The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1891-07-11

Judge VIM. Lindsay Of this city,
was interviewed by reporter for
the Louisville Post recently and gave
the following as his opinion of the
new Constitution:
"What, in you opinion, are the feat
ures which commend it?" was asked
of the Judge.
"Well, let me say, to begin with,
that was opposed to the calling of a
Constitutional Convention. l saw in
the drift of affairs conflict between
capital and those people who con-
,sidered their interests inimicable to
aggregated wealth, and l feared that
one or the other would get control of
the body and would abuse its power
in shaping the organic law. The
convention, as is well known, was
pervaded by strong anti-corpora-
tion sentiment, but in looking over
its work was very agreeably sur
prised at the moderate use that was
made Of its power. What was done
was in the direction of preventing
corporations from abusing their pow
.ers.
''Now to the bill of particulars: In
the first is the open clause by which
the constitution may be amended as
experience points out the necessity.
This clause is open enough to be
practicable and tight enough to give
stability to the organic law. You
don't want your constitution as sus
-ceptible to change as your statutes
"Then there is the Judicial depart
ment. The Appellate branch Of it is
not what l would like to have seen,
but it is an improvement on the pres
emit system and is easy to masa end in
case it doesn't work satisfactorily. 1t
would be more difficult to change the
Circuit Court arrangement with it's
thirty or more judges, but it seems
to be what is generally wanted. My
idea of what ali Appellate Court sys-
tenn out to be-well, that would take
too long to explain, and besides
would lead away from the subject of
the new constitution which we have
under consideration.
''Then there are the changes in the
Legislative department. While l
think the limitations of the system,
so far as local matters are concerned,
may go farther than was desirable,
y
ton are indispensable to making the
,Genel al Assembly real Legislative
body, and if it turns out that the
constitution goes too far in these re-
spects, no great harm can come in the
next eight or ten years if we have no
more Of this character of legislation
during that time.
81 think that the general system Of
taxation proposed by the new instru-
ment is likely to result in more uni
form and equal apportionment of
taxation than we have heretofore
had. And while it may be doubtful
whether it wouldn't have been better
to have permitted localities to assist
in the building of railroads in which
they have a special interest, it is bet
ter to abolish that power than have it
subject to the abuses that have grown
up under the existing constitution.
"Weu, there is the secret ballot 1t
is rather against my instincts and
Judgment, but it has operated well in
other States, and it was absolutely
necessary to do something in the in
terest of honest elections. / think
there can be no doubt that the large
majority of the people are in favor Of
giving it a trial.
81 think that most Of the exceptions
that have been taken to the new con-
stitution are rather captious than
substantial; and four or five provis-
ions that appear to be really objec-
tionable can be cured through the
open clauses as rapidly as their evil
results, if any there should be, are
developed. And upon the whole 1
think it is for all of the people to set
tie this question Of constitutional re-
form by the adoption of the proposed
document, which, to say the least, is
a fairly good instrument and very
much better suited to the present
condition of affairs than our existing
organic law
81 see nothing in the proposed con-
.stitution that is likely to interfere
with legitimate progress or to dis
courage the investment of capital in
Kentucky interest. The truth is,
we've been discounting the future
during the last four or five years to a
degree that is not entirely healthy,
and with or without constitutional
changes We'll have to check specula-
ton until we can realize some of the
anticipations we've been going in
debt for as though we already had the
future in hand"