The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-23


the Constitution which requires that bills
shall be read three several times on three
several days. No one can know the con-
tents OF a bill on the first reading except
the author, or whoever may have seen II
previously. On the second reading of bill
but little more attention, If any, is paid to
IL. IL the bill - printed, that is some Sc
curity, and We are apt then TO know some
thing about it before IL comes 70 6usl
vote. There ougt TO be some wav Of pub
lishingto the people all proposed leglsia-
ton before its enactment. Just that
that thing is done TO-DAY in TIC Parliament
of Great Britain. No oil can be introduced
affecting the financial interests OF the coun-
try before it is published in what is called
public orders" Three weeks before the
session OF Parliament such bills must there
be presented. And any pers0n having an
interest In these bills is entitled to be heard.
The result is. after hearing both sides mem
bers can Judge of the merits OF the measure
proposed as 70 which is best. Every oae
knows we can not do our work properly in
sixty days and i, lie not right to limit our
capacity for usefulness by prescribing a
sixty days session. Sometimes bill effect
ing important Interests will be introduced,
read three times on one day, and passed IN.
der a suspension OF the rules, and no one
having any interest adverse 70 the bill
knows anything about it until it becomes a
law of the state. There ought to be more
careful elaboration in the 5rss place.
Under the provisions OF our present Con-
stitution every idiot and every insane man,
and men that are neither able to read nor
white, and men who ran not reason intelli-
gently upon any subject. can be brought in
wagons to the polls aud voted at any general
election in this State for any otfice what
ever. IL we limit the right of suffrags TO
sex We ought to limit it, at least TO some ex-
tent, as TO intelligence. IL We do not o pen
49,. Ill =
women to vote, the Constitution at least
ought to provide that the idiot and the in
sane can not vote. But 1 do not desire to
discuss the matter of woman suffrage
Mr.. MAGEE (interrupting): Did under
stsnd you to say that you favor a constitu-
tional limit as 20 suffrage?
Mr.. FOULKE: Personally / do not. 1
do not think there is any danger in throw
ing the doors as wide open as possible, ex
cept as 10 person who is idiotic or who is
wholly irresponsible for his own acts. / do
nor believe such an one ought to vote
Mr.. MAGEE: Neither do I.
MIR F0UGKE: | believe that even ig-
Borspce has the right 20 protect itself gainst
int ligence, and not 10 leaving the rig hts of
one in the hards o. another bat that each
class, white. black. male and female, should
have the God-given right of saying what Is
best tor itself But that sir. is a matter OF
persoHsl preference IL may be said: II the
Constitution is ID DE amended, why can not
that be done by offering specific amend
ments? / answer. for the reason that it in
wolves the remodeling of the whole Const-
totion. You can't 20 over a single article
without seeing point thai is radically de-
fective. 1t needs TO be gone over from he
ginning TO end, and the only body comue.
tent TO do that is a constitutional conyen-
ton.
Before he concluded the Senate took
recess for dinner.
Mr.. EILLIGASS: II seems TO me the very
principle underlying the argument of the
Senator from Wayne why we snould have
Constitutional Convention sufficient within
itself as an argument against the ctlling OF a
Constitutional Convention. We have seen
cropping out disposition for the concentra-
ton of power IN the administration of pub
lie affaiIs-a disposition to concentrate tle
power of the Government in the hands of a
few men; and the ideas advanced by the
Senator from Wayne MIR. Foulke remind
me of the old Hsmiltonian doctrine adj
vaDced at the time of the foundation of our
Governmental departure from the Jeffer-
sonisn idea of government, with which he
saw proper TO twit the Democratic side of
this Chamber. The forms of government
across the water, to which he alluded, are
what the American people combatted when
they formed this Government. | can not
agree with the Senator that there is any
Constitutional Convention. ! don't often
quote from Republican authority and accept
1T as good doctrine TO act upon, bat in this
case will read from the message of Gov
ernor Porter 10 the same General Assembly
to which Governor Gray's message was de-
livered, from which the Senator saw tit to
refer, and upon this same question. Gov
ernor Porter says Reads from Brewer Re-
ports vol xix, page 30. shall have To
adopt this language, and will adopt it as
part IT my sTgumelt as an objection to cali
ing Constitutional Convention, Four
years ago every Republican on the floor of
tire Senate voted against a proposition for
the calling of a Constitutional Coentional
Let me read Reads the vote on page 169 of
the Erevier REPORTS, vol. xix. Senator
Grnbbs, at that time one of the
leading lights on the Republican
ward nominated for Congress and inglorI-
ously defeated in the late avalanche that
broke over the country said upon this ques-
ton Reads from the BREWER Reports, Vol.
xix, page lbs. Now. sir. am opposed to
this bill, and believe with Senator Grubbs
that amendments should be made under the
provisions of the Constitution; and believe
that the people of this State. after thirty
odd years OF success and advancement in the
grand march of civilization, have a right to
know what amendments are proposed to the
Constitution of their State, under which they
have made such signal progress.
Mr.. MCCULLOUGH: Under existing cir
cumstances, it is the duty of every Democrat
who aspires to represent the will of the ms-
jcrity to vote against this Constitutional
Convention bill. ] was oppoced to Con.
stitutional Convention because the party to
which belonged declared itself against it.
There is great deal of fallacy in the argu-
men Is put forth in calling Constitutional
Convention. There are some things which
grow better by being old. The argument
that because the State of Indiana has grown
large under this Constitution, the argument
that We ought 10 have new Constitution
b.csuse the present one is thirty years old.
to my mind is an argument against
a lew one, unless there can b.
some other good reason shown. AS wsil
might man say who I'D bought his forty or
eighty acres of land at small price aud after
cities or towns are buils upon Dis land, be-
there has been such a growth o.