Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-03-13
SATURDAY, MARCH Is, 1897.
Entered at the Postoffice at Accomat
G. H.. Va. as second-cIass matter


will have the privilege, at the cleo
ton to be held on the fourth Thurs
day in May, of saying whether they
are for or against the calling of
convention to revise and amend
the State Constitution. In matter
of so much Importance to them every
voter, of course, with a proper APP
probation Of his duties as citizen
wants to vote intelligently, and we
cheerfully accord to the first COM
munication on the subject place in
our columns to-day, though we are
obliged with the lights before us to
enter our protest as to the soundness
of the views of the writer. We would
have preferred that, the gauntlet
thrown down by Mr.. Parsons to those
opposed to a constitutional conven
ton, should have been taken up by
someone else and he will doubtless find
IA foeman more worthy of his steel,
before the fourth Thursday in May,
but we cannot in the meantime, in 8
matter of so much Importance to our
people, allow statements uncorrobo-
rated by facts to so unchallenged or
permit, without protest, our readers
TO be blinded to their best interests
by the cry of "Underwood and the
black and-tan convention Objec-
tionable as the constitution OF that
convention was at the time OF
adoption, if it has been so amended
as to be adapted to the needs Of our
people, mere sentimentalism should
not surely in the evil days which
have fallen to us make us willing to
reject it now and fly to ills we know
not of. Patched into responsibility,
as Mr.. Parsons even admits it has
been, would it not be the part Of
wisdom to patch it again rather than
to take the chances Of burdening the
people with thousands of dollars
more in the present depressed con-
dition of affairs, with the prospect of
getting nothing in return? That
there is danger in tearing down the
fundamental laws of the State and
still greater danger in re building the
edifice are self evident propositions
and surely not lightly to be consid-
cred. If our necessities demand that
we ignore them there can be no
other reason then, that under new
constitution expenses may be so cur
tailed as to warrant the experiment.
The mere assertion though of Mr..
Persons that thousands of dollars
would be saved annually under a
new constitution wont do. 1t is not
enough to say, as Mr.. Parsons along
with others do, that a consti.
tutional convention would result in
the saving Of hundreds of thousands
OF dollars yearly to the taxpayers.
How that saving would be brought
about is the question, and it is to be
hoped, that Mr.. Parsons with the
editor Of the Eastern Shore Herald
and other advocates of a convention
will not encroach further upon the
prerogatives of the ladies and give
only their reason, by saying it would
be, because it would be. If the ques
ton of constitutional convention is
to be regarded as business one in
stead OF a political proposition, the
people surely have the right to ask
before the $20O,00Ois expended, which
it is estimated convention would
cost, for the figures upon which the
advocates of convention base their
calculation for saving to them that
or larger amount annually. Such
demand surely would be reasonable
before we entered into any business
understanding which required the
expenditure of our money and il
there is any reason why the same
business principles should not apply
when the States money is to be ex-
pended we do not know it. None OF
the political optinists who have
been clamoring for convention have
been accommodating enough to sub
NIT figures which have been salts
factory or even moderately convinc-
ing. Can Mr.. Parsons do it?
That a Constitutional Convention
might operate disastrously to that
class of our people engaged in the
oyster business is sufficient reason
too for opposing it, in our opinion, if
none other existed, and judging the
future by the past, we have the right
to be apprehensive in that respect.
Believing as the people of other
sections Of the State do, that there
are millions in our oyster BEDS" they
now give as q reason for wanting a
convention the immense revenue to
be derived therefrom, if proper laws
are enacted. Can we help regarding
the oyster question las great bug
bear" when the mountain people
have threatened to come down in the
event OF convention, if not ito
swallow up our pigmy people" at
least to deprive many Of them of the
means of making living? We do
not believe it to the interest Of the
people of the Eastern Shore, at least,
for these and many other reasons to
want convention, and we hope
their votes will be cast against it