Litchfield enquirer., 1855-05-10
Governors Message.

| Governors Message.
Mr.. President and Senafors:
| Mr.. Speaker and Genilemen Of the
House af Representatives.:
In entering upon Tho Ischarge Of the
duties Of that high Office to which the
sufrages Of the people Of this State. and
your Joint action under the constitution,
has called me, you will permit me to express
TO you my gratitude for this distinguished
mark of their and your confidence. | am
not unmindfnl Of the solemn obligations
and responsibilities that are thrown upon
me-and shall endeayor so to act with refer
ence to them, that the interests of our State
shall be protected and lis honor remain
| unsullied.
ION are assembled. gentlemen, in accord
| ance with the provisions Of our constitution
to legislate for our beloved Commonwealth
Ito ascertain what new interests have
arisen, and adopt such provisions as you
shall deem adequate to their just projections
Ito search out abuses that have crept into
our present system, and apply the proper
remedy for the correction OF those abuses.
In the prosecution Of our labors, may we
all look 10 that Supreme Being in whose
hands~are the destinies Of nations, to uphold
as he has hitherto done, and so to direct us
that all our measures may be dictated by
prudence and wisdom.
In every constitutional government. chan
ges are constantly occurring, new interests
are yearly arising. and new feelings are
growing out of the progressive spirit of oar
people, all requiring some alterations of the
organic law. Our Constitution contains an
admirabia provision permitting such altera-
lions to be made-a provision which, while
il prevents hasty action, yet will allow such
amendments as are demanded by the people.
In accordance with this provision, the House
of Representatives Of last year originated
three alterations of the constitution, all of
which will receive your attention. Ono
providing for a single capital for this State,
and requiring the legislature of 1856 to
designate the place. Another, that each
town in this State shall be entitled to one
representative only in The General Assembly
land the third, that all male citizens OF the
United States who shall have attained to the
age of twenty-one years, having resided in
the State for the length of time now required
by the constitution, and sustaining good
moral character shall be electors; and re-
quiring. further, that every person shall be
able to read any article of the constitution,
or any section of the statues Of this State
before being admitted as anelector.
The first two Of these amend iuents are to
be decided as questions ofpolicy. aud have
no doubt that they will be carefully consid-
cred by you, and correctly acted upon. The
third. while it proposes TO extend the elective
franchise to large class Of the citizens of
our State, also guards the purity and intfg-
ri,y Of that franchise. The people Of this
State are the makers ofits constitution, and
in that instrument they have reserved tho
right of deciding what changes shall be
made. To their decision, this, as well as
all other proposed alterations. must be refarr-
ed. upon an informative action Of the General
Assembly. indicated by asvo;e of two thirds
ofthe Senate and House of Representatives.
In every thing that has reference to the i'm
portant question of elective franchise, either
10 its extension or restriction, whenever
such extension or RESTRICTION is demanded by
any considerable portionof the community.
the legislature ought moi TO prevent final
action by the people, unless some stern prin.
ciple of right stands in the way. IL those
Of our citizens to whom it is proposed to ex-
tend the eleciise franchise, are in the main
moral and industrious. ana qualified to act
understandingly whenever called upon to
exercise this privilege, tits diiIicultto UNDER
stand why this, the highest right OF free
man, should not be conferred upon theln--
on the contrary, the theory of our govern
ment, and justice to them, seem to require
that 1t should be /; neither, in my opinion,
will this extension Of the franchise he al
tended with results improper or inconven.
lent. In any event, it will be safe to leave
this question, for final decision, to that iri-
bnnal where it is left by the constitution.
The latter portion of this proposed
amendment, requiring that every citizen,
before his admission to the rights of an
elecior, shall be able to read some portion
of the constitution or the statutes, is better
calculated to restore the elective franchise
TO It's primitive purity than any other meth
cd that could be devised The proposition
is founded upon the idea that popular edu-
cation should be the foundation Of this, as
il confesscdly is of all our institutions -
Your aciion npon all these amendments
will hessucll as you shall deem right and
proper.
The agricultural interest OF the State
should receive such encouragement at your
hands as its importance demands. What
ever advances the prosperity Of agriculture
equally advances the prosperity Of our State.
The progressive spirit Of the age has made
itself felt in the ART Of tilling the earth--it
has developed new sources Of weaitl, in
everything that appertains to the business
Of cnltiva,ing the soil, and placed agricul-
tu.e among the sciences. County agricnl-
tural societies have been established, and
their annual meetings have been attended
| with the hest results. These meetings have
been confined 10 the counties in which the
societies are located, aud their benefits have
consequently been limited. Last year the
State Society originated the plan Of a State
agricultural fair. and for the purpose of
enabling the society to make creditable
display Of the products Of the State, the
! General Assembly appropriated tie sum Of
50. 500. The results Of that fair were all
| that its most sanguine friends had antici-
pated. II Is proposed 10 hold another fair
at Hartford during the coming season. and
the liberality Of the State will again be APP