Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-01-08
The New Hampshire Constitution.

The question Of holding q con
ventiOn TO revise the constitution OF
New Hampshire is to be voted Oh
at the coming election in that State
20 and it seems 10 be the general be
lief that the vote will be favorable
1t is certainly high time that that
Anticipated instrument was amend
ed In some important points. 1t IL
the oldest unamendcd constitution
in the country, standing now as II
stood when first adopted. IN 1872
> The Granite State is famous iOl
strong constitutions, but none OF
them will last forever, and the world
has moved so much in the last eigh'
= ty.three years that even New Hamp.
shire needs to adapt itself to the
d changes.
i. Probably if u convention is held
it will be found cXpedient to make
so many changes that substantial
ly new organic law will DO devised
= Tor the State. Some of the needed
changes are already discussed.
Among these is u modification OF
the legislative representation which
shall cut down the unwieldy House
of Representatives, and enlarge the
insignificant Senate. The lower
branch of the New Hampshire Leg
stature when full has 3S5 members,
being one of the largest delibera.
tive bodies in existence. This is
more than one representative for ev.
cry thousand inhabitants, and the
New Hampshire man who has never
been in the Legislature is either
very young or very insignificant, us
indeed are many who have been
there. On the other hand, the Sen.
ate is so small that the failure to
elect In one district often entirely
changes the political complexion of
that body. Tho House ought to be
reduced TO not more than one hun
dred members and the Senate in.
creased to not less than twenty five.
The basis of representation ought
also to be changed so as to depend
on population, as shown in some of
fetal enumeration, instead Of the
number of rateable polls, which is
easily manipulated by INSCRIPTIONS
politicians. There is some talk in
favor of changing the time of the
election and making it biennial in.
stead Of annual. This would not
be bad idea, for although the State
would lose some OF its political
prominence if the election was held
in the fall, there would be advan,
tages to compensate for this, and
there is really no good reason for
having an election Of State officers
every year. The business of legis.
lation, too, for so Small State
might just as we'll be done with hi.
ennial sessions.
There is a provision in the pres
ent constitution which requires that
the Governor, Senators and mem
bers of the House shall be Protes.
tants. This is practically dead let.
ter, but it is blot upon the instru-
ment which should be removed.
We would suggest, too, that it
would be well to have the judiciary
of the State established by the con-
stitution and taken out of the keep.
ing of coordinate branch OF the
Government. The judges are now
for life or during good be- {
havior, which is as it should be, but
more than once the Legislature has
abolished the highest tribunal of
the State and created another in it's ,
place, for the purpose of getting rid
of judges Of one party and getting {
in those of another. This makes {
the bench partizan almost as com
pletely as electing the Judges, and
the main purpose Of having them ;
appointed is to make them indepen- !
dent of party politics. There are. s
no doubt, many other points in {
which the constitution needs chang
ing, but these are sufficient to JUS t
tify the calling of convention to s
take charge of the revision.-Bos- |
ton Globe.
AT the celebration of "FOrefa- {