The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-03-01


Eass- F,sr;aiaa: TIE present i The third So
sion Of IL Legislature ssncs the State passed
into the control Of he Conservative Democracy.
That great rsehrms have been accomplished in
the iassviM hssween the asginning Of 1877 and
ending with 1880 no honest man Of any party
viii deny; bat has the party having the control
al the State during this time done all that 1t
could in the direction Of reformt
i unhesitatingly answer. No! What, for ex-
ample, has Il done to effect changes in the Con-
stilu,ion, admitted BY all thinking people to Be
wise and properi The answer Is. Notkiagl And
whyl The answer is because few men wanted
the amendments made in their own way, or they
should mot be made at al. Do you ask me for
the proof OF this statement Why, sir, 1t -
found in the journals Of every session commen-
cling with 1877. In that year . joint committee
on Retrenchment" was appointed whose elab-
crate report viii be found in the Assembly jour.
nal. from page 2S1 to page Sol. This committee
reported amendments reducing salaries and abol-
ishing of1ces. but that was the end Of all their
labor. Certain members, jagged on BY outsiders,
said eve must have Constitutional Conven
ton" They would moi agree to amend except
in their own way, and the result was that moth
ing was done at that session. The extremists
were for q Constitutional Convende1 without
regard to the forms prescribed by the Consiitu-
ton for calling it They wanted a Convention
right away, if moi soore 5u. they failed and
the more moderate mer secured the passage Of q
resolution for . revision Of the Constitution
in the manner provided for in article II, section
2 that is by submitting to the people the ques-
ton whether they would have q Constitutional
Convention for the purpose OF revision or not.
This is all that was done by the Legislature OF
1877 when ii is manifest to the dullest stupidity
that had the needed amendments been adopiep
at that session, they would today have been the
Law Of the land, for the reason that they would
have met tie endorsement Of the people
The Legislature OF 1879 met and there was the
same evidence of desire shown to amend A
appointed, Just as DOW, and all proposed amend
ments were sent to it. But nothing inas dane
Unlike the Committee on Retrenchment'' in
1877, they did not even make . report, and the
session closed with nothing more than an agree
ment to the Revision resolution adopted in
1877; and i, was An Revision Resolution =
that was voted on by the people in the election
last year, and voted against by large majority.
Here then we have had two sessions OF the Leg
islature passing away without accomplishing any
thing And what do We see now. have been
an attentive reader of The journals Of the TWO
houses of the Legislature and have noticed that
q number of excellent amendments have been
proposed, all of which have gone into that sink
hole, Committee on Constitutional Amend
men,s.r As yet, no report has been made by this
committee; bat we find the same old tactics Of
1877 and 1879 repeated Amend in cur way or
not at ALL The people have just voted down q
Constitutional Convention: but that don't seem
to make any difference. as some persons never
learn anything from experience. Amendments
adopted now, Mr.. Editor as you have said, may
! become part of the Constitution in less than
two years and halt Does anybody suppose
that the proposed voting over again will
amount TO much: Is not the proposed calling
+ of Convention, Is embodied in a bill now
+ pending in the Legislature, trif1ing with public
sentiment as Just expressed: The bill ignores
the forms provided by the Constitution and takes
The short cut TO an end
shall fail by the people voting it down. what
then: l say unprecedented" for whoever
before heard Of a call for Constitutional Con-
vention having been voted down by large ma
joFiiy, which call was in accordance with The
forms of the Constitution itself, and in two or
three months thereafter another call is made TO-
tally ignoring these forms: challenge the pro-
duciion of precedent for ihia But l repeat,
what then ;" If The people vote down the
( new and unusual movement, are we TO have a
repetition Of the same session after session. and
all legitimate attempts 30 amend the Conssstu-
ton thWarted: Sir, I warn the Conservative
Democracy OF the State TO beware Of everything
that squinis towards g revolution We have
+ had ample opportunity amend The Cons;itu-
lion and have thrown &c. occasion away But
for extrtme views any reasonable amendment
could have been made by this time al a ir;eing
/ cost or could hare been on the way of ntiiica-
ton love Florida and the grand old party
too well 10 hesitate 10 caution my political ass-
. ciates. Be not deceived The great bulk Of the
/ people will not tolerate "a short cuts as an ex-
/ cuse for failures -
( CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT.
! James HalAmd Letter.