The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-10
srcRETARY STRONG AND TIE
AMENDMENTS.

n there Is anything Ia the wide world the
ueople Of this State care nothing abous, 1t Il
fhe result OF the vote on the constitutional
amendments. Yet the Times and Pieay,tnt
would have us believe that society il abso.
Iuteiy convulssd over the confession made by
4 Mr.. Strong Of his inability to arrive Mt any
conclusion from the returns. We are en- the
brink of chaos, and the Pic. suggests, IS the
only escape, the revolutionary proceeding OF
ousting the Secretary OF State. q constitutional
officer. because of the dilemma I'm which he
finds himself, and the putting Of some man
in his place, by the summary proceeding
Of force we suppose, who Is competent 20 per.
form this simple ministerial act" Of making
the returns tell whatever the Pic and Times
may demand IN regard to the results. While
the people are demanding solution Of their
difficulties In n Constitutional Convention, the
Pic. Ia melting revolutionary violence fn the
interests OF selfish scbemers. This assault
upon Secretary Strong In which Gov. Mich
oils is also involved-is a most unjust and
outrageous impugnment ri this official. than
whom there Is none 10 the world more con-
scientious or faithful In the discharge III his
duties. The difficulty In which Sec1etary
Strong finds himself, and bis confessed ina
bility to reach any conclusion that he feels
justified in formally protnugating, - not
without precedent In fact, the almoss uni
yersal experience has boen that the ai:lend-
ment Of constitutions at general cleo
tlon, and by popular vote ID utte1ly imprac-
tlcable. The attempt has been repeatedly
made, and has almost invariable bten attend.
ed with failure and inextricable confession,
out OF which 1t was impdsslhls to
evolve any reliable conclusion as tb what was
the honest will OF the people. In New York
the experiment was tried and faileEl. Accom-
mission was appointed to draft AMENDMENTS
to the constitution and the result CT its
labors was submitted to the popular vote,
and the amendments we're voted down and q
convention Immediately called. I'm Missis-
sippi, ut the last election, an amendment was
submitted abolshing the Office of lieutenant
Governor, was carried by d largb majority,
and yet has never been Incorporated in the
constitution for the reason that thb poist was
raised that majority Of tho actut N voters OF
the State, and not Of the votes cEst merely,
was necessary to pass an amendment Of the
constitution. The same provision exists In
our constitution, and the point would be
a. valid here as In Mississippi.
But we need not go abroad forprecedents.
Precisely the same difficulty Secretary Strong
finds himself confronted with waa presented
after the election Of 1876, when a committee
Of the Nichols Legislature, composed OF some
Of the ablest men In that body consessed
themselves utterly unable to solve It, and
there has never been promulghtlonof the
results Of the vote on the amendments SUBJ
mitted at that election. Is Mr.. Strong to be |
blamed and arraigned for incomprtency, and
with q fragrant suggestion OF interested mo- |
Tive, FIR not being able TO do whot lsgisla- |
tive Hi mmittee, composed Of able anG expe-
rle1cd men Of affairs and lawyers, confessed |
themselves unable to perform befor, him?
ThE truth Of the business is thai there has
been no intelligent expression Of the Popular
VIII upon these amendments, and eve.l were
Z pAesible to present an aggregate showing
Eha% % majority OF the votes cast had tssen In |
theiI favor, still the State government would
;ak9 on itself grave responsibility ii pro-
Mitigating them as parts of the fundamental
aw.
The responsibility rests not (ipon ;secrc-
ary Strong, but upon those who selected this
method OF altering the constitution. tdo off,
er clothed with ministerial functions inerely
an force conclusions out Of plan 80 detective
IND impracticabe. The trouble, and the sole
rouble. is In the impossibillty OF dbtalrsing an
Intelligent expression Of opinion, by direct
'ote OF the people. on questions so purely theo-
etical and complicated Constitutions and I
constitutional law are matters THO people can
andle only through their Representatives.
nd 1t ie In this particular that the repro
entative principle of our governs rent F. most
seful and necessary. Mr.. Strong Ia certain
y not responsible for the fact that conven-
Ion only Is capable Of passing upoa such
uestions.
But what strikes us az most Iudicrcsls and
ltilul in TINS assault upon Secretary strong
Nd Gov. Nichols is the censoriUIsnese Of the
&C. Bolingbroke draws somewhere tie pic /
ure Of Atticus, the "meanest man in Eome." J
rho would have been 'noted with infamy at {
-thens," In that he sided with all parties and i!
entured with none, assuming the tone or
ato when upbraiding the querulous COM
lainings Of Tully in his exile. The PIC. play
% censor to these officials presents: us an
lnel simlie. The ffc., which has changed It's i
osition five times on the question Of a con- .
convention, az we can tprovs by Its .
!es, 70 ihueeo qualified to assume tie tone )
Cato. Il
tov. andrews, OF Connecticut appears to
vor female suffrage. He calls the attention =
the Legislature to the fact that 1t has not Il
en customary 10 TAX any class df persons in >,