The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-10-17

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
This Constitution may be amended by a two
thirds vote OF TWO successive Legislatures and by
submission of the amendment 10 the qualified
B voters for final ratification. But the general As
semblY shall pal call Convention OF the peO-
~ re elcc>Nln OF delegates TO which any per
I'm II ,iis i Ao>N1e by this Constitution shall
} be dis dalifed And the representation in said
Convention shall be based on population. Nor
shall the right OF suffrage ever be taken from any
person qualified by this Constitution Ia vote
And here is the provision on the same
subject in the Florida Constitution
ARTICLE XVIII
AMENDMENTS
! SECTION |. ANY amendment or amendments
/ 10 this Constitution may he proposed in either
! branch of The Legislature, and if the same shall
/ be agreed upon by wO-thrds vote OF all the
/ members elected to each Of the two Houses
! such proposed amendment amendments shall
/ be entered on their respective Journals, with
/ The yeas and nays thereon, and referred TO the
Legislature then next TO be chosen, and shall be
/ published Tor three months next preceding tie
time of making such choice and if, in the Leg
islature next chosen, aforesaid, such proposed
amendment or amendments shall be agreed 10 by
! IA twOihirdS vote of all The members elected TO
| each House, then il shall he The duty of the Leg
/ islature To submit such proposed amendment or
amendments To the people, in such manner and
al such time as the Legislature may prescribe,
and if the people shall approve and ratiGy such
amendment or amendments, by majority of
the electors qualified To vote for members of the
! Legislature voting thereon, such amendment or
amendments shall become part of the COnsti-
tuition.
SEC. ,. If at any time the Legislature, by a
/ vote OF majority of all the members elected to
each OF the Two Houses shall determine that it
/ Is necessary 10 cause revision of this entire
! Constitution Slch Sha all ha anti
! upon their respective Journals with the yeas and
nays thereon, and referred To- the Legislature
1 then next 10 be chosen, and shall be published
Tor three months next preceding the time of
uakIng such choice. And if, in the Legislature,
/ next chosen aforesaid, such proposed revision
shall be agreed To by majority of all the mem
! bers elected TO each House, then il shall be the.
! duty of the Legislature Ia recommend to the
/ electors OF the next election fol- members of The
! Legislature To vote ior or against Convention
ana II II shall appear that majority OF the cleo
! tors voting al such e'ec'lOn shall have voted in
favor OF calling Con cniion, the Legislature
! SHALL at its next session. provide by law for a
/ Convention, To be holden within six months
after the passage of such law and such Conven-
/ ton shall consist of a number of members not
/ less than both branches OF the Legislature. In
determining what is majority of the electors
] voting at such election reference shall be had to
the highest number OF votes cast at such election
I tor The candidates for any Office or Ionl any
/ question.
Anybody can see that the two provis-
/ ions in reference to a Constitutional Con
vention differ in toto
/ In Georgia the question of the power
! Of the Legislature to call Convention
was never denied by thinking men or so
much raised but the question as to
whether the act calling the Convention
! should submit the question of Convention
or no Convention to a vote of the people
before the Convention could be assembled
did arise and was decided in the affirma-
tive. 1t was probably on this question
that the distinguished Georgians men,
TONED were heard, and not on the ques-
ton of power in the Legislature to make
the call, for it does not appear reasonable
that there would have been any dispute
over that matter, under the plain Ian
guage of the Constitution. The ques-
ton of taking the sense of the people
was provided for in the act calling the
Convention and the people voted on it at
the same time that they voted for dele
gates, and the assembling of the Conven-
ton was made to depend upon the affirm
alive vote of the people voting thereon.
The act also provided that should the
Convention be held the Constitution
framed by it should be submitted for rat
ifcation or rejection. (See act apprOred
by tie Governor Of GeOrgi0 February
| 26,ls77.o
Thus there was no shortcut to a
Convention in Georgia and the action in
that State cannot, therefore, be cited as
precedent" So far from it, the short
cut" advocates in Florida find no encour-
agement in Georgia's example. In that
State the Conventionists followed the fun
domentat Iaw-in Florida they propose to
go outside Of tie lar, and unblushingly
denounce all those who hesitate to favor
their dangerous if not revolutionary pro-
ceedings as opposed to amending or re-
vising the Constitution at all This is
equivalent to saying that those who are
/ uOb WttituS W lOhOW Luc cAtITtItSCb III q
measure admitted to be contrary to law
and thereby setting up precedent which
may come back to plague the best inter-
ests of the State in the future, are opposed
to accomplishing the end sought when it
can be done lawful and give rise to no
dispute and establish no dangerous exam
Pile. 1t is untrue that those who oppose
the "short-cnt" scheme are against
amending the Constitution or against
Convention for the revision OF that instru-
ment, and those who assert this to be the
case know the assertion to be untrue. So
far as the FLoRIDIAN is concerned it has
always favored important changes and at
least two amendments already made were
suggested by it. One of these was for
changing the sessions of the Legislature
from annual to biennial and the other
was prohibiting the State from lending its
credit to or becoming stockholdsr IN
any corporation, and prohibiting counties,