The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-15
LET'S TEAR OLD ONE UP
Is the Sentiment at the State Bar
Association
In REGARD TO TIE CONSTITUTION.
still Many Members Make a Strong
Plea for Leaving the Constitution
as 1t Is.

as 1t Is.
According to one of them. "the men
who rule the world" are in session today
at the senate chamber.
It is the thirteenth annual meeting of
the State Bar association of Kansas and
about forty of the members are present,
the majority being from Topeka and al
lowing the bulk of the discussions to be
INDUCED in by the visitors with their
usual becoming grace.
Chief Justice Martin sat well up in
front, as his figure would indicate, but
took no part in the proceedings of the
morning
President II. L. Alden of Kansas City
presided, but his annual address was
! pushed over until this afternoon.
The morning was consumed in dis
cussion of the feasibility of a constitu-
tionaI convention.
Judge T. B. Wall of Wichita sprung
the subject in the shape of resolution
that it be the sense of the bar association
that constitutional convention be held
| in the state.
81 believe" said Judge Wall, shat it
has been customary at every former meet
ing of this association for this resolution
to be introduced, and l now introduce it"
Judge Carver moved that the resolu-
ton be laid over until the next annual
meeting OF the association.
'I am in favor of the resolution for
| constitutional convention going through
now" said Judge Nicholson, of Council
| Grove
J. B. Larimer arose to object to the
resolution. 81 am not in favor of con-
vention at ALL" he said.
This called Judge Wall to his feet
again.
Il am dead in earnest about this
thing" said he. 81 believe the people
of the state of Kansas desire a constitu-
tional convention. l know that when
ever the Legislature of Kansas finds out
what the law association wants it gene
rally does exactly the opposite, but l be-
lieve the people have some confidence in
the lawyers yet. 1 don't believe there
are more than twenty-five members of
the bar in the state today who are not in
favor of the constitutional convention. l
hope the resolution will pass"
j. D. McCleverty of Fort Scott thought
that way also.
Il don't see," he said, "what benefit
can be derived from putting this off for
another year if we expect any of the
political conventions to take the matter
up and push it through, The present
constitution is plainly now inadequate to
the present conditions"
ave ara the ones who should speak
first" said Judge Nicholson. ''You may
say what you please, but we are the peo-
pie that govern the world. 1t is agreed
that we need the convention. Why seould
we postpone action on it?"
a vote was taken on the resolution to
postpone and it was lost by a two-thirds
vote.
1t began to look very much as though
Kansas would have constitutional CON-
vention after all.
But John w. Roberts of Hutchinson
arose and presented a resolution to post
pone discussion of the original resolution
until later in the present session to await
the arrival of other members.
81 desire to be numbered among the
twenty five LAWYERS in Kansas who are
o~ro<ed to the convention" said MIR.
Roberta
lam not in favor of postponing this
to kill the resolution" said Mr.. Nichol-
son. II move that the postponement be
definite and the time for discussion be
made early tomorrow morning"
Il desire to be- numbered among the
illustrious twenty-five lawyers opposed
to the convention" said Judge Carver,
II don't believe a constitution is like a
suit of clothes for boy that we can out
grow it; that we have further use for
a now constitution in Kansas today
simply because we were not all here
when it was made any more than has the
. United States now that its population is
nearly ten fold what it was at the adop-
ton of the national constitution"
There is another thing" said Mr.
Roberts, "if we get the right to make a
new constitution it will be found that
there is so much difference of opinion on
what ought to be done that before we are
through we will have a worse constitu-
ton than we have now"
THE remark of Judge Carver about
outgrowing constitutions is clearly out of
place" said II. w. Gleason, of Hutchin-
sor, "when we remember that since the
Unned States constitution was made
sixteen amendments have been added to
improve it. The common law was
formerly considered good enough for
any body, but within the recollection of
the gentlemen present it has been vast
ly improved upon, and it is admitted
that there is still room for improvement
in both the constitution aud the common
law. There are great many things
that should be changed, undoubtedly.
This thing of local Legislation should be
curtailed and the matter of appropria-
tions goes with it.
"a man appears now with scheme in
western Kansas, say, for extracting sun
light from watermelons. He goes to the
legislature and gets an appropriation of
$49,OoV W Pu' 'n0 PAoJoo' AZ opoiaI.oh
The people of Kansas are today paying
for many instances of just such fool leg
islation, and the power to make it ought
to be stopped"
The matter will be further discussed
tomorrow morning.
President Alden's annual address will
be heard this afternoon and T. B. Dawes
is on the programme for paper on
"Some Pessimistic Tendencies" w. r
Smiths paper on "The Ordinance of
1872 will also be heard this afternoon.
Tonight John w. Henry, Justice of
the supreme court of Missouri, will de-