Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1879-05-06
rO.MORROw.

All California, and especially San
Francisco. Is ablazs. so to speak. with
excitement over the contest which is to
take place tomorrow. for and against
the adoption OF the new Constitution.
Everywhere throughout the State mass
meetings arc being held and the subject
il debated in the most spirited manner
by able and wide.awaks speakers. At
nc time in the history OF the State has
there been 20 much excitement over a
civil measure. and 1t is evident that
heavy business and important public
interests arc involved in the struggle.
The great mass OF the working classes,
farmers, numerous political aspirants,
time servers. demagoguss, k~earnsyitss,
Communists. and the aimless rabblo
generally. are in favor Of the new Con-
stitution. while arrsyed against it arc
the merchants, miners, business men.
capitalists. mining operators. brokers.
and people who = the most deeply in
tsrestsd in the substantial welfare. ad-
vancsment and prosperity Of the State.
There are many good points in this new
Constitution. also. many bad and dsfeo-
tive ones, and ON the whole it is not as
good a. the old one under which tho
Golden State has so abundantly pros
psred thus far. II 10 much better TO
defeat the new and amend the old.
wherever amendments are required.
There Ia altogether too much OF the
communistic feature about the Q Con-
stition to Be just to oil concerned. and
this feature tinctures even the best point
in IL, which 10 that relating to the pub
Lilo lands and their ownership. Tho fol-
lowing summary from tho Alta will give
very good idea Of this:
Article II. Section 2, reads a. follows :
.'Ths holding OF large tracts Of land un-
cultivated. and unimproved. by indi-
viduals or corporations, IL against the
public interest. and should be discour-
aged by oil means not inconsistent with
the rights Of private property"
Article IS, Section 2. last clause, reads
% follows: Cultivated aud uncultivstsd
land Of the same quality. and similarly
situated. shall b assessed at the same
value"
The drst provision herein specified, Is q
declaration against the acquisition oil
largo tracts Of land, no matter whether
honestly acquired or not. II is true 1!
contains this proviso, mot inconsistent
with the rights Of private property
A the Legislature Possesses the un'
doubted right to establish the principles
which shall determine the right Of pri'
vate property" laws may DO enacted which
shali limit the quantity to be acquired,
and establish any rule which shall deter
mine ''ths rights Of private property
This provision Is, therefore. clearly and
undoubtedly Cossmuaisiic.
Article XIII, Section 2. is Of like char
actsr. Its object il to strike at the wealthy
landholder, and that. too, by violating
every principle Of justice and equity,
In this, - In many other provisions OF the
new Constitution. the makers have failed
in their purpose. This last provision will
operate most dis~astrously in many cases
against the small landholder. Take the
following - an example: A settler pur'
chased from the United states Government
l6O acres Of land In the foothills, ten YEAR
ago. II was covered with rocks and brush
After ten years Of hard labor he has clearet
10. planted orchards aud vines, which nov
produce largely. and has thus made tn
land productive and valuable. Il is nov
worth 500 per acre. II tho new consti
tuition should DO adopted. another settle
entsrs upon an adjacent 100 acres. Th'
Assessor finds the land Of the new settle
Of the same quality and similarly sit
usted," and he assesses IL 1T 500 per acre
He 10 obliged to do 1t. The Constitution
requires IL. That assessment will ruin tn
new settler. He must necessarily sban
don his location.