The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-02-27
CON AMENDMENTS.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.
We have before us the report of the
senate committee on constitutional
amendments. 1t does seem to us, in
the light of all the surrounding cir
cumstances that these amendments are
wholly uncalled for and out of place.
They are gratuitous on the part of our
assembled Solons. The people have
not asked for them and they do not
want them. The people have not
asked that the infamous thing that
we now live under, called a constitu-
ton, should be patched, plastered and
whiteWashed by our legislators, but OH
every occasion they have demanded
that their representatives take such
action as would enable tn I'm to assem-
BILE in their sovereign capacity and con.
sign this instrument, born in fraud,
corruption and partisan hate, to the
shades of oblivion, and build upon its
ruins constitution worthy of II free,
upright and enlightened people, with
equity and justice for its cardinal vir-
tues, devoid of partisan spirit, whose
object would be the ample security OF
all citizens throughout the state in the
full enjoyment of all their rights, both
of person and property, without regard
to race or color, under whose benign
influence our beloved state would
laugh, prosper and grow rich for
hundred years.
This matter of constitutional amend
ments was agitated at the preceding
session of the Legislature, and during
last summer the democracy of the
whole state, speaking through six con-
gressional conventions, denounced
them by demanding at the earliest
possible, day constitutional convention.
Thus our people ask q new constitu-
ton and their representatives offer
them this miserable substitute. They
ask for fish and secure II stone. Our
legislators cannot plead Ignorance.
They know full well the with OF their
constituents, for that wish has thun-
dered in their ears upon three differ
ent occasions, from Red river to the
gulf and from the Sabine to the Rio
Grande. And yet they stand and
tremble, halting between duty and
interest on the one side the people
clamoring for their rights and on the
other the government pap with its de-
lightful sensation. Hard, hard indeed,
is the contest for office and the strug-
gle for official emolument.
We have not had time to examine
these proposed amendments. but have |
casually glanced over them. They
provide, first, that "the district judges |
shall he elected We have two OBJ
jections to the election of our district |
Judges. One is that it opens the door
TO corruption. A judge should never
be dependent upon the litigants who
come before him to have their rights
adjusted. Our judiciary should be as
pure as we could possibly make 1t, and
10 have it so we should remove every
temptation to pander TO the interest of
the strong, are able to re-elect. We
do not say that any would be corrupt,
but we believe, as Mr.. Partington, that
man has more human nature in him
than any other animal. We are also
opposed to the election of district
judges for the reason that about one
fourth of the judicial districts will
aaye large radical majority, consist
ing mostly of illiterate negroes, and
would as often as otherwise elect cor
Tupt and Incompetent judges.
Section second of this report pro-
vides for two terms of the district
court during the year, and makes no
provision TO facilitate the dispatch of
business in the courts. Such an amend
ment, without sach u provision, is
simply absurd, and Ia every way wor-
thy of our decentralization parliament
at Austin. The cry fran almost every
district in the state IS that they are 30
hind with their business. Dallas conn
ty Is at ieagtthree. years beiriud, and
rapidly aii the lime, and
ifthis amendment is adopted and The /
present state OF affairs bold on, a mss
who bringsa suit TO collect debt or
enforce a right would have to ileqneath
il ~ 3 Legacy t. his heirs, who, lfirain-