The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-07-31
NER cOMSTTTUTYON-NO,

Hancock county i eii'i''
egates.
NEW CONSTITUTTON-NO'
After careful examination, without
bias or prejudice, We have slowly and
deliberately, but surely and decidedly,
reached the conclusion that the new
Constitution should not be adopted. We
do not think this conclusion has been
reached without good cause. Our pre-
iudices Of we had any were, in the out
start, in favor Of the adoption Of that
instrument. There We're several fea-
lures which struck Us a. wise, and a.
evidence of a liberal and progressive
spirit, which we thought worthy Of sup
port. Among these we may instance
the third section Of the educational ar
ticle, which provides that ''women, hay
ing such qualifications az to age, citizen
ship and residence, as may be prescribed
for electors, shall be elegible to any
Office under the school laws. except that
of State Commissioner of Common
Schools" This section we regarded as
quite long stride in advance in the
recognition Of the privileges and respOn-
sibilities of women in the body polite.
We might instance other provisions that,
at first, led us to regard the new cOnsti-
tuition rather favorably, but this is
sufficient for our purpose. But more
critical examination caused us TO change
our views-not because we do not see
as many points of merit in the instrrI-
ment as before, but because we have
discovered objections TO its adoption
which greatly outweigh those which a
superficial consideration led us to regard
as meritorious.
The first objection to which we wish
to direct attention is that the provision
for electing State and County officers is
fixed at the same time that members of
Congress and President of the United
States are elected. By late law, Con
gress provided that members thereof
Cafter this year. should be elected on
the Tuesday after the first Monday ia
November. This law was enacted upon
the welI-settled principle that it is wise
and expedient 10 separate as far as may |
be, our State and National politics. Mat
ters of local Importance should be settled |
aside from the heat and prejudice of
national campaign. The benefits to |
inure from this wise law will be lost by |
the adoption of the new Constitution, |
and every Office in the gift of the people
State, National and County will
have 10 be filed under the excitement
and heat of national contest. That
this will work to the great disadvantage
of local government can scarcely admit
of doubt, and that it is regarded by
our statesmen as a most injurious plan
is evidenced by the act of Congress in
changing the time of electing members
of Congress to day other than that on
which is held State and County elec-
tions.
Our second objection is that it will
cost much more TO administer the Gov
ernment under the new Constitution
than under the old, and this is notably
the ease in regard to the proposed ju-
dietary system. The Judiciary article,
while it possesses the merit of providing /
greater facilities for the disposal of the
business of the Courts, seems. to have
been gotten up regardless of expense.
The salary of Supreme Judges is raised
from So, 900 to S., 900, and the length of
Of their term is extended to ten years,
and there are twenty-one Circuit Judges
provided for, who will probably not re-
ceive a salary of less that 81, 600. This
Court is intended to take the place of
the present District Court, which, on an
average, does not set over sixty days in
the year. Thus S12, 900 a year for each
OF the seven Judicial circuits is the cost |
OF the new wheel in our Judicial system,
making a total of SS4, 600 for about !, ,2GO |
days work, or an average of 500 per |
day. We then foot up the increase of |
the Judiciary alone, for ten years, under
the new constitution, to be as follows:
Cost of Circuit Court C21 Judges
at =, 600 per year. ...........S $40. 900 |
Increase OF Supreme Judges Salary
% Judges at 81, ,0OO). O)...........:. 800, COO |
Cost of Commission d Judges for3
years at $1,000. ).............. $4,000 |
Total increased expense in ten
Here is an extra expense of over one
million dollars for the first ten years in
the Judiciary alone. By an article which
we publish elsewhere it will be seen that
TINS is increased to about two and a
half millions by extra expenses in tine
Legislature and other departments.
We shall refer to other objections to
the adoption of this constitution here
after In the meantime, unless we shall
see good reasons for doing otherwise, we
shall vote an emphatic No! on every
proposition submitted.
.