Connecticut western news., 1873-05-16
GOVERNOR INGERSOLL.
Message.

confidence, which has placed me in thi. position of trust and honor. I have takel the oath to discharge its duties to the bes of my abilities. In my endeavor to keer this obligation, shall hope for your sup port in whatever may concern the honor oi our state, or the interest of it's people.
 You are assembled at period of politi- Cal calm. It is propitious for such legis lation as the common good may require.
 It is especially opportune for your action upon subject which can only be well acted on at rare periods like this, when the subsistence of party spirit shall enable the State to unite the services of its ahlest cti zens in a work of such paramount import ance. l refer to revision of the State Constitution.
 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
 More than half century has elapsed since the present Constitution was written -a half century conspicuous for it's human achievements. and remarkably fruitful in the fields of political and social science Its influences have wrought great changes in our state.
 In 1918 the population of Connecticut, numbering by the latest census about tw, hundred and sixty thousand inhabitants, was distributed among one hundred and twenty towns, differing but little in the number of their inhabitants, or the character of their pursuits. In three-fourths of these towns the population ranged between one thou sand and two thousand. In no town had it reached seven thousand, or fallen below seven hundred. The representation, there fore, which the Constitution maintained in the General Assembly was, even in it's House of Representatives, essentially a popular representation, and reasonably uniform.
 The Constitution left to the General As sembly almost unlimited powers of sover. eighty. But it's actual sphere of legislation was within narrow bounds. There were few or no special interests to call it's large powers into action. The lands had not ceased to be the chief source of the wealth of the state, and the most important con- cerns of the people were regulated in their town meetings, where the freeholders could readily assemble, and deliberation was practicable. The judiciary had little to do outside tte beaten paths of the common law, and the moderate estates of the dead were generally left to the simple distribu- tion of the law through the agency of the local Courts of Probate.
 It was an admirable system of govern- ment, and We, in, our day, have reaped largely of it's benefits. But it is folly to close our eyes against the fact, that the state of society to which it was so admira- ply adapted has passed away.
 Every member of the convention by which the Constitution was framed, it is believed, has deceased, and but few of the freemen who adopted it survive.
 The population of the state, having about doubled in the aggregate since 1878, is row distributed among one hundred and sixty six towns, with populations ranging from over fifty thousand to less than five hun dred. And from this it has resulted, that the system of representation provided by the Constitution, though intended to be, and for many years actually being. a reasonably fair representation of the popular will, has now become 30 anomalous as to be absurd Upon any theory of representative govern ment, it is, simply, indefensible.
 Of this population, nearly one-third have city organizations for their local govern ment-agencies of government not belong ing to the Constitution, and which cannot, under the Constitution, be substituted for the town governments, which that instru ment alone recognizes as its agents. And therefore, dual system of local govern ment is required to be maintained over the same territory, sometimes necessitating, especially ln the regulation of the elective franchise, legislation of questionable con stitutionalitY.
 In calling your attention to these structu- ral changes, which have occurred in our social organization, since the present Con- stitution was adopted, 1t is not my purpose to indicate specially the subjects calling for the action of a Constitutional Conven- tion. But desire to make manifest that, if, as is generally assumed. the virtue of written Constitution consists in it's adapta- tion to the actual condition of those who are subject to its government, then the present Constitution of Connecticut has served it's purpose, and the people of Con- necticut in 1873 should do as the people of Connecticut did in 1918, replace it with one better suited to their altered circum- stances.
 l entertain no doubt as to the mode of calling such convention; nor do I deem 1t necessary to discuss it here. In 1918 the convention was assembled by resolution of the General Assembly. recommend the same course now. And indulge the hope that before the expiration of the present official year, such convention will have assembled and completed work which the people of Connecticut will approve, and of which the initiative honor will belong to the General Assembly of 1873.
 FINANCIAL coDrr1oN.
 The report of the State Treasurer con- tinues te show satisfactory condition of the finances of the state. The debt of the state has been reduced, during the past year. $565, ,6s3.92. Bonds to the amount of Ss7s, 400 have been purchased, leaving the amount at present outstanding, $5, ,O95, 900, with $73s, ,07s.0e cash in the Treasury.
 The Grand List of the state shows grati- flying increase of $s, ,o72, 724 over last year the total of the present list being $34s,- e65. .467.
 $2O1, ,169 have been paid from the State Treasury to the towns, under the law of 1872, appropriating $l.5o for each child