Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-12-05
(From the Dayton Ledgar.)
The Constitutional CoH'
rcaaRSnA

IN 1911, the question oil a re
vision of the present Constitution
of Ohio was submitted TO the
people, and they decided by a.
large majority to call a Oonven-
ton for that purpose. 1t devolv-
ed upon the Legislature which
assembled last January to fix mp
on a time for the election oil dele
gates to that Convention; but
the Radical majority in that body
concluded TO postpone the mat
ter until a future time. Their
reasons tor doing SO the people
of the State h%avenot as yet been
able to comprehend. The next
session of the Les islatnre will fix
the time. When it will be, re-
mains to be seen.
The present constitution; which
went into operation i'll 1852
contains a clause providing that.
the question of a convention
should be submitted to the peo-
pie at the end OF twenty years.
This clause was inserted becarse
the trainers of the instrument be-
lieved that, at the expiration O.
that period, changes might be
deemed necessary, and if SO, it
would be an easy thing to OBJ
tain the sense of the people on
that subject by the preliminary
process of submitting to them
the question of calling u conven-
ton in the manner Prescribed
The partisan considerations
which prevented the Legislature
last winter. from designating tie
time and place of holding the
convention and the election Of
Delegates, a not prevail at the
coming session. Provisions must
be made for the holding of the
convention, and this should be
among the first acts of the Legis-
lature. In our judgement the
election tor Delegates should be
held in the spring, so that the
Convention may be ready to as
semble as soon as practicable af-
ter the adjournment of the Leg
islature. But these are prelimi-
nary measures. We wish to ad-
vert briefly to some of the ques-
tons that are likely to come be-
fore the Convention when it does
assemble.
It is even now plainly to be
seen that the liquor question will
be a prominent one in the de.ib-
erations of that body. There is
no doubt that efforts will be made
by men # extreme temperance
views to incorporate into the con
sti;u ion a most stringent provls-
ion for the entire suppression of
the traffic in intoxicating drinks.
1t is not unlikely that the pro-
amendments of this chars
acter will more nearly approx
mate to statuatory enactmcnts
than parts Of the fundamental
law. On-the other hand, there
will be those who insist that it is
not the province of tho Conven-
ton to int, rfere in this matter at
the State government
has no right to control the liquor
traffic than it has to regulate the
sale of any other article of trade
or commerce. In this view we
We see no good rea-
IN why there should not be free
trade in this IS in any other com
modify. In the retail branch OF
it some restrictions may be me-
eessary, and we think past exper-
ience establishes the fact that the
license system is the best. The
on this question will
1ot only be one of the most ex-
citing in the convention, but the
itself will constitute a
formidable element in the cleo
ion of Delegates.
Another prominent and exeit-
ng topic in the discussions ofthe
convention will be the admission
If colored children in the public j
.chools on a common with the
whites. Now that the enfran-4