The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-08-08
Ainesville Advocate. August >
Revision of the Constitution.

Gainesville Advocate, August >
Revision OF the Constitution.
All that Is convincing or important has been
said for and against a revision OF the Stale Con-
siitutiOn The next Legislature will provide for
the calling of Convention To do the wora, or il
will not We have no expectation that amajor-
ity OF our Representatives on the Democratic
side Of the Legislature will go Tor materially
amending the Constitution, OF for calling Con
ventlOn 10 do ii. The Republicans will be sol
idly against both propositions and if they are
not, the lavish promises of official appointments
will make them 50; and these, joined with as
many Democrats as can be governed by the arts
of persuasion applied by Office holders and their
interested friends, will likely constitute a consid-
cradle majority OF legislators in favor OF letting
the Othce-holders Constitution stand as il IS All
who are not straight out tor radically changing
II, will hypocrilcally lament the failure in pub
lie, but laugh and rub their hands with gee in
private. The people have not the slightest
ground, in our humble judgment, for expecting
any movement To be made, either in the Legs-
lature or out OF 1t, 10 amend The present COnsti-
tuition in any particulars that would be of prac-
ucal benefit is matters OF policy, or money in
behalf of the people. The time and opportunity
for this sold out at the last session OF The
General Assembly; and The battle then lost will
not be recovered in the present generation.
We think our contemporary is mistaken.
The difference among Democrats as to the
changes in the Constitution is not so
much as to the changes themselves as to
the manner in which they shall be effected
The error with many is in insisting that
changes can only be made in certain
way, and that is by a Convention To be
called outside of Constitutional forms.
A bill to this effect passed the Senate at
the last session February Is, 1851 by "A
vote of IL yeas to nays, and was imme-
dlately sent to the Assembly, where it
was referred to the Committee on Comsti-
tutional Amendments, but was not again
heard from. This is probably the = op-
portunity referred TO by the Idcocdte
as having been " sold out at the last SEES
sion of the General Assembly" whatever
that expression may mean. The failure
of the committee to report on the bill
has never been explained that We are
aware of, but it may be safely assumed
that their failure was not because of op-
position TO changes in the Constitution or
to a Convention even, but because the
bill proposed to assemble Convention
IN way not provided for by the Consti-
tuition under which they were legislating
and which gave them being as Legis-
lature. Subsequently members of this
L..
submitting the question to the people, in
accordance with prescribed forms, and
this resolution will come before the Leg
islature at its session in January next,
and if adopted, as it undoubtedly will be,
the whole question will go TO the people
in 1884
But however the matter may be dis
posed of, whether by Conven ton called
in the regular way or by " a short cut"
We dissent to the suggestion that the
Constitution will not be amended. 1t not
only can but will be amended. There
are changes about which all are agreed.
and there can be therefore no reason why
they should not be made There should
be no opposition, for instance, to the re-
duction Of the number of cabinet officers
and the election by popular vote of the
remainder; to the limitation of official
tenure; TO the election of county officers
under proper regulations to the lmita-
ton of Section II Article 4, relating TO
restriction on legislation; to removing the
restriction on legislation as to the number
of Judicial Circuits and as to changing
their boundaries, or to other changes
looking to economy and efficiency in gov
eminent The Joint Committee on Con.
stitutional Amendments reported amend
ments on some of these subjects at the
last session. ASSEMBLY Journal, pages
75s 70 7e2)-which no doubt would have
passed had the report been made earlier;
but one thing Conventionists and anti
COnventionists alike may take to heart
and that is that they are not so far apart
Is might be supposed. There is no occa-
sion for feeling. The question is not as
to changes, for as to them there is sub.
stantial agreement, but only as to the
best mode of bringing them about
When there il agreement, however, on
the main thing, to-wit: changes, why may
they not be accomplished The Demo