Litchfield enquirer., 1868-05-14

thousand three hundred and twenty dollars and eleven cents, (3OS, ,32O, III which has ass bes9 a se F aos ssr1Ess & than }hifty thousaad dollars. And dalf this has been done without any increase in the expenses oftte offee1sl 1h0TsFgI
 1t appeafs from the Paymaster Generals report that the entire expense. of the Con- necticut National Guard, of State Militia. during the past year. yves fiftygthree thous. and nine hundred and thirty one dollars and thirty-four cents, 1858, ,931. .35) or about seven thousand dollars less than the amount received, ,aand to be received, from the computation tax.F It is believed that this .excess in the contamination tax will, the coming year pay the entire militia ex- pense of the State, including the offices of the Adjutant General, Quartermaster Gen eral and Paymaster General, with their present economical infringement. From this statement, 1t will be seen that the general taxpayer is relieved from any ad- ditional burden on account of the military force of the State. r-,lel .-'r.,- - =
 &a-tai AUDITORS ' st# IT
 There was ap omission on the part of the last General Assembly to appoint the proper Auditors of the Treasurer's account as well as those to audit and adjust the Quatermaster Generals account, and ex- amino and inspect the Arsenal buildings at Hartford, and the military stores and oth- ! CT property of the State deposited therein. To obviate the difficulty in the way of these officers making their annual reports, designated and. requested the auditors appointed by the General assembly in May, 1866, to act in the capacity of auditors for another year, and audit the public accounts with the Treasurer, and report to the Gen. eral Assembly at their present session. .t I further designated and requested John T. Peters and Henry o. Robinson of Hartford to audit and adjust the accounts of the Quarterrnaster General. Some action on the part of the General Assembly may be necessary to legalize the action of these gentlemen thus designated and requested. to act as Auditors, the specific character of which IS left to your determination and action' u ha!qy.]@ q a5..41 tc i9 foi8-
 -'t7 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. s'~' Iat-'a
 At the, last session of the General Assem-. bly,, an amendment was proposed to the Constitution of the State providing for the election of delegates to a Convention to re- wise and amend the Constitution to be held on the first Tuesday of September, in the year 1869. To make this proposed amend ments operative, it is- necessary that it should be passed by a two thirds vote of each. house, at the present session, and submitted to the people, as provided in the Constitution. These are in my judgement important considerations why this should be done. is already half century since the adoption of the Constitution. and while 1t secures to us the great and essen tlal principles of liberty and free govern ment, there are certain provisions which are now needed to more fully adapt it to the changed condition and circumstances of our people effected by their. rapid growth in numbers, and enlarged commer : clal ana M Y manufacturing prosperity in diff erent localities. The system of represen- tation which was found prevailing at rthe time of the adoption of the, Constitution. was then pndisturbed, for the reason that 1t produced but little inequality in the rights of the people. But while the popu- latlon Tn some. Of the towns has remained almost stationary since then, that in others has either increased with steady growth or las has been the case in some localities. 1 advanced with unexampled rapidity. With Consttut1on recognizing all political power as inherent in the people, such inc qualities as now exist in the right of reanhc resentation, ,aare as unjust as they are ano- malous in republican form of govern melnt lent Representation should be based upon pop ulatlon, and not restricted to precincts, or within territorial boundaries As the Con stltution now is, fifty thousand people in some localities, have mo | greater right .of representationiin dthe, General Assembly than population of a few hnndfedJ in n1 some smaller towns.A This is so manifestly and flagantlylwrong, that a proper sense of justice on the part of our people. de- 9d mands that the ought to be rennedied. '': I
 A change from an anfiiiaI to biennial election of state officegs, is also very desir- a:.SSiie. Nothing but an inveterate determi- nation to travel along inI the old ruts of antiquatea custom, can justify a further continuance of this constituti nal provision l 1t is attended with double the expense. and is a1,custom that prevails in but few. if in any, of the States outside. of New,
 A change also, in in holding the sessions ,qI of our General Assembly, from Spring to TfaIl or the Winter, would, it is believed. add greatly to the convenience of member sand the efficiency of our legislation. bes,.r~'T -.
 These and other desi.s..5iie changes in the constitution "e. s.n be more readily and sat 'A''0 ....y effected by means of Conven- tlon then by the process of adding amend- An0A''' NTT gsE I49g
 CONCLUSION.
 Inconclusion, I cannot too strongly nrge upon your consideration the impor- tance of observing the most rigid economy1 in reference to the public expenditure, as we'll as effecting the utmost dispatch in legislation, consistent with the best inter ests of the State confded to your keeping. Trusting that your deiberations upon all matters of public interest may be such as shall conduce to the honor and welfare of our beloved state, let meinvoke that inf nite power. which superintends all human govesnments, to infuse wisdom, as we'll as the spirit of forbearance and conciliation, into all your councils. e'qa zi 9t faIle F
 JAMES E.. ENGLISH.