Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-05-14
The New California Constitution.

Dennis Kearney, the blatant sand-lots ora
tor of California, and his following of hood
lums have won a substantial victory in Cali
fornia by the recent adoption OF the consti-
tuition in that state. The fact that business
is and has been for some time greatly de-
pressed there, can be no excuse for the use
of such measures as are prescribed by this
precious piece of legislation, which, with
very few redeeming qualities, contains many
of the most pernicious provisions ooncciva-
bic. Indeed. its effect must be to unsettle
nearly every species of business enterprise,
to withdraw foreign capital and render
matters much worse than at present.
Let us look at some of the principal points
which this instrument provides for. One of
the first OF these which will attract general
attention is the way the new constitution
deals with the Chinese. For though the re-
cent agitation of the Chinese question in
this part of the country has almost entirely
died out, we must expect to see it revived
at an early day as the result of this action
California. The bill of rights restricts
the right of foreigners to inherit, hold and
transmit real property to persons of the
white race or of African descent. Next, the
article on suffrage denies citizenship to any
native of China, and confers suffrage on
citizens only. Then there are four sections
devoted especially to the Chinese. The Sec
ond of these absolutely prohibits corpora
tions formed under the laws of California
from employing Chinese. The third section
forbids the employment of Chinese on pub
lie works, except in punishment of crime.
The last Chinese section declares dangerous
the presence of foreigners ineligible to cti-
enship. The legislature is instructed to
take the necessary steps to prohibit the in
PRODUCTION of Cinnamon into the state and
to empower municipalities to remove them
from their limits. 1t is noticeable that in
the first place class of persons are made
ineligible to citizenship and then denounced
as dangerous because they are ineligible.
This instance is a sample of its reasoning
throughout.
Transportation companies come in for a
large share of regulating. If railroad
once puts down its rates for the sake of COM
petition with another common carrier, it
cannot put them up again without the con-
sent of the railroad commissioners. These
commissioners are to have enormous author
ity, fixing all rates for freight and passen-
gers. The whole system of revenue and tax
alton is changed. The chief aim has been
u put the burdens upon capital. Church
property goes bodily into the taxable pool.
All kinds OF property, except growing crops
and city, state, federal and school property,
are taxed. The old words requiring taxa.
ton TO be equal and uniform " are removed,
and the theory seems to be that the Unequal
ity or disproportion shall rest on those able
to pay. There are also provisions putting
telegraphs, gas, storage and wharfage, so
far as concerns a public use of them, under
legislative rates. The legislature is also TO
regulate stock -jobbing of all sorts. There
are also an almost endless number of local
provisions for the control of affairs. The
salaries of all the state officers are fixed by
the constitution. The governor is made in
eligible to the United States Senate during
his term. The time of holding elections is
changed from September TO November after
the present year. Other provisions make
eight hours day work on all public works
give mechanics and laborers a lien on prop
erty for their labor or materials declare
that no public work shall be begun in any
city until its cost has already been est
mated, assessed, and gathered into the treas
ury; declare the holding OF large tracts o
land by individuals or corporations inimica
to public interests, limiting, therefore, t.
three hundred and twenty acres the amour
of state land hereafter granted to each set
tier; throw open all lawful vacations to al
persons, excepting always the Chinese.
II muddles the disposition of the schoo
fund, and jumbles the educational system
generally. 1t taxes land, cultivated and IN
cultivated, at the same rate per acre. an
mems heads at the same valuation for each
and much personal property twice over, an
incomes as the Legislature may please. 1
short, the new constitution seems to hav
been framed and worded so as TO make a
many changes as possible, so as TO multipl
the number of offices, 80 as to sweep out a
present ofliceholders from their position
and so as TO let in as many as possible
the new and untried men in the ranks
the party that fanoies it can "take " Il
state and "run IL"