The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-02-13
THE CONVENTION.

THE CONVENTION.
/ A Convention bill has at last passed
both Houses of the Legislature. 1t
provides for taking the sense of the
people on the expediency Of calling a
Convention, on the second Monday in
April, for the election of delegates on
the same day, and the assembling OF
the Convention On the first Monday in
May.
If it were possible to bungle this bus
illness, it might have been foreseen that
this Legislature would devise some
means of throwing as many obstacles
around it as possible. Last Winter,
when the Legislature was in favor of
! the measure, and when the people We're
clamorous for its passage, just about
the time when every one expected his
wishes to be gratifed, the Legislature
suddenly conceived the brilliant idea
Of sending q committee on to Washing
ton to see If anybody was opposed to
our doing what every other Southern
State had done of It's own accord. The
Committee had a regular Yankee SEN
sation time of it, held themselves up
conspicuously to the ridicule of the
people, in regular Dogberry style, and,
as a necessary consequence, no Con-
vention was called. Now, while the
Legislature is unanimously in favor Of
a Convention, and after thepeople have
been belaboring them FOL- q year to call
one, behold they must take the sense of
the people on the subject! The State
must be put to the expense Of doing
what it haspaid its representatives IL
do, andstle valuable time which ought
to be spent in making Constitution
must be spentlin finding some excuse
for not making any at all. Ifrepresen-
tatives cannot be obtained who have
sense enough to legislate, we might as
we'll relapse at once into the popular
assemblies of the ancient world, and
admit that representative government
is failure. If the sense of the people
has to be taken on every ordinary oc-
casion, why not refer to the people the
question of adjournment, the number
of hours a day the body shall be in
session, and every other question of
ordinary legislation Strange as it
may seem, We should not be.surplised
if the Legislature should lack the cour-
age to vote an appropriation to pay the
members for their very valuable servi-
ces, and should take popular vote ON
the question.
We very much fear that this puerili-
ty will yet be. the means of defeating
the Convention, as was the case at the
last session. There are so many forms
to be gone through with before the
Convention is called thatwe should not
be surprised if the will Of the people
were again thwarted, and the Constitu-
ton of 1864, with its corrupt and i'm
beetle officials, saddled on us for an in
definite period. 3d.
Of course there can be no doubt as
to the result of the vote taking tie
sense OF the people on the question of
calling Convention. With the excep
ton of the few Radicals in the State,
who are feeding at Mr.. Wells public
crib, the people want a Convention and
have been trying to get one eyer since
the surrender of the Confederate ar
mics. They are justly indignant that
they should be doomed to live under
such government as they have, while
our sister States have been permitted
to make Constitutions for themselves,
There is further reason for change
at this time, found in the fact that the
Chief Magistrate of Louisiana has be-
trayed the people who elected him, and
that q new Constitution affords the
surest and safest means of removing
him from an Office which he has dis
graced.i We take it that every man
opposed to calling a Convention,
is in favor of perpetuating the corrup-
tions of the Wells government. /
We hope, therefore, that the people
will repair to the polls on the day ap-l
pointed for taking the vote, and show
to their representatives their unanimity |
on o question about which there never
should have been a diferenc of opin-
ion. u #A1
BIG FEE.-ln reading the Auditors
Report, we perceive that the notorial
fee charged by the Notary and paid by |
the present Executive of our State, for
drawing the leasa of Tho Nn,,r Camel L.