The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-04-26
CO.Partnership Notice.
The Constitutional Convention.

We publish elsewhere the ordinance
passed by the Council of Censors calling
Constitutional Convention at Montpe-
lier the Sth day of June. The election
Of delegates takes place on Tuesday, two
weeks from to-day. Each town is enti-
tied to u delegate, the same as in the
lower house in the Legislature. The i'm
portance Of this election should be under
stood. The Convention is for the consid-
GRAFTON Of propositions for the change Of
our organic law. These matters have
been but little discussed, and some of
them are not generally understood. In
the articles published in another column
there is plain statement of the case, and
we commend them to the careful perusal
Of the freemen Of the state. The propo.
sitions may be epitomized as follows
!. Forbidding the creation Of corpo-
rations by special laws. except for NUM-
cipal purposes.
2. Changing from annual sessions of
the legislature and annual State elections,
to biennial sessions and elections.
3. Enabling the legislature to provide
by law for the filling of any vacancy in
the Office Of senate or town representa-
tives.
4. Changing the mode of appointing
the judges of the supreme court, from
election by the legislature to appointment
by the governor with the consent of the
senate. and extending the term to six
years.
D. Giving woman the right of suffrage
the same as man.
u. Abolishing the council of censors
and giving the power of amending the
constitution to the Legislature and to the
people once in ten years
Our individual opinion Of the merits of
each proposition has been expressed, but
we have refrained from any extended
discussion of them, hoping to get at the
opinions of the people. Either through
lack Of opinion or Indifference, the sub.
iects have not been discussed as they
should have been. Some of these propo-
ations demand serious consideration, and
we hope, if such consideration is not Civ
IN to these subjects as they demand, there
will at least be due care exercised in the
selection OF sound, candid men for dele.
gates to the Convention.
The first amendment aims at an exist.
ing evil in our legislation, and if we cannot
secure Legislatures which will themselves
see and correct the evils Of special legis.
htion, the next best thing to do is to pre-.
vent them by restrictions in our organic
law.
The second amendment will hardly
meet with favor among the people as the
evil designed to be remedied, that is ex-
pense, will rather he increased, and it
would be an entering wedge for greater
corruption than is now possible when our
representatives are SO Immediately rcspon.
sible to the people.
The third proposition seems to be
necessary provision, and requires no ar.
gument to show it to he so.
The change sought in the fourth prop
osition, We cannot but regard as most
mischievous; dangerous to our liberties.
With corrupt Judiciary the most whole
some laws may be utterly defeated, and
Justice in the courts would become a dead
letter. 1t seems that for the purity and
efficiency of this department Of the gov
ernment, the judges should be as imme-
diately responsible to the people as posi-.
BILE. A judge should never find it for his
interest, politically or otherwise, to please
any one man.
The proposition to confer the right of
suffrage upon women, though desirable
under the favorable circumstances of cor.
dial acceptance by the women themselves,
is not received by the people with that
favor which renders this change in our
Constitution desirable at this time.
The final proposition of abolishing the
Council of Censors is hardly called for,
to say the least. The present system of
changing the Constitution has thus far
worked we'll, and there seems to be no
reason to suppose it will not continue to do
so. We do not believe in change for the
sake Of change. Besides, endless discus.
sions which would follow proposition of
amendment in the legislature would Of
necessity add largely to the expense to
the state,-an item of no small import.
anoe in these days of heavy taxes.
We have thus hastily run over the
proposed amendments with an expression
ofpresent opinions, for the purpose only
OF directing the attention of the public to
these matters, upon which they will soon
be called 10 act