Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1863-10-21
THE CONSTITUTION.

In few weeks the Convention tor the
formation of Constitution for the State
of Washoe, will meetat Carson, and many
and various are the suggestions which are
being made to its members elect as to the
necessity of the incorporation of this and
that provision into the important instru-
ment, which is to constitute the funda-
mental law of the land. The only evil
that We are apprchensive of is, that the
Convention, in its anxiety to make the in
strument perfect and exactly what it should
be. will, instead of emitting any essential
provisions, cucumber it with too many re-
strictions upon the future legislation. Ne
vada is a new country; the youngest OF
all the civilized communities of the earth.
Its situation, its resources, and the char
acter and pursuits and occupations of its
people are anomalous, and he who can' at
this early day, foresee the future destiny,
the wants and necessities of the unborn
State sufficiently clearly to, with all conf
dence, lay down an immutable code for It's
governance, is possessed of far more than
ordinary sagacity. 1t is well to carefully
guard and hedge in beyond all possibility
of infringement every great inherent, ma
turalright ofthepeople. But constitutional
legislation can be overdone. The mass of
minute which frequently encumbcrs State
Constitutions, can well be omitted, and
safely be left to the discretion of the Leg
islature. The evil that one Legislature
can infiict upon the State can be rectitied
bv its successors with far greater ease than
an obnoxious feature of the Constitution,
incautiously engrafted, can be amended.
If our Constitution shall be crowded and
surcharged with voluminous mass OF re-
strictions upon Legislative authority, as
have been those of other States, we shall,
each succeeding year, as the various in
terests of the State and the wants of the
people become developed and change in the
lapse of time, as with the increase ofpopu-
lation and proportional development of en-
isting and dormant resources they must
change, weshall have, and necessarily too,
amendment after amendment proposed to
the Constitution. Such amendments are
a weary and expensive process, as witness
in the example of California. Better far
is it to contine the instrument as far as
possible to plain generalitics and leave
legislation upon the minute of State
policy and government to the Legisla-
ture. We are satisfied with the selection
of the persons in whose hands the for
nation of the Constitution has been plac-
ed, and have every confidence that they
will prepare an instrument that will prove
acceptable to and be adopted by the pco-
pie. They are gentlemen of intelligence,
integrity and experience, and probably
selection could hardly have been made of
men more thoroughly verscd in the
present condition and wants of the en-
bryo State. They will have before them
the Constitutions of thirty-hve States,
from which to Gull that which is good,
and been so proven, and to reject that
which is evil, and has been condemned.
The State of California approximates more
closely to this in character than any other
in the Union, and our Constitutional de-
legateS have all had more or less expert
ence in that State, and will be able to
profit thereby. We hope for, and expect
from them a short and harmonious ses-
sion; that they may adopt for us an ac-
ceptable Constitution that it may meet
the approval and speedy action of Con-
gress, and that in three or four months at
the furthest, the National Banner may be
emblazoned with the thirty-sixth Star of
the Federal Union.