The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-04-29
THE NECESSARY CONSTITUTIONAL
REFORMS.

While the people Of Texas are praise
worthily engaged in making big crops,
building up imaense commercial IN
terests and closely watching European
complications, they must not forget
that although our next general state
election Is still sometime of, yet the
magnitude Of the interests TO be affect
cd by many apparently predetermined
constitutional changes aud reforms.
demands that even now goodly share
ofpublio attention should DO given TO
their careful consideration,
The entire judiciary article will have
to DO amended, altered, expunged or
superseded. Just what IL necessary
and what will meet the views of the
greatest number of people in tho state,
can only BIO determined by u full, frank
and fair discussion Of the subject, on the
stump and in the columns of the papers
Gentlemen who aspire to DO ropreson'
taliycs and senator's governors, or 10
have any other official connection with
the state government, will be required
to 60 on the record early, ON all the
vital points of change upon which the
people have determined to act The
elective judiciary, two courts of last
resort, with equal and conflicting pow.
ers, the county courts modes Of busi>
ness in the courts, taxation and assess,
ment official responsibility, public
school matters, homestead laws, and on
this and similar lines al b!faitum.
Those who aspire to position in the
next legislature need not hope to eyado
these and similar questions, They will
DO compelled to take positive positions
on each, or more properly all, Of them
on either one side or the other.
The tax leyiod upon the granaries
and smolSe-houses Of tho farmers OF
Texas, and that upon the laborers and
professional men, the odious occupation
tax, must be removed, or modified in
some satisfactory way, The indebted
ness of the state must be looked after
and It's early final and thorough liquid
dation provided for, Indeed, there are
n thousand and one matters of present
and pressing interest which require at
tcntion, If five dollars per day is an
insufficient sum to induce lirst.ratC
talent TO embark in the public service
of the state, increase the sum. Let us
offer such pay as that prudent man
who is succeeding on his farm, in his
law practice, or whatever he may be
engaged at can afford to drop it for n
time and give to the public that single
effort which has succeeded no well in
his individual case, After the people
have discharged their obligations in this
way, then they will be in position to
demand the service of such men as we
have indicated. Beggars can not be
choosors and if we offer only beg
carly inducement, We purchase only
beggarly service. True and wise econ-
omy is forever opposed to any such
policy.
Texas has plenty of firstNrate talent,
which is available, but the wonder to
outsiders is, that so little of it, rs rule,
finds its way into the public service,
but more especially into the legislative
branch of it. The explanation is made
above, and it is not complimentary to
either our good sense or our patriotism.
The twelfth, thirteenth and fifteenth
Legislatures of Texas will 90 down to
history with but few immortelles in
their civic crowns, Axe,grinding ignor-
ance must be excluded in the future
from the work of law-making, We will
not be understood as charging this
stupid righteousness upon all the mem
bers Unfortunately but simply upon
the working majority, because all three
of them had some of the best men in the
state, while the mass of representatives
had nothing else on earth, save their
own crude, illogical and grasping self-in-
terests in view.