Weekly Trinity journal., 1857-10-03
Oregon and California Constitutional Com
venIions.

The proximity of Oregon TO California has in
duced the Convention Of the former Territory,
now in session, to engraft many provisions in their
organic law for the pdrpose of avoiding the
shoals upon which our own State government has
/ frequently grounded One provision requires
that when one branch Of the Legislative depart
ment shall determine to 60 into joint Convcn-
tion for the purpose Of electing l. S. Senators.
that the other shall meet with that body on the
day appointed, otherwise the body so agreeing to
go into joint Convention shall elect This Will
have the effect TO compel an election of L. S.
Senator when necessary, which is certainly wise
provision, and will secure Senators to the State
all the time. Iu several OF the States of the
Union, where the parties arc nearly equally dvi
dcd. the Legislature oft-times fail to organize
being unable TO elect the permanent officers. The
Oregon Constitution provides that unless the
Houses organize within five days of the day fixed
for their meeting, the members of the house so
failing shall receive no pay for the session. This
will doubtless have the effect Of compelling an
organization, and the speedy transaction of the
public business.
We sincerely regret that body of men like the
Oregon Convention, who in these particulars have
shown themselves so ready to profit by the expe
rence Of others in framing their organic law
have in other respects so far dsregarded whole
some precedent as to have rendered the result Of
their labors Objectionable to the people many
members Of the Convention having avowed their
MI IN ef, H.,
sttution. The probability is that it will be de-
feated.
There seems to have been running through the
whole work of this body desire to create an un-
wontcd concentration of the powers OF Govern
ment This of itself would, under their work, be
peculiarly odous 10 the people, and would effect
its defeat, even if there existed no other serious
objection to the Constitution.
What will be the determination with regard to
the vote Of this State on the act calling Con-
vention we can only conjecture. Some OF our
contemporaries have decided that no Convention
has been called aud one Of them at least took the
position that the act submitting this proposition
to the people had not received the requisite Con-
stituiona vote of the Senate last winter, yet the
Legislative construction thus given to this pro-
vision Of our Constitution. directly points to the
conclusion that Convention has by the recent
vote been called.
If the Legislature to assemble this winter shall
take the same view of the Constitution which was
entertained and acted upon by the Legislature of
last winter, without the intervention of the Su-
premc Court, or the Executive veto, we think the
Convention will be called
That portion Of our Constitution providing for
the calling Of Constitutional Convention is a
literal copy from the Michigan Convention. Va.
rious views are entertained upon this subject,
each supported by good sound reasoning. We
are ourselves undecided, but deem the subject
one of sufficient Importance to call for the serious
consideration of the public mind.
Z 1t is claimed that the State debt question upon
which the people have recently given their
most unequivocal judgment, is not thereby fully
determined, and some contend that it can not be
properly aud definitely settled without Consti-
tutional Convention. This we consider q falla-
cious position nevertheless let us look to these
matters. discuss them, and in some degree BE pre-
pared for whatever may be done in the premises.