Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-01-16

ments,
REPORT
That tho amendments are numerous and
important: that they contemplate many and
radical changes in our present Constitution.
We decline expressing any opinion on the
merits or dement's of the proposed amend
ments. Our attention has been directed main
" to the ordinance under which this Com
vcntion was called and elected. In that or
dinance the Council of Censors limited the
number of the delegates to ninety. This
number is apportioned among the several
counties. by the ordinance, and the election
made by plurality vote.
This wide departure from all former pre-
cedent or usage, to us seems strange and start
ling.
On the first Wednesday of June, l777, the
Convention which declared the Independence
of Vermont, met according to previous adj
journment at Windsor. At that meeting a
Committee was appointed to make draft of
a Constitution, aud resolution was adopted
recommending TO each torn TO choose dele
gates TO meet in Convention az Windsor on
the second day Of July following On the sec
ond day Of July, l777 that Convention, so
called, met at Windsor, and by adjournment,
was continued along till December Of the
same year, when il adopted the first Consti-
ton of Vermont.
In the preamble to that Constitution the
Convention declared that it "should remain in
force, forever, unalered, except in such arti-
cles as shall, hereafter, on experience, be
found to require improvement, and ichich
shall, by The same authority Of the people, fur
~ delegated, as this frame of government di-
reefs, be amended and improved
That Constitution ordained that the House
of Representatives should consist of iroomen,
chosen by the frcemen of cycry torn in the
State, respectively.
The lfth section of the same Constitution
provided for Council Of Ccnsors and defined
their powers That section has never been
altered. Among the powers granted to this
Council, is that of calling future Conventions,
to consider proposed amendments to the Con
stitution Il did not. by icords, define the
number to compose convention, or give the
Council authority to do so. A convention Of
delegates might consist of thousand, or
ten.--Did the trainers of the article under
consideration mean the one or the other or
did they mean TO submit that question to
the discretion or caprice ofthe Council ! We
think they meant neither.
At that day towns in their corporate and
municipal character were objects of special
regard They were the horn Of strength 10
the then struggling commonwealth. There
men discussed their rights and prepared TO
maintain thom-thcro and there only they
could vote in the aggregate: there express
their sentiments ON all subjects touching the
general intercst-thcrc give instructions to
delegates and porpetuato the same by record
and in all these particulars, towns. as such,
should be no less the object Of special re-
gard now.
But what may we safely assume, as the
undoubted intention and expectation of the
trainers of that article of the Constitution?
They had been elected from eUery t0,cR-they
regarded the rights of the towns with great
veneration-and in their preamble, as key
to their intention, had said no alteration
should ever be made, except 10y the same
authority of the people, fairly delegated.
We feel warranted in the conclusion that
that Convention neither expected, intended, or
even contemplated the possibility, that any
future convention should be called in diff
erent manner from themselves; and their
views and intent seem to have been enter
tanned, approved and acted upon over since.
The Council of Consors, chosen in 1885,
proposed amendments to the Constitution
and called a Convention composed of one
delegate from each torn in the State and
such has been the uniform practice in all Con
yentions called since, till the present one.
We feel satisfied that this primary inten-
ton of the trainers of our Constitution, which
has not only been acquiesced in, but most cor
daily approved, cherished and reyercd, by
the people of this State for three quarters of
a century, should nom be received as an au-
thoritatvc construction Of that provision, not
to be denied or departed from.
We, therefore, recommend to this Conven-
ton the adoption of the accompanying reso-
buttons.