Kansas City daily journal., 1896-11-17


jority, are in favor always OF justice and
fairness and If you make that appeal to
them they will respond"
THE CONSTITUTION Is GOOD ENOUGH
The Kansas constitution, framed in the
days when cowboys ruled. is not the kind
Of q constitution We should have to-day"
So says John " Breidenthal. chairman Of
the PopuIist state central committee.
Surh a remark could come only from a
man who knows next to nothing Of the
contents ot the document which he pre-
s1mes to criticise and who is ignorant Of
the care and intelligence with which it
was prepared. As whole, the consti-
tuition Of Kansas IS one Of the aDlest Of the
many state documents Of its character.
Indeed, It was largely compiled from the
constitutions Of other states and essayed
to take from each OF them the best and
most desirable features they contained. 1t
was constructed with infinite pains by such
men as John J. ingalls,, Samuel A. King
man. Solon o. Thacher, John \. Martin,
Thomas Ewing, benjamin r. Simpson and
others Of the pick and flower Of Kansas,
and the cool impudence Of this man BreId-
enthal in damning it with the remark that
it is a relic Of cowboy days is nothing short
Of insuGerabe.
il IS true that 10 meet the exigencies Of
our rapidly changing civilization changes
IN the constitution are sometimes required
as IT is also true that Kansas has upon
several occasions made such changes. but
it is not true that she organic law Of the
state IS so una1apted to present condi-
lions as 10 require radical overhauling
and general alteration.
1t is altogether probable that If Brsiden-
thai were asked without forewarnIng what
alterations the people Of Kansas needed
iu their constitution he would be unable
to answer. His support of the project for
a constitutional convention is not based
upon urgent public demand for reform in
the organic law, but upon what he con-
ccIves to be a political necessity. He is
simply trying TO steer his party clear Of
the responsibility Of resUbmitting the pro-
hi5itory liquor amendment without break
| ing the pledge It has made to the liquor
| interests 70 bring about that result.
The constitution Of Kansas has been IN
| der fire for thrty-six years. The changes
! in It which the best informed men Of the
| state are now able to suggest are com
| paratIveIy few, and few az they are the
! greater portion OF them have already been
rejected within very recent years by the
] votes Of the people. Woman suffrage was
| rejected in 1894. An amendment which en-
! IarEed the supreme court to seven mem
/ bers was voted down in 1890 Two years
| later the same proposition to hold a con-
sttutional convention which is now ad-
vanced by the Populist party was voted
down. At different times amendments
! have been carried, such as striking the
word "white" out Of the bill of rights and
| repeating the section which prohibited ad-
verse legislation to alien land owners. Be
! sides these, but three changes in the or
Ganic law of Kansas have ever been ad-
vocated in a public manner by anybody.
! II we except the never-ceasing clamor
against the prohibtory amendment.
one Of these three is the Limitation Of
! bond voting by municipalities, such as
Missouri has adopted. Another is the sec
ton In relation to corporations which eX-
empts railroad stockholders from double
liability, these being the only class Of
| stockholders who are SO excepted. The
third is :he section which limits the num-
her Of representatives to 12J and yet pro-
| vides that every county having moro than
20 votes shall be entitled to one. 1t Is
true that the Populists have advocated ccr-
tain constitutional limitations on corpora
tions. but this is not entitled to place
in the list OF complaints. because almost
every conceivable Limitation is placed in
/ the hands OF the legislature by the consti-
| tuition itself. II is also true that certain
| little Inconsistencies exist between differ
ent sections OF the constitution. such, for
instance. AZ the declaration that every
county with 2j0 votes shall have mem
ber Of the legislature and possess the right
OF home government and that every coun-
~ having Joss than 200 votes shall be at
tarhed to the first organized county on
the east Of Titus making It apparent
that the county polling between 200 and
go votes has nowhere to lay its head.
But taking no account Of unimportant
changes and dismissing those which have
Ike woman suffrage. already been voted
down. there does not appear 70 he any
thing in the three named above which
would warrant Kansas in going TO tho
enormous expense OF holding a constitu.
tional convention.
In announcing their purpose Of calling
an election for such a convention. the Pop.
ulists appear ia have overlooked an i'm
poriant factor II requires a two-thirds
ma ioritv Of both house and senate 70 sub.
nit any proposed revision or amendment
TO the people. and :ho PopuIis's have onll
a bare majority. which will leave then
far short Of the required two-thiris. Il
the Republican members Of the incOmlnr
legislature consult the best interests oi
Kansas they will decline 10 become party
to this Populist scheme and will force
that organization TO 70 squarcly on record
on the prohibition question without fur
thcr dodglng.
TAXATION OF REAL ESTATE.
Some interesting figures in reference {,
taxation Of real estate in Missouri are Civ
IN in part Of tho report Of the com
missioner Of labor statistics for 1896. Tn
law of the state in regard to assessmen
declares distinctly that property shall h
assessed At its real value. yet tho commits
slener finds the Law IS much moro houore'
In tHc breach than In th" Observance. Il
not single instance throughout the stat'
docs he find the law compiled with. Their