The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-06
A Cnurtic Criticism.

The members of the South Carolina con-
stitutional convention have taken a ten
days rest They haven't accomplished
much yet but they are tired. They have
done a great deal of talking but have
reached very few conclusions. Most of the
delegates do not appear to be well equipped
for their work.
One of the few of the delegates who are
equipped for their duties is ex-Congress-
man George d. Tillman. His comment
on the convention is that it reminds him
more OF a debating society Of overgrown
school boys than anything else. There Is
great deal of talking and what is done
one day is rihdone the next.
The prospect is that many matters that
should be left to the legislature will be put
into the constitution. The constitution
should be composed of principles. 1t looks
as If It would be loaded down with details.
In that event there, would soon be de-
mand for changes in the constitution.
Frequent changes in the organic law are
not productive Of good results
The convention should keep in mind the
fact that the constitution is not made for
the present only. but for a long period.
There are laws demanded by existing
conditions that would be regarded as
harmful. If not positively injurious. to the
best interests of the people ten years
hence.
Conditions are changing all the time and
notifications of the laws are needed to
meet these changes. 1t is an easy matter
to repeal laws enacted by the legislature,
but it is not such an easy matter to change
a provision of the constitution.
While it is not probable that the con-
vention is afraid to trust future legisla-
lures the course 1t is pursuing suggests a
suspicion that 1t Is.
The constitution should be short in
strument. 1t should be made up of gen.
eral principles and should be the basis
for legislation. The convention seems to
think 1t is its duty to do what it is the duty
of a legislature to do as well as to do what
it was elected to do. If 1t continues as it
has begun It will have a voluminous in
strument before 1t accomplishes its work.
.~T That Venezuela Trouble.
Some of the newspaper correspondents
are endeavoring to make il appear that
this country is on the verge of war with
Great Britain, on account of the boun-
Diary dispute between Great Britain and
Venezuela. A statement, having a dis
timothy warlike tone, appeared in some of
the London journals a few days ago, to
the effect that our state department had
presented to the British government a
dispatch. though Ambassador Bayard,
giving Great Britain certain number of
days, to agree either to arbitrate the Vene-
zuela dispute or to abandon her claims
| to the disputed Venezuela territory. Some
of the London newspapers commented on
! this statement at considerable length, and
| INDUCED in mild rldicule of the Monroe
/ doctrine. 1t finally dawned on them that
! the statement was without any substan-
tial foundation, because such a dispatch
as described would amount, practically, to
a declaration of war. and the President
has no authority to declare war.
| The New York Herald, in its issue of
| Friday, has a sensational Washington
| dispatch in which it asserts that Secre-
! tary@ of State Olney has prepared dis
/ patch to the British government, in refer
| ence to the Venezuela matter, which
amounts to an ultimatum. According to
the dispatch, the British government is
| told that it must submit its claim to ter
ritory in Venezuela to arbitration, that IL
! it refuses and attempts to take possession
of the territory it claims, the United
States will regard her act as an effort to
| acquire territory on the American CONT
nent. to which she has no lawful right,
and they will enforce the Monroe doc
| trine. which means that the United States
would resist with force any effort Great
Britain might make to take possession Of
territory in Venezuela without the consent
of the Venezuelan government
We are not sure that the Herald's dis
patch is entitled to any more confidence
than was the statement that appeared in
the London papers. How does the Herald
correspondent know that Secretary olnev
has prepared the kind of a dispatch he
describes? Has the secretary taken him
into his confidence? We hardly think 50.
| Such = matters as this which the
! Herald pretends to make public