Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-15
REASONS WHY
NO CONVENTION TO MAKE A NEW CON-
sTlTuTloN SHOULD BE HELD.


county court composed on tOree luSuces,
who received small per diem for their
services in court. The County Court
and the Office of commissioner OF tho
revenue were abolished, and the offices
of treasurer, superintendent OF the poor
and of schools added to the batch. The
counties were then divided into town.
ships, no county having less than three.
In each there was q supervisor. town
ship clerk, an assessor, collector, a
commissioner of roads, three commits
sioners OF schools, an overseer OF the
poor. a Justice of the peace, and con
stable. A township board was estao.
lished. consisting Of the supervisor rs
president, with his town clerk and seve-
raj Of the other township officers, whose
powers of taxation in the town
ship, for what they might consider
township purposes. was unlimited. The
township school trustees, with q presl-
dent aud clerk. made the school board.
The commissioner of roads, with bis
overseers aud others. constituted the
road board. The superintendent OF the
poor. with his overseers. made mp the
poorhonse board. All these officers were
elected by universal suffrage, and all
drew nav from the county or township.
aud particularly in S0uthside Virginia
imagination can hardly conceive the
grade Of the men who held these Offices.
Hence. in the smallest county IN the
State there were six county officers. and
three justices. three supervisors, three
township clerks, three assessors, three
copstables, three overseers of the roads,
three overseers of the poor, nine
school trustees making an aggTe-
gate Of thirty-nine ofhce-nolders--
while in the larger counties, hay-
ing more townships, there were more.
The township officers were elected IN
May and tine county officers in Novem-
Der the former every year and the lat
Ter every three wears, except the clerk.
who held for four years. The people
we're not only taxed beyond forbear-
ance. but were worried almost to despe-
ration by the everlasting pest OF the
swarm of oiiice-holders and Oiice-seek-
ing demagogues and agitatOrs, with their
boards Of supervisors. township boards.
road boards, and school boards. which,
as they were paid by the day. were
almost constantly in session. The first
Effort towards reform WIS directed TO the
county organization, the evils OF which
Affected the people more directly and
sensibly. The whole system was abol-
ished by an amendment. We retain
the treasurer and board OF super
visors and have clerk, sheriff,
Commonwealth attorney, and com
rnissioners Of the revenue and of
schools-all elected by the people.
except the last, and for terms about dou-
bic as long as those provided in the Con-
gitution. Before the amendment the
Constitution fixed the election OF the Gov
ernor and State officers, members Of the
General Assembly and of Congress, and
President of the United States, and
county officers in November. So they
were always elected rs political officers.
Now the county officers are elected III
MAY, so that the party test Is not so apt
70 he applied, and the county officers
more apt TO be kept out OF party politics
and he selected more on account OF merit.
All the boards are now abolished except
the boards Of supervisors and schools,
and the name of township is changed 10
district. as most OF our counties have no
town in their limits.
The chapters of the Constitution rela-
five to the executive and other general
officers were left unchanged, as they
were almost entirely taken rerbdf'm
from the Constitution of lS50-'5l. but re-
form was directed to the Legislative de
partmcnt. The House was composed
of 1873 members and the Senate OF -,
who drew their pay--tlxed by themselves
at S. per day-as long as they chose,
provided they could secure the requisite
number for an extension. They were
elected biennislly, but sat annually.
Their number Is now reduced to 100 IN
the House and 40 in the Senate, their
per dicD is changed into Il salary of $500
for ninety days which is S4 per day,
and if they get sufficient vote TO ex-
tend the session they get no more pay.
Another amendment has made petit lar
ceny disqualification for suffrage. and
8 new provision has been introduced as
to the government of towns &c.
Another amendment repealed the
clause of the Constitution allowing -
Ter cent. TO be demanded as interest on
money. While il might have been
thought by the trainers that this prOvi-
sion would tend TO draw money into the
State for investment, the effect of this
clause was most disastrous to most OF our
people, whose debts, considered small
when contracted, became enormous
when this means Of payment was taken
away by the result of the war. The credi-
tor. although well satisfied with 6 per cent.
before the adoption OF the Constitution,
nj once demanded of the debtor either
TO paw him the debt or give d new bond
at IL per cent. The debtor having no
money had TO give new bond, and thus
practically the clause caused q change
OF the interest due by our people from &
per cent TO Il.
These are some of the changes made
in the Constitution by the mode pre-
scribed in il, which has the great merit
of costing nothing, and yet they have
made the Constitution almost entirely
different from what 1t was even when
adopted.
But there are some excellent provi-
1ions III the Constitution which We can
not commit to the risk of being abol-
ished. BY the Constitution as il stands
the judiciary is elected 10y the General
Assembly The trainers took the cleo
ton of judges from the people, to whom
the former Constitution had given il, and
vested it in a body which they thought
they had secured with forty majority.
Whether they acted with this intention
or with the desire 10 make the Judiciary
the great balance-wheel of the Constitu-
tuition. independent of the clamor OF the
hour and above the suspicion Of deciding
ia view of future reelection, they
made great improvement. Who knows
what radical reformer. some protested
friend of the "dear people, may not
strike this out OF the Constitution-the
only conservative feature 10 the instru-
ment? eau the people afford to run this
risk 4?
The arrangement of all the courts is
very similar TO those in the Constitution
OF 1S50-5l with the exception OF the
county courts, which are now composed
in single judge who is required to be
learned in the law. These courts, vest