Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-08-09
NO ONE UNDER THIRTY NEED AP.
PLY.

limitation that is an undoubted evil
dence of the influence of fossilism in
the Constitutional Convention. The
most stupid dolt in the State can hold
the office of Attorney General, If reg
ularly elected, if he be thirty years
of age or over, and a man under ,hir.
ty, though he be the most competent
in the State, is barred. Such q pro-
vision is simply idiotic. To assume
that all men under thirty are incom-
petent to perform the duties devolv-
ing upon an Attorney General, is
preposterous. 1t has been said th-re
is reason for all things-a motive
behind all actions, and there must be
one for this action of the Constitu-
tional Convention in drawing this
line. One naturally searches for a
cause, and in this case only two sug-
gest themselves; one is that the con-
vention stupidity believed that talent
and competency for this particular
office is in some mysterious manner
acquired at the age of thirty, and new
er before. Still, it does not reason
ably strike one that stupidity could
be so dense in a Constitutional Cor
yention, and this cause cannot be
generally accepted as the moving mo-
tive. When the fact is taken into
consideration that a big majority of
the members of the Constitutional
Convention were over thirty years of
age, we begin to see our way NOR,
clearly to reasonable cause. And
further, when we consider the fact
that at the time of the meeting of
the Constitutional Convention many
young men were coming prominently
to the front and naturally crowding
to the rear many not so young as
thirty who have beer some hat con-
spicuous and welded to a harassing
ambition to be continually looked up
to as leaders and be called upon to
serve the people at so much per serve
with fees and perquisities thrown in,
aud reasoning that many of these
saw the Attorney Generals office,
with its honors and emoluments rising
up before their eager gaze, particu-
lary the emoluments, 1t furnishes a
reason for this Limitation, aud the fur.
ther fact that many young men en-
dowed with natural aptitude, coupled
with legal learning that lit them for
such position, we.e coming to the
trout, strengthens that reason. TC
make age quahtication-or lack oi
age a disqualiica;ion- would keep
them in the background where noth-
ing else could. The people ought to
be competent to judge of the quail.
ticatious of Candidates, and if they
think man under thirty has the
necessary qualifications their right to
place him in office ought not to be
taken away from them. Competency
with twenty nine years on top of it
head is exactly equal to the same de.
gree of competency with ninety-nine
years on its bald pate. That is, com,
potency is, or ought to be, judged
by Itself, not by the age of he who
possesses it. 1t were just as wise ts
say that nugget of gold, if possessed
oy Il mSa over thirty, is gold nugget
but t possessed by man under thir
ty, is not gold, or lower grade O
gold-or, 10 draw a more fitting com
parison-"bogus gold," and to bs
barred from circulation as the genu
ine metal. Many efforts have beer
made by the fossihzed element Il
keep the brllliancy of younger met
in the back ground, aud as i, could bs
done no longer III the usual ways, the
age line was drawn. Tue only Won
der is that age was not made the pre-
requisite qualification for all State
offices, and county aud precinct Off
ces as well, but it was no doubt fearec
by the wiseacres of the Constitutions
Convention that the trick would bs
too transparent. The WORLD anc
other Idaho papers opposed this pro
vision when it was under discussion
out without avail. Now a young
man, oae among the most gifted ora
| tors In the Sta:e, who stands on tn,
top round of the legal ladder and ha.
succeeded, whenever the opportunit,
has presented itself, of downing th,
bigotted, self-lmportant fossils VIII,
have posed as modern Solomons, anC
some of the same who lent hand il
/ enactiug the constitutional provision