Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-01-15
Constitutions for States.

Iu.I Is. H..,.I I'.u
T. Drl"'ntc \uorn,,. ulI 80 pro
,ido foI the folmltIun and admls-
aluu ibtu the tnlun of the State of
Narh ugtou, there are few pecu-
haf features winch Lnvc been severe
is commented upon 10y portion of
iho pics> Of the Territory. We re-
t,i tu those i,siuctIons which Con
i'.- o., .A.d {" pace upon the
action 81 tho people IA iuInIbg IA
c.ustiruu.n liz bhl lIoNId,s thai
h,uhcr tito state nor any city or
town 90 municipal corporation shall
loan. oI slNo Its money or credit, III
AL If any associntiun, corporation
ul IINntC undoIlHkiuS, that no cor
p1iauun shall be luImcl within the
State lui the purpose OF buying and
selling real estate, that no portion OF
any property belonging to any cor
putalion except those organized Tor
religious OF educational purposes
shall bo exempt from taxation, and
that the State shall enact laws for
huddlng ANY railroad OF other trans
Ioi tal"n company tO give passes to
m,mbeia OF tho Legislature or ANY
odd ol the State government Inc
,nut.Ains which We have noticed ia
tic press oi tho Territory have 10.
however. soomod to us to bo aimed at
the seat Of objection. Whether these
! provisions are mcIitorious or not IN
thouisciNts ~ not the que stion. They
lo not properly belong III tins bill,
Il indeed thoy might bc regarded Us
I pIupc, ~ tho constitution Of the
| state. In admitting new States,
I CungicS- ~ required To zee that the
+ state Las IL li,lubhcnn form of gov
.tuu,ni. bat beyond this general
/ provision E ust,~, has no night to
/ d,ttimiho what laws tho people Of
+, tho S,n,, may adopt which do not IN
t"ii,ir with the authority of the
tonoiM t'u,,rnment over public
laudH aud unyigahlo waters or In
dian resoiyations. These provisions
oi Mt. Voorhees, biil IMPLY that tho
General Government hus power to
impose reductions upon tho llber-
tees ui IA State that IL repugnant to
thu Democratic idoa of the autonomy
ui the = ates. They recognise in
Congress u central authority over
tho government Of States, which
would be- Intolcrable even If il were
not foreign 10 our Federal system.
But We 30 further than this and
say that many restrictions upon fu-
ture legislation ought not TO be put
into tho constitution even by the
ir,o aud unconstrained action of the
people forming the State. In max.
iug State 1t II best ouly 10 estab-
lish such original principles OF gov
eminent M are necessary to secure
the general happiness, md provide
lOr future developments and i'm
pruyements. A frame Of govern
ment. oi course. IL u necessary part
IT u state constitution. But q dec
TAXATION of rights, whether standing
10y itself. or running through the
constitution as n part of its frame
work should not contain too many
cnumeralions. IT should contain
only the original principles of gov
ernmon,. \ constitution of the
Stat. ought not, IN other words, to
contain any oi those provisions that
more correctly belon: 10 the ordin-
aty legislation of n government. l!
~ the main defect IN the constitu
tpn 81 the state oi oregon thnt lts
framors undertook to logislate toe
much Tor tie State. !, restricts toe
much the Legislative power unIei
circumstances which weio not for
: seen, aud thus makes it more diff
cul, To- ndjus. tho government to thu
developing wants of the S'ato. Al
Judge Soy has said. " the rage o
theorists To make constitutions u We
! hiclo for the ,onveyaLce Of thei
3 own crude aud visionary nphorism'
! o. government rcquiies To he guarded
against with the most unceasing Wig
| ilancc.
L,sr Saturday the Northern Pacific