The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-05-03
Ght Columbian.
BLOOMsBURG, PA.
Friday, May 3, 1872.
The Constitutional Convention.

We print this week at length, and ac.
curatoly, the Act passed at the late sess.
ion of the Legislature calling Conven-
ton to amend the Constitution of the
State, so that our readers at as early a
date es possible may be put in possess
ion Of the whole plan for selecting mem.
bers of the Convention and for regulat-
ing the proceedings of that body when
il shall convene. Upon the whole we
think the Act Is we'll adapted to all the
purposes for which IL was passed; that
it will, In all probability, secure a good
Convention and judicious changes in the
fundamental law Of the State.
The plan OF representation provided
by the act, will secure substantial jus.
tice to all electors of the State. All
elec;inEs of members OF the Convention
are to be upon the plan of the limited
vote, 80 that all the voters of the State
of both parties will be represented with
reasonable fairness i'm the Convention.
The provision in the act that one.
third of all the members of the Con.
vention shall have the right to demand
separate popular vote upon any
amendment proposed is most valua-
BILE and salutary provision. A mere
majority of the Convention cannot
compel the people to accept bad or
doubtful amendments along with good
ones; In other words cannot by sub.
mitting their amendments to a popular
vote in mass, compel the people to ac.
cept or reject all of them together
There can be discrimination by the peo
pie when passing upon the work of the
Convention anu this fact will check the
intrusion of party politics or other sin.
lister influence into the Convention pro-
ceedings. There is a remarkable but
judicious provision in the act for filling
the vacancies which may occur in the
membership of the Convention. The
expense, Inconvenience and delay which
ordinarily occur in filling official vacan
cies by popular election will be entire
ly avoided and yet the vacancies will
be properly as well as promptly filled
In any case of vacancy the delegates al
large who shall have been voted for by
a majority of the voters, who shal
have elected the member whose place
is TO be filled, shall fill the vacancy, thus
securing the continued representation
of the same class of voters, who chose
the member originally and the balance
of power in the Convention, or rather
the proportionate power of parties in
the Convention as fixed by popular
election will remain undisturbed. This
provision is new but an obvious i'm.
provement upon former plans for filling
vacancies in representative bodies.
1t would seem from the construction Of
this bill, although it is not declared ex
pressly upon its face, that separate tick
cts and separate boxes are to be used at
the election in voting for and selec ting
members Of the Convention. AS we
understand the act, ballots tor members
of the Convention, cannot be placed
upon the slips headed "State""County''
or Judiciary provided for by recent
laws. This point should of course be
attended to by the Secretary of the
Commonwealth and by Sheriff5 of coun-
ties in the making up of election proc
lamations, SO that no blunders shall be
committed by election officers.
We congratulate the people of the
State upon the passage of this very ex.
cellent Convention bill and upon the
fair prospect which we have now pre-
sented to us Of good and salutary re-
form, so much needed and so strongly
called for by ponular sentiment.