The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-11-28
Constitutional Convention.

Tue CONSTITUTION vi tuiS st1S uSS Oecu CSIIleO
The official count on that subject il rs fellows
Total Representative vote ............. 444,376
Half =" ........... 222, 4SS
Total vote for Convention ... 223, 1H
Majority for Convention 80. ......... 69S
Counting the votes only that were cast for
and against the Convention, the majority in
favor of the Convention would be nearly co.
600; but the law submitting the question of
calling Convention to the people required,
in order to carry it, that the proposition should
receive majority Of all the votes cast for re-
representatives., 50 that neglect to vste ON the
question was in all cases equivalent to vote
against it.
There is no doubt that good many inpor-
tant changes in our present constitution are
greatly needed, but the democrats hesitated to
vote for the proposition just now, because
there was still q strong probability that ma
jority of the convention would be composed
of radicals, and that party is still too much
crazed in reference to certain Utopian theories
and schemes to be trusted with the framing Of
new constitution to last until long after the
frenzies engendered by the war shall have had
time to cool off. The negro equality
hobby is still sufficiently profitable to the rad
ical politicians to induce them to engratt some
absurd provisions On that subject in the new
constitution; there is danger of their entering
the dangerous and ticklsh domain of sump-
tuary laws and as the extravaganza, demon
alization and corruption engendered by the
war and its floods of cheap money are still
raging to dangerous degree, there is also
danger that their poison may be made to per-
wade the new instrument.
Aside from these dangers, however, = new
constitution can be made to embrace many
much needed reforms. Our whole judicial
system needs overhauling, and while the num-
be OF courts could be advantageously dimin-
ished, such increased salaries and stability of
office tenure should be given to the smaller
number to be retained as will secure higher
grade Of talent than generally obtains on the
bench. We should have annual instead of
biennial sessions of the Legislature, and the
members should have sufficient pay, both to
avoid the necessity, which now seems to exist,
OF selling their votes to get money enough to
pay thelr board bills, and also to secure a
better grade OF men for our Legislators.
A vast amount of local and special legisla.
ton That occupies so much time of the legisla-
ture and usually seeths with corruption, could
with great advantage and profit be turned over
to the courts or Boards of Supervisors. Our
very bungling and complicated revenue sys-
TEN could be greatly reformed and simphtied,
and great many avenues to peculation and
official thevery closed up. And finally, the
mode of amending the constitution should be
simpliiied and made more practicable than il
is by the present instrument
Upon the whole, it is probably we'll that the
proposition to amend the constitution hss
carried To avoid all dangers from the meas.
ure, however, the people should see to it that
the very best men are elected to the conyen.
ton. Where they elect lawyers, let them he
the abest and best but let the proportion
OF able and practical business men, WORKING
men, farmers and mechanics, be much larger
in the convention than is usually found in orr
Legislative bodies. Talent of the first order
will be needed, of course, but let it be of the
lncorruPtible sort Hitherto our legislatures
have been about owned and run by our giant
railroad corporations and general corruption
rings God help the people if the constitu-
tional convention Alls INTO the same corrunt
hands.