The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-08
Greuiug telegraph
MONDAY, MAY 8, 1871.
CONSTITUTIONAL Reform.

INSTITUTIONAL Reform.
NOTWITHSTANDING the general expression of
pubic opinion last fall in favor of Consti-
tutional Convention, empowered to revise and
reconstruct the Constitution of Pennsylvania,
the Legislature has shown no disposition to
provide for such a reform. Several bills have
been presented, but they have apparently
been suffered to sleep, in committee.rooms,
the sleep which knows no waking and the
habitusl hostility to all genuine reform
which pervades the atmosphere of
Harrisburg has stifed proposition which
promised to relieve the people, purify the
politics of the Commonwealth, and benefit
all its substantial interests If the legsla-
tors wish to establish a valid claim to the
gratitude of their constituents they will yet
make provision for Constitutional Conven-
tion before they adjourn, and thus afford an
OF portunity for the best men in the State to
meet in council under circumstances which
will enable them to tear up the roots of exist
ing evils.
As sort of halfway measure, which is,
however, insignificant in its scope, the Senate
has passed joint resolution providing for
an amendment to the Constitution making
the State Treasurer elective by the people
instead of the Legislature, and the House
Committee on Constitutional Reform proposes
to do some additional tinkering to the
fundamental law of the Commonwealth
by increasing the number of Representatives
or Assemblymen to 130-each county, no
matter how small, to have one-and the bal
ance to be divided equitably among the coun-
fiac apfif1ad IN mora fbon opa Tbie uouSa
amendment also proposes to perpetuate the
present stupidy unjust provision, aimed at
Philadelphia, which provides that no city or
county shall elect more than four State Sen
ators, and thus deprives this city of her
legitimate share of power in one branch of
the Legislature. For that reason, if for no
other, every Philadelphian should op
pose the proposition made on
Friday last by the House Committee on
Constitutional Reform; but, in fact, the only
proper action of the Legislature at this time
is to have a Constitutional Convention called
together. The whole constitutional machinery
is antiquated, and untitled to the require
ments of the times, 30 that the trivial tink-
erings of Senators and Assemblymen, who
can at best devote but few hours of the
session to constitutional questions, will in no
event do much good. The greatest evil
affecting the body polite now is the Legisls-
ture itself, as it is ordinarily constituted and
it is folly to expect that the true
remedy will be evolved, directly, from
the sore spot of the Commonwealth. The
best thing to be hoped for is that there is
enough virtue and intelligence left among the
members to prompt them to give the people
an opportunity to elect able men for the ex
press purpose of reforming the whole Consti-
tion. The analogous movement made
generation ago was eficacious in eradicating
the peculiar evils developed Hp to that time,
and there would be fair ground for expecting
similar results now. But much more is
needed than sight increase of the chances
of preventing State Treasurers from specu-
lating with S ate funds and slight addition
to the number of legis ators. There is no
use in doctoring patient with few weak
drugs when his whole system is permeated
with deadly poison.