
behavior us under the present Constitution
This provision, however, does not apply to
the Judges now in oflice-they hold on for
life tenure. A strong effort was made to have
the Judicial officers made elective by the
people for a seven-years term, but it failed by
a hundred majority.
In the present Constitution tax qualifica-
ton is demanded of voter. This the Con-
vcnton very properly struck out. The quail
fications now are, citizenship, one years
residence in the State, and in the town or
city six months. No distinction is made in
regard to color or condition. With the ex-
ception of the tax qualification, there has
been no change made in the qualification of a
voter.
The constitution will be submitted to the
people as a whole at the November election
for their adoption or rejection. There are
eight other distinct propositions to be sub
adopted, or either of them, will become parts
of the new Constitution. One of these is
the entire abolition of Imprisonment for debt,
another is in regard to sectarian schools,
third is in regard to special charters for Banks,
fourth is to extend the writ of habeas
corpus, fifth is to permit Juries in criminal
cases to be Judges of the law as well as of
the fact. The opponents of the Liquor Law
will rally strongly in support OF this, and if it
becomes part of the Constitution, the Maine
Law will be dead letter at least in Suffolk
County. These matters were not put in the
Constitution as the other amendments, lest
they should endanger its adoption by the
people.
The above are the principal changes that
have been made by the Convention. l shall
write you again in regard TO the men who
took leading parts in its deliberations.