The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-02-29
NO. A.

\
liar calamity Observation and costly
experience have demonstrated that when
ever from this, or any other cause, the
two branches of the Legislature are un-
able to progress with the public business,
it is public misfortune. InGamed par
bty excitements and conflicts are apt to
eusue, prejudicial to the public interests;
and whatever is taken off one end of the
session is sure to be added to the other;
thus prolOnging the duration, and great
/ ly increasing the expenses of the session,
with no compensatory public good Sure
ly the wisdom Of this age is more than
adequate to the correction Of SO palpable
aud uumitigated an evil. .-.,-..
XI, The qualification of electors
should be changed, in two particulars
l. The rights of citizens being no
longer dependent on color, the word
"white" should be stricken out from the
qualifications of electors, in conformity
with the Constitution and laws of the
United States, which are "the supreme
law of the land * < anything in
the Constitution or laws of any State to
the contrary not withstanding" Our
State has already approved the amend
ments to the Constitution Of the United
States which make the word inoyerative
in this connection and we. owe it to the
progressive spirit Of liberty to discard the
! qualification as a useless relic Of q by
/ gone age.
2 Instead of residence within the
election district for ten days preceding
! the election, as now prescribed, thirty
/ days should be required. Neither the
/ Constitution of l776 or of 1890 prescibe
any definite period of residence but the
present regulation was one of the amend
ments Of 1888. Experience has demon
strated it a mistake. The purity and
equality of elections are essential elements
of republican government. Our recent
history has shown more fraud at elections
from this source than from any other
1t operates as a perpetual temptation to
designing and unscrupulous men,. A
surplus Of voters in one district can be
| removed on the eve Of an election to an
other where they are wanted and inter
ested parties can always be found willing
to pay the boarding for ten days, and
sometimes wages also, to ensure the votes
Of those colonized. But make the re-
quired residence thirty days, or upwards,
aud you thereby make it too expensive for
practical purposes and accomplish much
to ensure the purity Of the ballot box.
The Inconvenience of few itinerants
should not be permitted to outweigh the
graver considerations Of honest elections
and the public good.
XII. The date of our annual fall cleo
t;ons should be changed from the second
Tuesday of October, to the Tuesday next
after the FIRST Monday of November.
In my recent letter on this subject of
constitutional reform, | suggested this
amendment, "to prevent what is called
colonization from surrounding States, and
to dispense with one election every fourth
year" These reasons not only remain in
full force, bat since then have acquired
additional strength. Under the Constitu-
ton of the United States Congress has
the right to FIX the time for the election
of President and Vice President, and for
the national House Of Representatives.
At an early day this power was exercised
as to presidential elections and Congress
at the present session has enacted that
after the year 1876 members of the ma
tional House Of Representatives shall be
chosen, in all the States, on ''the Tues
day next after the first Monday in
November" Unless we change, there
) fore, in compliance with this congress
sional requirement, we will have two fall
, elections every alternate year The sur
rounding States of New York, New
, jersey, and Maryland, have all antici-
pated US in this change; aud that which
: was heretofore optional, appealing only
! to orr discretion, has now become i'm
perative. ra ae
} These twelve propositions are consid-
, cred important rand the whole, if adopt
, ed would add greatly to the value of our
5 Constitution. Others, less manifest per-
haps, but less valuable, might be submit
: ted, did time aud space permit but the
4 number of pages Of this manuscript
: admonishes me 20 stop, at least for the
present. We live in an age when the
s great medium of communication with our
fellow men is the public press. The
demands upon it are such it often refuses
Y publicity to anything except short COM
munications. One object we all have in
r view is to enlighten public opinion; and
j: to this end short address, extensively
j published, is vastly more effective than a
. long one unpublished, or presented to the
e world in partial extracts. 1t is probable
r some present expected me to treat on
r other questions aud amendments than
4 those have enumerated; and such a
e course would have afforded me great
+. pleasure, but for the considerations just
). mentioned Moreover, | intended that
. what | submitted should be as directly re-
h sponsiye to the invitation Of your com :
i. mittee as practicable. The request was
/ to prepare paper on the amendments
to the Constitution which outght to be
submitted to the approaching convention. :"