Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-03-16
Local Opinion.

The Downey City Outlook, of
March 18th, has the following care
fully considered opinion with re-
spect to the new Constitution:
There are two standpoints from
which to consider the great Consti-
tutional questions now before the
people of California - individual
and general. Each one will of
course consider the bearing of the
proposed changes on his i'm mediate
business. But If he looks no fur
ther, he may take step that will
aid in destroying the great reservoir
from which flows the little stream
that gives life and beauty to his
own limited possessions. Don't
forget this. Consider whether or
not the proper exercise of legisla-
tive power and the faithful execu-
tiOn of law, under the present Con-
stitution, will not be a better rem.
edy than the experimental move.
ment into an untried field. 1t is
already contended that land titles
will be disturbed; that capital is
showing signs of alarm; that taxa.
tion is to be thrown out of b balance;
that extraordinary powers will be
delegated to three men; and that
such sweeping changes are to be
made as to unsettle the work of
years. Every voter should care
fully consider these questions, and
not be swaye6 by every idle wind
Of doctrine.
The Cotton Senai.7ropic dis
courses as follows:
AS a general remark, we may say
the object Of the Legislature and
people in calling the Convention
was to "revise" the Constitution,
which, in the minds of the mem.
bers, meant to abolish and RECON-
struct. The old Charter has be-
come pretty familiar to us all. For
the past thirty years the Supreme Q
Court has been celebrating over
its provisions, and by its decisions
has made the Constitution intelli-
gible to the mind of the average
citizen. But now all this labor is
to be rejected, and we are once
more to be thrown on sea of un.
certainty, when, for the next
twenty years, at least, we are to be
buffeted about by every wind of
legal doubt and perplexity. What
horrors are before us in the way of
taxation? What shall we say Of a
Constitution which expressly i'm.
plies that taxation shall be neither
uniform nor equal? We have now
system, bad enough In all con-
science, but when the Assessor
shall be left wholly to work out,
under the complications of this
new system, rate of taxation
where property may be taxed and
re.taXed, reduction here, addition
there, but making this alone GER
tain, that multiplication shall ap.
pear everywhere, we shall find our
selves In such maze of legal quib-
bles that confiscation will be the
inevitable doom Of property hold
ers. This one article of taxation
will keep the Supreme Court busy
in defining it, while lawyers will
grow rich and Taxpayers poor.
Then we have the school question.
This bone of contention is to be di-
vided up and partitioned among
the counties of the State. We were
nauseated with its periodical dis.
eussion in the Legislature, but how
shall we stand it when it is brought
home to our own doors and made
the subject Of neighborhood wrang-
ling and gossip? We dread such an
ordeal. Then there Is the mort
gage question: blow to all circu-
lation of money, and an estoppel OF
all improvements. "Horrors on
horrors head accumulated Let us
take O rest.