The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1880-02-04

2nd. A provision requiring the suodi-
vision Of lands sold under judgments and
DEGREES into tracts Of 100 scres.
Bird. The failure 70 provide that each
county shall have at least one representa-
tive in the Legislature.
4th. A provision directing legal adver-
tising to be made in loyal newspapers TO be
designated.
5th. The enfranchisement Of negroes.
9th. A provision requiring all taxa ton
TO Be equal, uniform and according to It's
valuation
7th 4 requirement that the property of
corporations shall be taxed as that Of indi-
yiduals
Sib The prohibition against pledging or
loaning the credit Of the State to a corpo-
ration.
9Th. A like prohibition against counties
and towns from lending their credit to any
corporation, except by vote Of two-thirds
/ Of registered voters.
/ 10Th. A provision requiring that the
same principles Of construction shall be
given to tax deeds as to Sherifls' deeds.
18th. A provision prohibiting lotteries
and making the establishment Of them a
crime.
18th. The abolition Of the Probate Courts,
1 and the merging Of its jurisdiction in the
Chaucery Courts.
18th. The registration Of voters.
18th. The appointment Of Judges and
EChancellors by the Governor
18TH The establishment Of the common
school system.
OF these it may be said that in regard to
the new Office OF Lieut.. Governor, an in
+ efIectual effort was made, within a few years
past, to abolish it by a proposed amend
ment to the Constitution. From that it is
fair to presume our people desire no change
in that respect. And the Office OF Commits
sioner Of immigration may be very useful
aud important one in the near future. The
omission to provide that each county shall
have a representative, has been remedled by
appropriate legislation. The fourth change
or addition may be considered as directory
only, and has, in point Of practice, long
been dead letter." The acknowledgements
of negroes seems to have been a necessity Of
the hour, and, whether wise or unwise,
can hardly be a question in any COnstltu-
tioua Convention of this Stale.
70 the 9th, It'll, Sth, 9Th and 18th changes
or additions there certainly ought not to be
any OhlNNblph blitJ iiihob 10 NoioihNANN
wise and judicious.
The 10Th requirement is intended only to
aid the State in the collection of its reve.
nues, and can work no hardship
The appointment by the Governor of the
Judges and Chancellors, and the abolition
of the Probate Courts are, generally con.
sdered, as wise measures, and well suited tC
the exigenccs Of the State. That there
should be a Constitutional provision re-
curing the establishment of free school
system, and providing for its maintenance
cannot be denied.
If any change the existing provisions be
desirable it can be easily effected in the
mode pointed out in the Constitution. So
also, with the provisions relative to the
|, subdivisions of lands sold under judg
ments and DEGREES of courts.
In the face Of these facts a portion OF
your Committee allege that the principal
: objections to it, (the Constitution are that
it represses remedial, Informative and pro-
gressive legislation, restricts the applica
ton of experience to the Common School
e System. "The language of these objections
is certainly vague and indefinite, and its
meaning obscure. 1t has, ut least, the mer-
! 1t of being hard to understand 1t is GER
= = tain that the distinguished reyiser and cod
iher OF our laws, whose work is now before the
Legislature, has not officially complained
that he has been repressed' by the Consti-
; tuition in his effort to produce q code OF
remedial, reiormative and progressive
laws" or that he has been RESTRICTED
therein from applying experience to the i'm
provement of the Common School System.
= Tho rn,,ainipfy pnncttnp roisaA hy fbOaa
gentlemen is that the Constitution estab.
fishes can unwse and expensive registra.
ton scheme" This objection surely, is
more apparent than real, which bare
l. reference to the Constitution will show.
That instrument has but one short Section
on that subject, viz: Article XII, Section
: 3, is as follows:
"The Legislature shall provide by law for
the registration of persons entitled to- vote
Mt any election, and all persons entitled to
I register shall take and subscribe to the fol-
lowing oath or affirmation" then follows an
oath of age, residence and fidelity to the
Constitution and laws of the United States
and of this State. There is no scheme eStdb.
T Gshed here. The scheme complained of is IN
the Statute and not the Constitution.
f We think we have demonstrated that our
Constitution is not radically defective, but
if in the wisdom of the Legislature amend
ments are deemed necessary we submit that
article Mi thereof providing for the mode
; of revising the Constitution affords a rene
dy, adequate and complete, and thereby any
section may be reformed or stricken out. An.
other questionwhich should be considered by
the Legislature in calling Convention and
revision of our present. or the adoption of
another Constitution, is the effect it would
+ have upon our existing laws An examina.
ton of the Constitution will show as before
stated that it is not unlike the Constitution
of 1882, with only certain alterations and
amendments adapted to the changes Incl
dent to the results of the late war, and our
present system of laws from that time to
The present are in harmony herewith
Those laws have stood the test of time and
experience, and have passed the scrutiny OF
the ablest judicial tribunals of our State
and why now call Convention which will
, be clothed with the power of changing and
unsettling the statutes and the fundamental
laws of the land from its earliest history
And, again, we would invite the attention
of the Legislature to another fact They
are now passing upon a Code of laws, the
result of great labor to the cod;fer and
great expense to the State. That Code is
based upon our Constitution as the organic
law, and why Gala Convention with the
power to alter, amend and annul that Con.
a stitution and adopt another which MIGHT