Litchfield enquirer., 1879-09-11
TO THE ELECTORS OF THE TOWN
 OF LITCHFIELD. 1''s'

|
 On the first Monday of October next you will be called upon to vote upon two proposed amendments to our State constitution one providing for biennial sessions Fl of the Legislature, and one providing that the judges of the Supreme and Superior courts shall hold their offices during good behavior and until they arrive at the age of seventy-five years. Opposition being made in certain quarters to these proposed amend, ments in the press of the state, and upon CT roneous grounds as conceive, feel justified, if not compelled, to call your attention to the honest situation of these questions, that you may act lntelligently regarding them, and not cast your suffrages against them from wrong impressions.
 The opponents of biennial sessions of the Legislature appeal to you to vote down that measure, 'to rebuke the members of the Legis- lature of 1879. for having Gas they charge), voted themselves into office another year, with an additional salary of $1O0" This statement is publicly made in the press, and has again and again been reiterated, and I learn that some of you have adopted it as true, and have already concluded upon that ground to vote against biennial sessions. The charge is not true, and cannot be sustained The House of Representatives of 1878 proposed the amendment, and passed tt scithout e dissemting vote, and as the constitution provides, it was published with the laws passed at the session of 1878. The proposed amendment was there- fore, aoith aU its provisions pending 1etore Ae people cf tbs. State ct the Nooem6er election ot 1878, and when you, my fellow citizens voted for me, to represent you in the Legislature at the January session, 1879 Gas a majority of you did), you chose me to represent you in that body as one of your representatives, know ing that I must be required to vote upon this question, Tn the exact form proposed by the House of 1878 (for the Legislature of 1879 had no power to pass an amendment to it). As one of your representatives, in what I shall ever believe the faithful discharge of my duty to you and your interests voted in favor of submitting the biennial sessions amendment to the people. It contained the principle of bi- ennial sessions, and, though the form in which it was made was not acceptable to many nlem- bers of the Legislature. yet only one vote in each branch of the Assembly was recorded in opposition. When you therefore elected me Representative, you delegated to me the power and right to vote upon this measure, according to the dictates of my best judgment, and to represent you in that very action. You had every reason to believe that this proposed amendment, would receive the approval of two-thrds of both branches of the Assembly, and, so far as am concerned, that I should heartily support it, as you knew was, when your representative in 1876 and again in 1877,
 warm advocate of the measure. Notwith- standing all these facts. not one of you ever requested me to oppose or vote against this amendment. Under these circumstances, did you not elect me your representative, expecting ttGt might hold ooer to c session of taoenty days iaa 1880, if the people should by major ity vote approve of the biennial sessions amendment? And what is true in my case, is true of eue'y member of tue House of Represea- t0tiUes, and of most of the Senate. With what reason or sense, then, can it be said. that the members of the Legislature of 1879 voted
 themselves into office etc.? l reply, none at all. submit to you the question whether
 my colleague and myself did not fairly and honestly reflect your views, by our votes in fa- vor of the principle of biennial sessions of the Legislature? appeal to your candor and in- fall justify and defend our action in that regard Did we vote ourselves into office? Or rather, did you not vote us into office, with your eyes wide open, ttat ia certaisa continge,ces spe sooud hold over tor taoenty dgys ia 1880 ? Is
 there but one answer to this question The charge is therefore untrue and exhibits an ignorance in those who have made it, that does not commend their intelligence, or fit them as safe guides or leaders, upon question
 of so much moment to the taxpayers of this State, as the biennial sessions of yourI Iegisla- ture. This amendment will save $15O, 900 to the State treasury every other year. It will
 save $100,000 and more in the expenses at tendant upon elections in the odd years It will save the annoyance of marshalling the
 political forces of parties every other year. It will save the labor, trouble and expense of registering voters every other year. It is in the interest of the burdened tax payers of the State It is in the interest of economy, and move in the direction of reform Tn public ex- penses. Do not be deceived, ,cajoled, or hood- winked upon this question. Believe me, my fellow citizens, when I say to you, that this is the first timein many years when you haveha an opportunity to vote for reas soaia measure cf pecuniqq7y reform and retreaebnent ie pu6- hc expenditures. soo.lt-j ~ Ir's9r rges9--o In reference to the amendment dc judges of the Supreme and Superior courts, there has
 not as yet appeared very much opposition.
 The bar of the State are almost unanimous in favor of the proposed amendment, and if the people adop. it, it will give us nryhas is. very TdcsirapIe, an independent judiciary, and re- move from our highest courts considerations of a political character, that should never enter there. As to the provision extending the time fromEseventy to seventy five years, be-. fore the age of a judge shall constitutionaily disqualify him from the bench, you hage 5e- fore you in our honored townsnlan, the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, an elo- quent instance of the folly of the constitution as it now stands. There is nota judge on the bench of our courts, nor respectable lawyer in the State, that has not grieyed oyer the con stitutional retirement of Judge Seymour from our Supreme Court. And will add, that the same may be truly said of Judge Chas J. Mo Curdy, of Lyme, whose age, few years since under our present constitution, deprived the State of the best and most valuable part of his judicial life. ra aasd .t4a. arass e5ssi
 In conclusion, fellow citizens, vote upon these amendments according to the dictates of your own judgment, and not from any dicta- tion from me, for have none to give nor