The New York herald., 1866-09-24

| phBHtcot tuat ouy VI sucoC bniCC
conventions-the conservative, the niger or
the Northern-will have any special effect on
the coming elections. The niggerheads will
be defeated and the copperheads will be de-
feated. Thad Stevens will be ousted from
power by the adoption Of the constitutional
amendment and the consequent admission of
the Southern States into Congress. Wendell
Phillips may possibly be elected, but his
principles will be ignored, and the copper
heads will never be heard from at all.
| The Next State Election and the state Con-
stitutional Convention.
The constitution of the State Of New York,
as adopted in ls47, provides that at the general
| election to be held in 1866, and in each twen-
tieth year thereafter, and also at such times as
the Legislature may by law provide, the ques-
| ton Shall there be a convention to revise the
constitution and amend the same |" shall be
decided by the electors qualified to vote for
members of the Legislature ; and in case
majority shall decide in favor of a convention
the Legislature at its next session shall provide
by law for the election of delegates. The last
Legislature passed an act providing for sub
mitting this question to the people, and also
describing the mode in which it shall be done.
At each poll box marked Convention !"
shall be provided, and ballots inscribed For
q convention to revise the constitution and
amend the same," or the words against q
convention" &c, shall be deposited therein.
This is one of the most important questions
hat hof fha OF fha VI
election. The State constitution of twenty
years ago cannot answer the purposes of a
constitution for the present day. AT the period
Of the adoption Of the existing constitution we
had not emerged from war with q neighboring
republic. The momentum given to commerce
and all the relations of life by the introduction
Of ocean steam navigation, the electric tele-
graph, internal communication by railways,
canals, &c., had not begun to be felt. In the
interim we have also had q tremendous national
struggle which shook the foundations Of the
government, but which has happily been over
come Within twenty years the State has nearly
doubled its population, bringing with the in
crease new pursuits, new political views and
new ideas of fixed and substantial form Of
republican government And furthermore,
there has since been laid cable that locks the
Old and the New Worlds in o COM
mon commercial embrace and altogether
changes the features of mercantile and financial
transactions throughout the world. All these
great changes, following naturally in the career
Of our country's progress, require constitu-
tional amendment as well as statute law to cor
respond with them. This s the time to do it..
We have, moreover, several essentially i'm.
portant changes to make In the constitution
touching our own municipal relations with the
State government. In the first place we have
tried an elective judiciary, and it has proven
lamentable failure, . signal collapse. Ex-
perience convinces rs that it is better
to hold one man responsible for an inn
proper appointment to the bench than half
q million. It is easier TO chop or one
mans bead than those Of hundred score.
In the second place we hold that all promi-
nent State eeicers-Csnsl and Railroad Com
missioners, Stale Prison Inspectors and the
like--should be appointed by the Chief
Magistrate OF the State, with the advice and
consent OF the Senate. Then the people would
and State Senators. In the third place search
ing and radical reforms are necessary in the
government Of the city Of New York.. At
present there Is no government here at all. 1t
is rump controlled by contractors and cor
| rupt politicians, whose enly ambition seems
TO be to line their own pockets and pile on the
taxes. Under this rump' the taxes Of the city
Lu~s. - - L..
millions per annum. The last effort Of this
rump Of . city government Is TO make one of
their own clique Governor Of the State !; but,
fortunately for the city and State, it is pretty
| well ascertained he viii be defeated. We re-
| quire In the new constitution q specific pro-
vision giving the city a Board Of Control that
shall have power to supervise oil the proceed
ings ofthe municipal functionaries and punish
delinquents. This reform In imperatively de-
| manded under the new constitution. For the
above and many other sound reasons we ad-
wise the electors Of the State to vete "yea" on
the proposition to call convention TO amend
the constitution Of the State.
| THE MoNgTARr CONVENTION BETWEEN FRANCE,
BELGIUM, ITALY AND SwrrzxRLANn-We pub
lished recently the articles and terms OF a
convention entered into between France, Bek
pium, Italy and Switzerland for the purpose u
forming monetary unity for those States. The
following is the preamble stating the object Of
the convention
His Majesty the King Of the BeixiAns his Majesty the
and the Swiss Confeders,on being equally desous Of
| establishing moro complete harmony besweea tner