Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-07-28
How Shall our Constitution be Amended I!

From the Middlehury Rcgister.l
An amendment to the Constitution is pro-
posed, for the consideration Of the Council Of
Censors, aboIishing the Council and yesting
the power to propose amendments in the Leg
lsature The proposition is this "Let the
Senate propose amendments and if both
houses agree, by two-third's vote. let it lie
over to the next Legislature, and if passed
again, by like vote of two-thirds, then be
sent to the people to be voted on at one OF
their regular annual meetings, Yea or Nay,
aud this to be final"
We can see no reason why this method is
not tedious enough to answer the design Of
hedging up the way against innovation and
hasty action and so far is a very good method
to adopt, provided any change is to be made.
1t has one excellence about it, certainly
( that of being finally decided by the direct
vote Of the people. 1t is also more in accor-
dance with modern usage, perhaps. Bat are
these considerations sufficient to compensate
for change in our organic law We confess
1 to a dissemination to change for the sake of
rchange, or, for the purpose Of conforming to
mere taste in matters of form If any mate
( riaf advantage is to accrue, it is well. But
what i to be gained? Shall we tinker our
constitution because it differs, in some unim-
portant particular, from the organic law of
some other State Shall we change a time
honored law for the same reason that a woman
dons a new bonnat2 Are we in serious dan
ger from method of altering our Constitu-
ton which has continued nearly century
with inconvenience to no one? The obiec-
ton to our present method, most frequently
urged, is the expense attending it, This
question will, Of course, be matter of specu-
latiou until the experiment has been tried.
But the advocates of the amendment will, at
least, concede us the privilege of questioning
Q whether anything will be gained in the mat
ter Of expense. We must bear in mind that
we have no guaranty that ambitious Legisla'
F. tors will not seek, in the absence of other op'
p0rtWnities. to make themselves famous bJ
proposing and discussing amendments to thu
> constitution, at an expense to the State, o
81 800 per day. 1t has been urged that tn
= light vote cast for Council Of Censors at tn
G last election, is, in itself, conclusive argu
= ment that our present system is not a goo,
one. But we must consider that there wa
} but one ticket in the field, and that entirel
: nobjectionablc, and the failure of the peopl
d to vote does not even imply lack Of interest
i 1t may perhaps, be safely assumed that the
q were not especially interested, for if the Con
stitution ought to be amended, the need of
was not felt by the people, We do not know
: what revelations may be made by the inyes
q tigatons of the Council, but no grave misdC
5 meauors Or usurpations, or, failures to exc
70 cute law, or, any other crimes or failure
. which it is the duty of the Council to inyes
I. tigato, are now Extensively apparent to the pee
q pie. Hence, we could expect no very grea
/. manifestation Of interest. They Statistic
themselves that good men would be selected
! and that was sufficient.
e The desirabiity of vesting the power
e originating amendments, in small body,
y recognized in the proposed amendment, by as
- signing that duty to the Senate, No esser
tial change is made in the first part, therefor,
&c except that the size of the body is doublet
e In the second provision there is less difference
= The Constitutional Convention ordered b
q the Council of Censors, is equal in numbers
AID would in most cases, be similar in con
. struction, to the House of Representative
&c 1t certainly would not be composed of les
L able material. The natural query, then, il
is how anything will be gained by submittin
Al these constitutional questions to body sele,
ted for another purpose, rather than to on
: selected for this especial purpose
d The provision in the proposed amendmer
y that the questions shall be submitted to tn
IT second Legislature, amounts to nothing, bu
d. to increase the difficulty of changing our OF
ganic law, and, for that purpose, it is a wis
70 one. We cannot guard our Constitution to
G carefully. But the matter is provided fol-
IS quite as effectually in the provision of on
It present Constitution, making the intervals
. possible change at least seven years.
When we are considering whether tn
c Council of Censors should be abolished, "
= should not confne ourselves to the considers
$ ton of the question of amendment to I'll
4 Constitution. This body has other funtion
quite as important. 1t was wise for,
thought in our fathers to assign the espeeii
duty Of criticising the workings of the seve
g al departments Of our government, to a sma
! body of selected citizens who should have c
I peeial qualities which fitted them for tn
- service. We want the investigation mad
whether the Constitution has been preserve
+ invoate; the laws duly executed the pull
f lie taxes justly laid and collected the pul
e lie money properly expended and whetht
the Executive Department has assumed
exercised other or greater powers than ii
y Constitution conlers upon it. The advocat,
< Of the proposed amendment have, so far
g we have noticed, omitted to state what pr,
f vision they would make for the performan,
OF these imDOrtant Duties IL the Council ,