The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-06-06

in the Senate of our State, now United
States Senator Davis, Ia copy of whose
report made to that body is hereto an
nexed) it is ascertained that the whole
cost would not exceed $37, 800. Thi:
estimate was liberal one. 1t is the
experience OF every one at all familiar
with our financial affairs, that this will
entail but a very slight temporary ad
ditional tax on each person, all of which
will be reimbursed to him at once, by g
cheaper system of government brought
into being by Convention assembled
for the purpose, and will ultimately save
many thousand dollars to the people o.
the whole State. Let not any one
therefore, be deferred from it's support
by this scare-crow Of the Republicans
used by them TO excite the people
against it when they can find no valid
pretext for their opposition. If the
people desire cheap government, as
well as an effective one, it can be Oh
tanned. What has been done, can be
done again. We do not intend to indi.
cate preference for any one system
over another, but we know what we
say when we declare that our county
system can be made just as effective, il
not more so, with a saving Of large
amount of money annually to the tax
payer.
Our present Constitution requires that,
after every general census, the arrange
ment Of Senatorial and Delegate dis,
tricts and the apportionment of Dele
gates shall as soon as possible be de.
clared by law. The census taken by
authority of the United States is just
completed. 1t is now incumbent upon
us to make such new arrangement and
apportionment. The present Constitu-
tien further requires an arbitrary appor-
tionment of the House of Delegates by
dividing the whole ,ohits population OF
the State by the number Of which the
House is to consist, &c 1t is found
that it is impossible to make such ap-
portionment and arrangement as re
quired, without great injustice being
worked to certain portions of the State,
and that certain localities will neces-
sarily have an increased representation
at the expense Of others And then, the
representation is confined to the white
population and not to the total popua-
ton OF whites and blacks. and thus we
have the anomaly of negroes voting in
certain counties and to great extent
controlling the results of elections in
such counties, and yet by our present
Constitution they are excluded from
computation in ascertaining the ratio of
representation to which such counties
are entitled. The bare statement of
this fact should be sufficient to convince
the most skeptical of the necessity OF a
change in this regard, and that this rad
ically defective Constitution cannot be
so speedily remedied, so as to give every
portion Of our people their proper rep
resentation, as by the means we propose.
Again, by the provisions of the pres
ent Constitution, capitation tax OF one
dollar shall be levied on each white male
inhabitant who has attained the age Of
twenty-one years. This is mandatory
upon the Legislature, and no white in
habitant Of the required age can escape
from his liability to pay it. Such is not
the case with persons Of color. This
Constitution then makes persons Of
color in our State favored class. 1t
is no answer to the proposition to state
that by the provisions Of our Code per-
sons of color are now required to pay a
capitation tax. This provision can be
repealed by the act of any succeeding
Legislature, but no act can relieve the
white inhabitant from its payment.
The white inhabitants Of this State are
thus by this Constitution placed undera
disability which does not apply to per-
sons OF color, and thus an odious dis
tinction is made by it in favor OF the
latter class.
A reform in the ADMINISTRATION of pub
lie justice is imperatively demanded.
Our judiciary has been to a considera-
BILE degree weak and inefficient. Charges
of corruption have been openly made,
and in fact instances Of partisan de-
cison and personal favoritism can be
cited in a number of cases. BY such
means, the most sacred rights Of per
sons and property in our State have
been impaired, and great wrongs perpe-
trated upon our people. The decisions
of some Of our judges have been made
the subject Of gibe and jest, and have
greatly tended to tarnish the fair fame
and character OF our State and cause us
almost 10 lose our State pride. OF
course, there are honorable exceptions
to these charges now upon the bench.
But these things should not exist at all.
Our judiciary should be above all re-
proach-one whose decisions should
command respect, the personal charac-
ter of whose judges should be pure, and
whose honesty .faithfulneSs and cdpa6'hty
should not be questioned. In no way
can so desirable an end be so readily
attained as by a new Constitution re-
forming our judiciary system in tOtO.
Again, our present Constitution fails to
secure judicial independence. Judges
hold their positions at the will oil a
majority of the Legislature. The sad
spectacle has been twice witnessed IN
this State of judicial impeachment by
partisan votes cast in the Legislature
in obedience to partisan pressure from
without. To secure the Judiciary against
the brute force OF partsanship, to give
independence to the bench and to res
tore confidence in the integrity OF this
last resort of the injured for protection
to liberty and property, the Constitution
should be so amended as to deprive a
mere partisan majority in the Legisla-
ture OF the power to drive from the
bench all but the servants Of its will.
One of the great evils in our present
form of government, and OF winch we