Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-04-27
Pertinent Reflections.

have failed to see presented in the
light that | see it. L think there
was clique or ring in this Conven-
tion that were trying to establish
system of government that could
be perpetuated by those who get
into office, and they expected that
the people would swallow this
Constitution, tail feathers and all,
and then honor them in giving
them the first show at all the Of
fees, and thus give them the
chance to carry out their designs.
L will just refer those who read this
article to few clauses that think
bear on this subject. Article s
reads thus: "The Legislature shall
provide for the election or appoint
ment of officers of the militia.u Ar
ticle ii, section 5, reads: "The Leg.
islature shall provide for the elec.
tion or appointment of Boards Of
Supervisors, Sheriff., County
Clerks, District Attorneys, and
such other county, township and
municipal officers as public
convenience may require and shall
prescribe their duties and fix their
terms of office" Section 4, same
article, makes it the duty of the
Legislature to establish a system of
county governments which shall be
uniform throughout the State.
These county and township govern
ments shall be managed and trans
acted in the manner prescribed by
the general laws. Section 6, same
| article, provides that corporations
for municipal purposes shall not be
created by special laws, but the
Legislature shall provide for their
incorporation under general laws,
which may be altered or amended
or repealed (by the Legislature, of
| course, as all charters framed or
adopted shall be subject to and con-
trolled by general laws.) Section
7, City and county governments
may consolidate, but must incorpo-
rate under general laws, and when
cities and counties do consolidate
vacancies must be filled by the
Mayor or other chief executive off.
Ger. Section provides that q city
with over one hundred thousand
inhabitants may frame a charter
for it's own government, consistent
with and subject to this Constitu-
tion (that is under the general laws
subject to having the opportunity
of offices made for them) and if the
people adopt this charter by ma
jority vote they must then submit
the same to the (ParliamenD Leg
islature, and if approved by ma
jority vote of both Houses it shall
then become the charter of such
city. Section IL reads: "Any coun-
ty, city, town or township may
make and enforce any local, public
and sanitary laws if not in conflict
with general laws (the laws of the
grand assembly or Legislature).
Section Is provides. that private
property shall not be sold to pay
the corporate debt Of any political
or municipal corporation. 1t may
be assessed for this purpose, but
cannot be sold if the party refuse to
pay the assessment levied for this
purpose This is simply wholesale
repudiatiOn of all the corporate
debt of the State, and of every
county, city and town in the State.
AS no one will pay taxes for this
purpose, and there is no other way
provided to pay these debts except
and the advocates of the new Con.
stitution claim to be honest reform
ers and abuse all who will not en-
dorse such reform as thieves and
swindlers, slaves of corporations
and moneyed men. This repudia-
tion clause is the single clause in
the whole document that will in
any way reduce the taxes; and the
only clause in the whole document
that allows any rights to individu.
ais is article !, section 6, where it
seems to have been provided by
mistake Cor slipped in without hav-
ing been discovered by the ring)
that private property shall not be
taken or damaged for public use
without just compensation having
been first made to or paid into
court for the owner thereof. But
the question comes up here, who is
to decide what is just compensa-
tion? OF course the Inference Is that
1t will be the Legislature or its ap-
pointees as everything must be
managed and controlled by general
laws.
Article 2, section l provides that
every properly qualified elector
shall be entitled to vote at every
election which is now (meaning
under the new Constitution) or may
hereafter be authorized by law.
But there need be no elections au-
thorized by law, as al officers may
be appointed. Section 8, arti-
Gle 4, provides that mem
bers of the Assembly shall
be elected in 1879 at the time
and in the manner now provided
by law. After this they are to be
| chosen by Senatorial and Assem-
bly, districts under the general
laws; but there is no indication as
to what class or number Of the
people in said districts are to choose
or appoint them.
Section Is, Article 4, provides
that the doors of each house shall
be kept open except on such occa-
sions as in the opinion of the house
may require secrecy.
Section 26, Article 4 provides
that the Legislature shall pass
laws to regulate or prohibit the
buying and selling of the shares Of
the capital 0e operations in
any stock H1aij ck Exchange
or stock MAJ aat Ter the control
of a. associ ai'as Perhaps the
Supreme C0Uuui y be able to
understand th tion that sec.
ton III bears 10 e IN 20 of this
article. as these try may wish