The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-06-12
The Amended Constitution.
Address of the Constitutional Con.
Yention to the People of Ohio.

Address OF the Constitutional Con.
Yention to the People of Ohio.
To THE PEOPLE OF ONO: The
undersigned in obedience to the or.
der Of the Constitutional Convention
submit to your consideration a state.
ment of the more material amend
ments of the orginic laws of the
State proposed in the new Constitu.
ton. We have sought to state only
the substance Of the change, without
giving at large the reasons which
commend them.
ARTICLE THE BILL OF RIGHTS
Except in section five, eight and
ten, this Article is substantially un-
changed. These sections are so
amended that in suits for less than
one hundred dollars the jury need
not consist of more than six persons
the writ of habeas corpus can be sus-
pended only in such manner as shall
be prescribed by law, and suits can
not be brought by publication unless
the Court shall be satisfied that the
residence and postofice address of
the party cannot be found, so that
he shall have actual notice.
ARTICLE 1.-THE LEGISLATURE.
The amendment proposed in this
Article will have a most decided eff
feet upon the future legislation of
the State.
1. Biennial Elections in Novem-
Der. AS no State officer is elected d
for term less than two years, it
was Determined, to save the great
expense and inconvenience of annu-
al elections, that the election of all
State, county and legislative officers
shall be held biennially on the Tues
day after the first Monday in No
lvember, being the day fixed for the
election of President, and, by late
law Of the United States, for the
election of members of Congress af-
ter this year.
2. Legislative Purity. It is pro-
ltided in section four that no person
interested in a contract Or unadius-
tied claim against the State shall hold
seat in the General Assembly, lest
Iby consideration of personal profit
Ihe be influenced to do apublic wrong.
3. Per Diem Abolished. The
cost of legislative session, other
than the compensation of members,
lis large, its magnitude depends on its
duration. Absenteeism resulting
from railroad facilities and per diem
payment, has often heretofore resul-
ted in protracting the session. 1t is
therefore provided (Sec 30) that
members shall be compensated only
iby fixed annual salary.
4. Annual Sessions. Biennial
Isessions of the General Assembly,
as provided in the Constitution oi
1851, have not been observed. The
necessity of annual sessions in a
lState of such vast wealth, business
and population as Ohio, having been
demonstrated by experience q return
Ito the system is provided (Sec. 2S)
| 5. The veto. Hasty, inconsider
late, and sometimes partisan legisla-
ltion is incident to an unrestrained
Legislative body; and where large
sums are to be expended, and the
purposes of monopolies and power
lful corporations to be promoted, Its
deliberations are not always free
from the influence Of the lobby. IL
more effectually guard against these
labuses, the Convention, after much
discussion concluded to follow the
Iexample of nearly all the othei
lSates, and clothe the Governor with
a qualified vote. (Sec. 49, The
difference between three-ffths, re
quired by this section to pass a bill
over veto, and the mere majority
which law must obtain in any case
, lis only ten in the House of Repersen
tatives, and four in the Senate. I
was thought that ten days of delib
, Grafton by the Governor free from
the excitement and influence whicl
sometimes control popular bodies
might often prevent great mischief.
6 Appropriation Bills. A chang
: 70 the greatest importance is tht
proposed limitation on the passag
| Of appropriation bills. Under til
. existing Constitution, the genera
appropriation bill, like the genera
appropriation bill in Congress, ha
lbeen made the vehicle for the gross
est peculations in the public funds
| Absenteeism often reduced the al
tendance to a mere quorum. A bar
majority of this quorum can inco1
: porate in the general appropriation
bill, by amendment or rider, an
! scheme for depicting the treasury
On the final passage of the bill,
must be voted on as an entirety
and unless it receive the vote of th
: majority of all the members electet
to each House it is lost. Appropri
ations necessary to carry on the Gov
a ernment are thus coupled with, ant
made to abidethe fate of scheme
of mere peculation and plundel
Members are compelled, agains
their convictions, to vote for the bi
Including these obnoxious items, 0
]. suffer stoppage of the wheels 0
government. To prevent this
the purpose Of the new provisions il
sections twenty three and twenty-fiy
, Each item of appropriation mus
4 stand on It's own merit and be vote
on separately, by yeas and nays, o
the demand of any member. If
g. fail to receive the constitutional ms
iority, it is to be stricken out. Thu
each member is made personally II
6e 5e sponsible to his constituents for th
lg vote he may cast. He can no long'
have the pretence that unless /