Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-11-01
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENTS.
All Three are Unwise and Dangerous
and Should be Defeated.

Denver kepuDlcan.
After making a very careful investiga-
ton and study OF all the facts relating to
three constitutional amendments which
will be submitted for the approval or
rejection of voters at the coming election,
the Republican is thoroughly convinced
that they should all be voted down.
The first amendment would permit any
county, municipality or school district in
Colorado to guarantee an unlimited Is
sue of warrants OF bonds to provide for
local public improvements, and that
would be a very dangerous power to vest
in the officers of any OF our counties,
cities or school districts. As the consti-
tuition reads at present, no county. mum
icipality, township or school district can
incur an indebtedness exceeding per
cent. of its last assessed valuation, and
the people of this commonwealth have
got along very we'll under that restric-
ton up to date. Now why should they
empower any set of officers to pledge
their credit to an unlimited extent, when
past experience has shown that such a
policy is not necessary to the welfare OF
growth Of the state or any proportion of
It.
The second amendment provides that
all citizens of Colorado having more than
25,OOO population may, by a vote of a
majority, increase their bonded indebt-
edness 66 2-3 per cent. over the present
limitation provided by the constitution.
The constitution now limits the amount
of debt that any city may contract to 3
per cent. OF its assessed valuation, but il
the proposed amendment should be
adopted, the limit would be raised to
per cent. ofthe assessed valuation, which
would be equivalent to an increase in the
bonded debt of 66 2-3 per cont. In the
case of Denver, for instance, which now
has nearly &2,OO0,0 900 Of bonds outstand-
600 if the amendment should be adopted,
and all the money thus obtained would
have to be applied to the purchase of
sites for parlAEa and parkways. None of
it could be used for the improvement of
any of-our present parks or OF any Others
that might be purchased in the future.
The third amendment is designed to
authorize the legislature to provide by
statute for the issue of $1,500,0C0 of
state bonds to take up the existing float
ing indebtedness of Colorado and to pay
interest on all old warrants outstanding.
The sum total of the excess warrants out
standing at the present time, with inter
est on all OF them up to the present date
is about 81, ,1OO,O GOO, and it stands to reason
that it would be very unwise for the
people of this commonwealth to enable
the legislature to order an issue of
81 100000 to pay off a floating debt of
only S1,OOO,O0O. The remaining 100000
would be expended by the coming gem
eral assembly or the next to follow it, be-
yond doubt, and the people would have
nothing TO show for the outlay except an
avoidable and unnecessary Indebtedness
of 100000, on which they have to pay 4
per cent, interest for fifteen years and
the principal at the end of the period.
These are tho plain and unquestionable
/ facts regarding the proposed amend
ments to the constitution which the
people must pass upon at the polls on
November 9Th, end VIC believe that they
contain IN unanswerable argument in
favor of the e'defeat OF each and every one
OF them. We hope that every voter who
agrees with our views will make it his OF
her special duty to vote these amend
ments down. The constitution as il
stands has served the state well in the
past, and none of its provisions should
be changed for Light or transient causes
When changes become necessary the,
should be made with great care and fore
sight in order that the beet interests ol
the people may be thoroughly safe
guarded againgt unwise or dishonest nc.
ton oa the past Of public servants.