Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-09-10
Amendments to the Constitution.


sessions, adopted sundry proposed amend
ments to the Constitution, the amendments
will be submitted to the people at the Oc-
tober election for their approval. If they
receive a majority of the votes cast they
will thenceforth become part of our or
ganic law.
The most of these amendments are in
the form of new sections, being additions
to the Constitution rather than alterations
of it. One only, the third, is an altera-
ton, and that refers mainly to the division
of Philadelphia into representative and
senatorial districts. The Lancaster Exam
iner gives the substance of the provisions
which they embody, and the propriety of
the changes contemplated, in the following
article.
The first amendment is new article,
providing sinking fund for the extinction
of the State debt; prohibiting any increase
of the present debt or the borrowing of mon
ey for State purposes except upon Temporal
ry loans, and then only to the extent of
S750,000 restraining the Legislature from
creating any permanent debt BY or on be-
half of the State; and providing that the
State shall not loan its credit to any individ-
ual or corporation, become a stockhOlder
in any corporation, or assume municipal
debts, or authorize any municipality to be-
come stockholder in any corporation or
loan its credit thereto. This we regard as
very important constitutional proyision.-
1t not only prevents the State from getting
into debt, in future, but provides sure
means for the extinction of the present
debt, puts an effcctual check upon schemes
for loaning the credit of the State to Rail.
road Companies, and stops the practice
hitherto so prevalent, of authorizing cities,
| towns and counties to lend their credit to
railroad and other corporations With
these salutary restraints upon the Legisla-
ture the future will be safe from the dan
gers which the past has bequeathed to the
present.
| The second amendment is a new article
relating to new counties. 1t prohibits the
cutting off of more than one tenth of the
population of any county in the formation
of new county, without the express con-
sent of the people, and also provides that
the counties hereafter to be erected shall
contain at least four thousand square miles.
We regard this as a very valuable addition
| to the Constitution The conditions it pre-
sents will prevent the division of old and
| the formation of new counties except in
such cases as will command the general ap-
proval of the people interested.
The third amendment relates more par
ticular to Philadelphia, but contains gen.
eral provision regulating the method of fii-
ture apportionment of representatives in
the Legislature Under the operation OF
this provision, the city of Pittsburgh, (and
probably the city of Allegheny, will, after
the year 1864, be erected into separate rep
resentative districts, and will elect repre-.
sentatives distinct from the county. The
city of Philadelphia will also be divided in
to single senatorial and representative dis
tricts, but this division will take place
there Immediately, it being made the duty
of the next Legislature, in case the amend
ment is adopted, to divide the city into such
districts, the division thus made to stand
until the appointment Of 1861 at the
October election of this year the entire city
of Philadelphia votes as one senatorial dis
trict, the old city elccting four members of
the House and the old county thirteen
When divided into single districts there will
be less danger than there is now of one
party getting the entire delegation. The
only objection we have to this amendment
Is that it does not extend to the whole
State Every county electing more than
one member ought to be divided into single
districts.
Inc fourth and last amendment gives to
the Legislature the power of revoking, an
nulling or altering any charter hereafter
conferred by or under any general or spe-
clal law, but in such manner as to work no
injustice to the corporators.
The Constitution, as it at present exists
provides for the submission to the people
of all such proposed amendments, and when