The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-12-25
No. 40

system you have in your legislative
capacity, while in session, powers CO.
ordinate at least with the Constitution.
No constitution has ever prescribed
penalty for violating the obligation,
still any Sub-Alliance or any Presi-
dent, by virtue of this last system of
laws, to which the order is subject,
would, on sufficient evidence, expell a
member for that offense, and expul-
sion is the extent of punishment pos
sible under the Constitution. Your
powers then, as a legislative body, are
supreme under the one system and are
only limited by the Constitution under
the other. You will, therefore, be at
liberty, should you so decide, to pass
a system of
STATUTORY LAWS
and to offer the State Alliances con-
stitutional amendments for their adop-
ton. 1t will be found great con-
venience to adopt uniform rule when
enacting statutory laws; have them
read by caption, numbered and re-
ferred to appropriate committees, also
require that they ali commence in the
same form, as "be it enacted" This
will save time from being wasted in
useless discussion before the BODY
Statutory laws enacted by this body,
by virtue of the authority of the un-
written law or secret work, should be
supreme, controlling and beirg recog-
nlzed and enforced by all subordinate
divisions of the government That is
to say, should this body pass a law by
that authority which effected the in
dividual membership, all State, County
and Subordinate Alliances would i'm
mediately be subject to that law and
responsible for its execution.
The organic law, as embodied in
the Constitution, should express moth
ing but general principles and should
leave the provisions for applying those
principles entirely to legislative enact
ment. This is peculiarly necessary in
our form of popular government,
where amendments to the Constitution
have to be ratified by three-fourths of
the State Alliances before becoming
laws. Hence the necessity of having
the Constitution contain as few pro-
visions as possible and restrict it to
simple expression of principles so gen.
eral and permanent that they will need
no change; and to adeGnition limiting
the rights and powers of all concerned
Your present Constitution, therefore,
needs very few changes; there are,
however, three constitutional amend
ments submitted to your attention as
OF sufficient Importance to be submit
ted to the States and you are re-
quested to consider the advisability of
so doing.
First, a change as to the manner of
raising and the amount of
THE REVENUES
now derived from the States as five
per cent, Of the gross receipts. There
is no necessity for any special elabora-
tion on this point as all will admit that
the revenues are not adequate to meet
the running expenses which must be
dnd IIidt tlllS
seriously hamper. The work. Your
secretary has had hard fight with
short funds, he has received less than
one thousand dollars aid is over one
thousand dollars in debt The Office
is economically managed when the
gross expenses do not exceed thirty
five hundred dollars per year, includ-
ing stationery postage, printing, etc
But the funds coming in under the
present system have been so irregular
and vague that the secretary has been
compelled 10 manage along, relying
upon other resources for the greater
part of the year. He had right to
expect that in the end he would re-
ceive enough from this body to pay
all Indebtedness No other Office has
been allowed any expense during the
past year But all of your officers
have been compelled to advance the
funds from their own pockets to de-
fray their expenses in attending this
This is a hardship and is
not just; the laborer is worthy of hire
and should at least get his own money
returned to him. However, the great
est necessity for revenue is to provide
a fund for the elaboration and exten-
sion of the work into new fields.