Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-04-20
The Logic Of the Constitutional
Convention.

manage alIalr5 Dy concentrating all
power, legislative, judicial and ex-
ecutive, in the hands of three men.
There have been frauds connect
ed with the school department
while under the control of small
Board; therefore, we will reverse
the process in he last case by seat
tering the duties among some hun
dreds of Supervisors.
Responsibility to local constitu-
encies has failed to ensure honest
legislation in railroad matters;
therefore, We will see how It works
in school affairs.
We don't like some of the text
books adopted by a Board selected
with special reference to their
moral and intellectual qualiflca-
tions for making the selection;
therefore, we will assign the duty
to lot of men chosen with no re.
gard to their fitness to discharge it.
Under a simple system. honest
msn have paid on all their taxable
property, while the dishonest have
Concealed part of theirs; there
fore, we will so complicate the sys-
tenn as to get comparatively more
out of the former class.
Thoroughly conscientious, honor
able and responsible men, in too
many cases, hesitate to accept po-
sitions as directors and trustees of
corporations; therefore, we will i'm
pose on those offices such RESPONSE
bilities that none but the reckless
and Irresponsible will dare under
take them.
The great want of a large part of
the State is water, which can only
BE- supplied by associated effort and
great outlay of money; therefore,
we Will prevent capitalists, great
and small, fiom investing in such
enterprises, by doubly taxing their
investment and placing it at the
mercy Of those who are Interested
Ia depriving them of profits.
All corporations, if free from
competition, will oppress the peo-
pie by their exacti0us; therefore,
We will permit the few banking and
Insurance companies IN this State
t. monopolize the business and to
Increase their rates, by prohibiting
foreign corporations from doug
business in this State on more fav-
o able terms than our own corpora.
ons may agree on.
The holding of large bodies of
land by few Gland grabbels" and
"monopolists of the soilu is inim-
icai to the public interests; there
fore, we will assess unimproyed
lands at the same rate as improved,
thus enabling the rich mau who
can pay to buy at tax sale the few
unimproved acres of his poor neigh
Dor who cannot do so.
The workingman depends for EN-.
ploy ment on the expenditures of
the capitalist; therefore, we will
discourage capitalists from invest
ing their means i'm this State by q
display of hostility towards them,
double taxation and harrassng re.
striction
Justice should be cheap and
speedy; therefore, we will prevent
appeals from Justise of the Peace
to the Supreme Court. so that the
poor MANY who cannot pay lawyers
fees, may have no chance to con-
tend with his rich neighbor. As no
person can plead ignorance of the
law as an excuse, all should be
able to know what the statutes are.
Therefore, we will make it impossi-
BILE for many of the former own
ers in this State and all new own.
ers from foreign lands to become
acquainted with them, by prohibit
ing their publication in any other
than the English language.
| This is to be the "Peopie's Con-
stitution; therefore, it will discour-
age, so far as possible, all attempts
of the masses to improve the con-
dition of their children by with
drawing State aid from the higher
schools, and so close the paths that
lead to the Normal School and Uni
versity.
This Constitutional Convention
was unable to agree on the few
simple principles on which govern
mems should be based, in less than
one hundred and fifty seven days;
therefore, one hundred days shall
be all the time the first Legislature
under it can have in which to APP
ply those principles to countless
details, and remodel the entire
body of statute law.
Legislative bodies should not
draw pay for any time beyond that
fixed by statute for their session;
therefore, we will insert in the Con-
stitution an express provision au-
thoriziOg the payment to each
member of this Convention of five
hundred and seventy dollars for
"oveitime," while prohibiting q
similar allowance to any other per-
sons than ourselves
The desire of law-maker to se-
cure an office for himself may in
fluence his vote in favor of creating
that Office; therefore, while making
Legislators ineligible to offices ere
ated by themselves, we Indignantly
and clamorously vote down prop
osition to extend that restriction to
ourselves.
Finally, the people have exhib-
tied a marvellous degree of intelli.
gence, patriotism and purity in
electing Us delegates to this Con-
vention; therefore, we will exhibit
our distrust of their exercise of
those virtues in electing future
Legislators, by placing hitherto
unheard of restrictions on the ac.
ton of their representatives. in all
time to come, and by framing a
Constitution that from first section
to last, is intended to guard the
voters against the results of their
own ignorance, folly and venality.
The fact is, that as much as we
are opposed to monopolies general
ly, we are forced to admit that we