Litchfield enquirer., 1874-01-01
The Constitution of PennsyIvania.

We are indebted to MT. J. c. Minor. O
 Woodbury, for copy of then new constitu
 ton of Pennsylvania adopted, last month
 by majority of about 15O, 900. It is evi
 dently the work of sound, independent original thinkers who have made a vel considered effort to check the Legislative corruption of one of our most corrupt Northern legislatures by stringent con. stitntional limitation of their powers. and to provide against those election frauds which have made Philadelphia elections a farce for many years past. si ....: .
 The provisions to secure purity of elec- tions are very important and apparently very judicious. We give the entire sec ton designed to prevent box-stufing a,al repeating: .5r-., ,--,., ... T, .....--a ;.
 All the elections by the citizens shah Be by l paiot Every ballot shsll be numbered in the order Tn which it shall be received and the num- per recorded by the election officers on the list l OI voters opposite the name of the elector who presents the ballot Any elector may write his name upon his ticket or cause the same to be written thereon and attested by a citizen of the district; The election officer shall be sworn or 6l0ctOr have voted unless required to do so as witnesses Ia judicial proceeding.
 The only objection to this provision is the apparent abandonment of the secrecy of the ballot.. Practically that secrecy amounts to little. The politician always manages to find out how the elector votes. The manifest advantage of the plan pro- posed is that it renders box-stufing and ! repeating impossible. The purity of elec- tions is further guarded by sections mak- ing 1t the duty of the courts to appoint overseers of election on application offiye citizens and providing that all coAested elections shall be tried by the courts. Both parties are represented on election boards. An important qualification of the electoral privilege is found in the requirement that the voter "shall have paid within two years state or county tax which shall have been assessed at least one month before the election"
 The legislature meets but once in two. years; representatives, 200 in number, are chosen for two years; 50 senators, for four. The limitations of. Legislative pow CT are the most stringent ever yet devis- ed Special legislation. extpa compensa- ton of officers. appropriations to sectari- an institutions, or schools not entirely under state control, remissions of lia- biiities of corporations, arrangements for public printing except by contract with the lowest responsible bidder,-are all forbidden. All legislation must be by bill. Each bill shall contain but one sub- iect and that subject shall clearly appear from it's title, and they shall in all cases be referred and printed. The following section is certainly sufficiently stringent provision against nasty legislation
 Every bill shall be read at length on three diff ferent days in each House; all amendments made thereto ehall be printed for the use of members before the final vote is talk en on the bill and no bill shall become 6 law, unless on it's final pas- sage the vote be taken by yeas and nays, the names of the persons voting for and against the same be entered on the journal, and majority of the members elected to oach House Do rocord- ed thereon as voting in it's favor. s
 The subjects of the general appropria- tion bills are strictly limited to the ordina- " executive, legislative, judicial and edu- cational expenses, and to payment of inter- est on the public debt. The governor is fur ther given the power of vetoing any of the items of an appropriation bill, and ap- proving the rest. We. shall view with much interest the pfaetieal workings of these restrictions on legislation. They must render the progress of legislative business much slower than under the old system, but that is no fault Our only fear is that they may in some Instances lprove more onerous than useful. Never theless tho experiment is one we rejoice to see tried. afres '1@~# 'sa. t.s
 The provisions regarding taxation, are important. Neither state, county, city, town or other municipality, is allowed to loan its credit to. or take any stock in, any corporation or association. No mu- nicipaGty is allowed to incur debts ex- ceeding seven per cent of the assessed value of its property, and shall provide annually for the payment of the interest of such debt and also of the principal within thirty years. .9,g as.- s-#-.E 2
 Minority representation is granted in judicial and county elections and in cleo tions of directors of private corporations. Election inspectors and overseers are also chosen on Shat principle. The right of wo- man to citizenship is only recognized in making her eligible to any office under the School laws. ..Az'- tsss. @'
 The governor is given four years term of office, but he cannot be elected to the next succeeding term. His pardoning power is limited to such cases as are rec commended by four of the other State off, cers after full hearing. aa E. s~a-.d-
 Amendments of the constitution are pro- ceeded with much as in this state, except
 that an approval by two-thirds of legis-
 lature is not required before the submis-
 sion of an amendment to the peoples
 much better arrangement than ours.
 The provisions regarding private cor porations, railroads and canals are so new and so important that we reserve theil
 consideration for another article. a.s.. # A Hartford Times reporter thus explains the reason why the Rev. Olympia Brown has not changed her name upon her mar : riage: y1a aIeaA
 | Miss Brown was married last spring but hasn't changed her name. She says that she and her husband agreed before they were married that they should hold
 on to their own names; in fact she would n't have married without such an agree. i. ment. I asked her if MT Willis Cler hus !. band) didn't wish to change his name to Brown. 'sShe said, ''Oh no; he would be | simple if he did, Willis being mucl