The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-03-03
A Constitutional Convention

SENATOR BURKITr said
Mr.. PRESIDENT: The Committee on Con
stitutional Amendments, of which have
the honor to be Chairman, has labored for
a time to mature a bill acceptable to the
Legislature, which authorizes the people
to call Convention. | give this bill nv
| hearty support, for the reason that lis prin-
cipal feature only opens the mouths OF the
people aud allows them to speak oul and
say whether they want Convention or not.
| Ii a majority vote for Convention. the
people assume all the responsibility as to
the result and expense. Surely the people
| have the right TO speak for themselves
and say what they want. This is the only
issue IN this bill. We have no right to
travel OUT OF the record aud debate here
what the Convention may or may not do ii
| convened. That is for the Convention TO
| do. l regard Convention as a necessity,
/ for two reasons First-We need so many
/ amendments, and as we have TO get two
thirds OF both houses TO pass a resolution
Tor an amendment, it is therefore difficult
matter TO get such a resolution through,
when the calling OF a Convention only
requires majority of both houses. We
could not get enough amendments IN one
| hundred years to our present Constitution
to make il good one. By a Convention
we can remedy all these detects at once.
| Secondly-As another proof OF the
necessity OF calling a Convention. ali the
other Southern States have had Conventions
since the war and remodeled their Cons i'm
| tions, and it is not reasonable TO snnnose
thai they would have done so had II moi
! been a necessity.
And another reason may be added Our
present Constitution was formed by
carpet-haggers, and by those who were
enemies to our prosperity, welfare and hap
plness- And surely the native people ii
Mississippi, and the Democratic parfv
have a. much right, and are as competent
to make Constitution for themselves as
the mousrel race who formed the present
one; and further We rejected This Tansti
tuition at the baIlot-box in 1868. Yon-
present speaker was one 81 the commits.
sioners OF election at that time. and assist
ed IN defeating that odioas Constitution
L. was afterwards modified by Gen. Grant
and forced upon us, you mayssay. BY the
oayonef, az we were then under military
rule
Another reason for Convention The
present Constitution was inteuded bv H.
trainers 10 concentrate such power IN the
Executive as TO enable him to hold now.
by blending judicial With executive ioan.
eDce, which subyerts the plan Of oovar,-
inent formed by our fathers. viz Ia have
three distinct heads, independent Of each
otner-the legislative, Judicial and exec
A Constitutional Convention will rem.
cay many OF these evils, and elect the
Judges by the people or by the I,egisla-
lore- AZ 70 Inc cost OF Convention.
contend that we can prune our present -
penses enough to save $500 COD ont MT, 81 r.
present cost per annum of runn,,o
our State government. In answer :,
The argument that the cost will H.
SO great, aud many other evils which
Will arise from a Convention. I no;n,
to our Southern sister States -
have held Conventions and ask are IT,.
bankrupted? Have they suffered ali ~
injury, disturbance and ruin. predicted 60 |
US If we hold Constitutional Convaot;,,esa
They have succeeded admirably well All
quiet and peaceable, and we hear no co..
plant or dissatisfaction from them in anv |
way. - ~hy |
Now let me say to these Senator'S wbo
vote against this bill: How viii yen face /
your constituents when you go home. and /
lhey ask You why did you lock our months /
ana refuse 70 let rs speak out on this great /
question? Why did you lock our ,nen sh
with carpet-bag paddock 1t IS an old
adsge. and true one, that factions sonn.i
founder than words.v Now in vo,;,.a
against this bill what do your actions saw
why, you say, the carpet-bag government
Was not so bad after all. Your actians
sound, IN thunder tones from Tennessee
10 tue duif, and from Alabama II tha
"a Mississippi river, that you have more con
ldence a the Radicals and carpet -bappers
than IN Democrats and native Mississin-