The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-03-26
AN OUTRAGEOUS BILL.

pfONlue LOT submitting 10 NOle VI lut
people the question of calling consti.
tutional convention in 1898, has passed
the Senate, and is now in the hands OF
the House. We sincerely hope that
the House of Representatives, which is
supposed to be nearer to the people
than the Senate, will rise up in its might,
and assert itself in overthrowing Senator
Lauing's revolutionary scheme.
Of all the reckless, arrogant and nefar-
ious schemes to plunder the state, this
is the worst.
The "Ripper," the salary grabber, or
the advocate of force measures are re-
spectacle personages compared with
Senator Laning, and his hideous doe
trine of revising the constitution. Sem
ator Laning does not only propose TO
call a constitutional convention to
amend this great document, which today
is second to none in the Union, but he
proposes to have q convention called to
entail an enormous expense upon the
people, and have the people know moth.
ing about it. His bill provides that upon
the ballots at the fall election next year,
when the question is submitted, the
affirmative vote shall be placed upon
the Australian ballot, so that all those
who are careless or ignorant will vote
aye, and compel all those who are op.
posed to the convention to make a mark
in order to vote their views. In this
way, scores of thousands of votes would
be cast for a constitutional convention
because of neglect or mistake, and yet
if it were thoroughly understood, not
one vote in five would be cast for it.
When the same question was submitted
to the voters in 1891, it received but one
vote in eight.
Senator Laning should examine the
very document which he is trying to
overthrow, and see whether he is travel
ling on safe ground before trying to
fOist his outrageous scheme upon the
people. Section >, of Article IL of the
constitution says whenever two.
thirds of the members elected to each
branch of the general assembly shall
think it necessary to call convention,
to revise, amend, or change this con
sttution, they shall recommend to the
electors to vote, at the next election for
members of the general assembly, for or
against a convention; and if majority
Of all the electors, voting at said election
shall have voted for convention, the
general assembly shall, at their next ses-
sion, provide, by law, for calling the
same " The language of the constitu-
ton is ''tor or against convention, "
but Senator Laning's bill provides only
for the voters to vote for constitutional
convention and does not provide for
them to vote against it. This is, beyond
question, against the spirit and the let.
ter of the constitution and the members
Of the House Of Representatives should
rise to the gravity Of the situation and
defeat it by an overwhelming vote.
If it is possible to call constitutional
convention in this manner, it is like
wise possible to submit a new amend.
ment in the same way, and an amend
ment to the constitution, prescribing
the penalty of capital punishment for a
misdemeanor could be passed without
the people really knowing that they had
voted for it, especially when party lead,
ers crack the party whip and COM
mand the voters to vote an unscratched
ticket.
1t is supposed that the written consti
tutions in America shall be adopted by
the people and by the people alone; but
if it is possible for the political freaks
who happened to be washed into the
Legislature on tidal wave, to fool the
people by making them vote aye when
they don't want to, then surely has q
revolution come about in the way ol
making written constitutions,