The Nevada journal. [volume] (Nevada City, Calif.) 1851-18??, 1857-07-10
FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 10, 1857.
Constitutional Convention.


subject which should engross a large
share of public attention Next to the
adoption Of the State debt, reform in
the organic law of the land is the ques
ton of most vital import to the people.
BY many it is regarded as superior to
all others in its bearings upon the future
prosperity of the State. We shall at
tempt to show hereafter the utmost i'm
portance of the measure, in practical,
economical, and political point of view
AT present we shall confne ourselves to
the general merits of the subject.
1t must occur to every rejecting mind
that there is something wrong in the
machinery Of the State Government.
No country in the world has had such
exorbitant taxes to pay, and never in
single year has the income equalled
the expenditures. A debt has thus rap
idly accumulated till four millions are
scored against us, with prospect for
more instead of less. The study of the
Executive and Legislative departments
has been directed to lessening the ex-
penditures in vain. 1t has beena question
battling their skill under the present
constitution. The fact is apparent that
the Gordian knot must be cut We
must resort to a new constitution to oh
viate the difficulties with which we are
surrounded. The present constitution
provides for a government, if necessa-
~ in the inflated times of 40, too ex-
tensive for the needs of the country and
100 expensive, consequently, for the tax
payers. The enormous sum of one mil
lion Ct dollars year stares us in the
face as necessary to maintain our State
government, and, without trimming off
its excrescences, it is not probable the
amount will diminish in years to come
The Legislative department is increas-
ing in numbers, and the Judicial also,
while an attempt to reduce the salaries
Of officers was frustrated in the last Le-
gislature.
At the time the present constitution
was formed the entire population of the
State was composed of little better than
adventurers. Gold was the alluring OBJ
.ieet of their coming, and many cared but
little how it was obtained. A visit to the
mines disclosed the fact that the sever
est toll was necessary to success. The
sight palled the taste Of those who cred
tied themselves with wit and talents
above their fellows, and other employ
ments were Immediately chosen in pre-
ference to mining. The numbers of
this class were numerous, filling every
position in those days termed gentle
manly. Gambling and politics were
prime professions, and so nearly were
they allied at that period that the trans
ition was easy from one to another, or
the gentleman found it to his hand to
carry ON both together. Under such a
state Of things our State constitution
was formed, and it could hardly be ex.
pected that the ruling wages of the
times would be overlooked by politi-
clans in providing places for themselves.
The salaries established were enormous,
corresponding with the times. 1t could
not be expected that economy would be
studied in the number of offices to be
filed, politicians, even in settled com
munities, being proverbial for looking
out for number one. The State gov
eminent thus became cumbersome with
the weight Of officials and fat salaries
were paid for sinecures, made so by a
too general distribution of offices not re-
quired by the wants of the people.
Besides, the constitution under which
we are trying to live, but are dying by
inches, never emanated from the people,
and was not sanctioned by them when
procl lmation was made that it had been
adopted. The achitects of it lived in
the small trading posts upon the navi-
gable waters, while the great bulk OF
the population of California was to be
found in the mines. Look at the list OF
delegates TO the constitutional conven-
ton. The mines are slimly represent
ed, and we undertake to say, from per-
sonal knowledge, that in some instances
not enc miners vote in twenty was cast
for the man who presented himself as a
delegate to represent certain mining
districts in that convention. There was
little interest taken in the subject of a
State organization.
In some instances the time for the
election of delegates was not known
The miners knew but little about the
movements of noliticians and cared less