Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-04-30

dependent of the Legislature, and
from whose decision there is
neither escape nor appeal. 1t may
be that 1t is more difficult to bribe
two out of three Commissioners
than it is to corrupt a majority of
the Legislature, but such has not
been the experience of the world.
1t has rendered possible by Sec
tion 5, article IL, the legal seizure
Of the whole government of the
State by q revolutionary Legisla-
ture, in time of civil war or public
prril. 1t is useless to say such o
time can never he. Such q time
has been. The men are not yet
gray-haired who can recollect it.
1t has instituted system of land
valuations for the purpose of taxa.
tion, the wisdom and the effect of
which are seriously questioned by
many men Of sound and sober
Judgment.
1t has provided q check to pre-.
vent fraudulent transfers of prop.
erty to avoid taxation which, law
yers say, will only help the dishon-
est to escape.
Finally, should the people, after
adopting the new Constitution. de-
sire to amend or alter 1t so as to
remove these Objectionable fea-
lures, it has provided that, instead
of the majority vote of the Legis.
lature, as required under the old
| Constitution, two-thirds vote
shall be necessary before such
amendment or change shall be pre-
sented for the vote of the people.
1t was claimed that O Constitu.
tion would be framed, so plain, so
clear in its wording, that no man
should be unable to understand it.
The discussions, since it came be-
fore the people show that hardly
any two men can agree as to its
meaning.
The foregoing are hard truths.
10 the writer they are sad truths.
He, in common with the great
mass of the people of the State,
saw the need of certain reforms,
and was anxious to vote for them.
He had expected to vote for the
new constitution. When it was
published, and he began carefully
to study it, he found he coald not,
with due regard for his duties as a
citizen, safely do SO. He found
that while it proposed many ex-
cellent things, and had many ad-
mirabie features, it was vet so
crudely worded in sections Of vital
Importance as to fail of satisfac-
torily securing them; while it was
hampered and encumbered by 9TH
er features SO hopelessly bad thatit
became u dangerous and revolu-
tionary instrument.
With the really able and compe-
tent members of the Convention
weighted down and out-voted by
men unversed in the close reason.
ing of legal documents, men accus-
toned only to loose, uncritical use
OF language as heard upon the
streets and in daily conversation,
men, to many of whom the grave
questions that came up for decision
were strange and unstudied, it is
no wonder that the work turned
out was crude and unsatisfactory.
The discussions and criticisms
upon the new Constitution since
its publication have shown its
weak points, and how to correct
and guard against them. The
writer feels that, for his own part,
he should much rather see it de-
feated at the coming election, and
then the needed reforms, so cor
rected and revised, secured, at the
next session of the Legislature, as
amendments to the present Consti-
tuition. There is no need to be in q
hurry. We have plenty of time to
try again and get the needed re-
forms in such a shape that they
will not bring ruin and revolution
with them. There is sound wis
dom in the old injunction to "make
haste slowly"