Smyrna times., 1890-10-01

By resolution adopted at that Joint
Meeting it was resolved that a ma
jority of all the citizens in the State
having a right to vote for Representa-
tive have voted for a Convention :"
and it was further resolved that the
General Assembly should provide for
calling a Convention. Two bills, call
ing a Convention were accordingly in
trOduced in the House. They were
duly referred to, and thoroughly con-
sidered by, a committee. One was re-
ported with amendments, and after a
full discussion, taking nearly the en-
tire day, March 19, 1889, it was
amended, and passed by the following
vote:
Yeas-Messrs. Clark, r. A. Davis,
w. E. Davis, Downham, Eckles, Hyn-
son, Lingo, Lodge, Masten, Maullr
Morgan, Richardson, Sackett, Short,
Wallace and Mr.. Speaker-16.
Nays-Messrs. Armstrong, Biggs,
Gray and Whiteman-4.
The bill received the full Republican
vote with two Democrats = Messrs.
Eckles and Lodge. Mr.. Brockson was
absent but it was announced that he
would vote in the negative.
The bill provided for the election ol
delegates by districts with delegates al
large in each county. The bill went
to the Senate. On April 9th, Senators
DOnohoe and Collins made an adverse
report on the bill and offered as q sub.
stitute another election ''in strict con-
formity with the provisions and ne
cessary implications of Article TX oil
the Constitution" This is the Ian.
guage of their report which may be
found in the appendix of the Senate
Journal, covering IA pages, and a cal e.
full readiLg will prove cOnclusively
that the Democratic party is opposed
to Convention by any other method
than the ''unexceptiOnable mode
which in the opinion of all true cOnVen.
tionists, Republicans and Democrats
would defeat the changes in our Con-
stitutiOn which the people desire
through a Convention. On the same
day ON motion of senator DOnOhOe
who when he was soliciting the votes
of the people of New Castle county
had posed as the friend and advocate
of Convention, the House Bill prOvid-
ing for Convention was indefniteLg
postponed, and all hope for a Conven-
ton by virtue of the vote cast Novem.
ber 1st, 1887, was killed by the Demo
cratic Senate.
What next ? The Senate amend
ment, us it was called, offered as a sub
stitute for the House Convention Bill
was drawn in strict conformity with
the TX Article and it recognized the
"unexceptiOnable mode" as the only
means of calling a Convention. The
election was to be held on the third
Tuesday of May, 1889, then near al
hand, and the General Assembly To be
elected in November, 1890, was to can
vass the vote, and if sufficient, the
General Assembly to meet in January
1891, would provide for an election o.
delegates at the general election in
November, 1892, and the delegates
must be elected, not by districts, but
by counties, and the convention would
consequently be convention of poll
ticians, and not of the representative
of the people. The Convention must
convene within three months after thS
election, or presumably in January
| 1898. The House Committee on Con
stitutional Convention presented a re-
port, prepared by an able constitutions
lawyer, which appears on pages 698-
707 of the House Journal, offering .
substitute which is summarized in The
closing lines, as follows:
"First. 10 provides for special elec
tion to be held on the day of the mex
general election, when full aud sat
isfactory expression of the sense of this
people may be had upon the question
of calling Constitutional Convention
Second. 1t does not adopt the
method improperly designated In tn,
Ninth Article as an "unexceptionabl,
modes" but, on the contrary by de.
parting therefrom, renders il CONNIE
tent for the General Assembly az n,
next session, in case of favorable vots
to provide for the holding Of Consti
tional Convention as soon rs it shall
deem proper.
"Third. It does not undertake r.
dictate to the next General Assembly
what its action shall be as to the man.
ner Of calling Constitutional Conven.
tion; but recognizes the constitutional
authority Of that General Assembly "a
ascertain ia lts own way the result ~
the votes aud assumes that it will take
such action Ia the matter Of calling q