Litchfield enquirer., 1879-08-07
The Constitutional Amendments.

The Constitutional Amendments. l In less than two months the people of Con- necticnt will be called upon to vote upon the most important constitutional amendments that have been submitted to them for many years.
 | The most radical change proposed in our constitution is that which provides for bienni- al elections and biennial sessions of the legis- lature. The change started with the adoption of biennial term for Senators, and the pro- posed amendment will complete the transform ation. Considerable opposition is developing against this project. Several Democratic pa- i pers, Mir. F. s. Brown, of Hartford, pronli- nent Democratic manager, and other pronoun- ced opponents, are out in decided opposition to the amendment. For our own part, we are still inclined to favor it though, we frankly confess, not so confidently as at first
 The kernel of the matter is the biennial cleo tion. Yearly sessions, with biennial elections, would be worse than useless. A legislature, once organized, will do we'll to complete it's work before it adjourns. There is very little advantage to be derived from second sesslon of the same set of legislators Annual sessions do more injury from crude legislation than they are at all likely to do good by affording relief in cases of pressing emergency.
 We confess, however, to many misgivings In giving up our system of annual elections. The closer we observe long term legislators, the less we like them. The grasping ambition of our United States Senate, and the extent to which mere politicians and mere money bags manage to maintain themselves in that body, make us regard it as the most dangerous ene- my of good government and reform to be found anywhere in our government. That body combines the evils of a too long term of office, and of vicious form of election. Were U. s. Senators chosen by the people, and but for four years, it would be great improve ment in our national constitution
 Our present Connecticut Senate has not been improved by it's biennial term of office! It is mainly composed, indeed, of rich men who can afford heavy election expenses, and who can afford to bid higher for term of two year than they could for term of one. As a natural consequence it is full of that coward ly conservatism of capital which amounts al- most to reaction. 'p tsF '+ at-- We approve of the proposed amendment, l chiefly because we believe that the worst evils | of the biennial system are already found in the | biennial terms of our Senate The biennial session will prove, we imagine, an advantage. | Annual sessions produce SO much nasty legis-
 atlon that, for general work the longer biennial l gathering will be an improvement In one long session the House will become an efficient legislative body. Now, they hardly get ac- l quainted with each other, and into real work ing trlm, before they adjourn "' | We also approve the extension of the judi cial term from eight years, as at present, dur ing life, or till the incumbent is seventy five years of age: 1st, because it tends strongly in | favor of judicial independence End, because | the present plan of short term has not ac- complished the good result expected of it. Those who originally advocated this change, maintained that incompetent judges would be thus sifted out, and competent judges retained.
 No such thing has happened. Few judges have been denied reappointment, and then, only for reasons of party policy, not for in- competency, We believe, also, that the .ex- tension of the term of competency, from sey- enty to seventy-five years of age, is g good 1 feature of the proposed amendment. There are repeated instances in which the State has lost very valuable judicial services by the stv- | enty years Limitations we do not recolect a | single instance in which it has gained anything | by it. -,.a .t l A very important amendment is proposed l,y the House, this year. but needs adoption by the next legislature before it goes to the peo- pie. This gives the appointment of Judges 10 the Governor, subject to approval by the Sen- ate. We highly approve the plan. The election of judges by the people, practiced in many other states, has always | seemed to us based on false principle. The bench should be as far removed as possible from popular influences. They should be ap- pointed by men competent to select those best fitted for the office, and they should hold their positions during good behavior. h as.., .... The present plan of election by the legisla- ture, is even worse than that of election by the people. A legislature is not competent to se- lect the best legal talent in the state. It does not even attempt any such selection. Its election of judges is simply branch of the log.rolling scheme of the session. A smart
 lawyer who happens to be present in either House, has great advantage, as has been re- peatedly proved. The nomination is made in party caucus, and the decision of the caucus IS final. Such a practice has all, and more than all, the disadvantages of the convention nomina- tion, and it lacks the, advantage of final sub mission to the popular vote. tls. eu, q: l .. .....r
 There is talk of the abolition of slavery in Cuba, again. It is matter regarding which Spain does not incline to move rapidly.
 The chief exports from this country to Flu rope are grain, and cotton; the former show | ing the chief increase. .,-.. f........... -. | The McGarrahan claim to the New Idria mine under an old Spanish grant, has been de- clared invalid in the Interior Department
 The number of buildings erected in New
 York during the past SIX months is fully up to the average of the ante-crisls period