The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-07-09
Constitutional Convention.

Mr.. James II. Malone, of Mem
phis, was advertised to speak in
Bolivar Monday in favor of new
constitution. For some reason, Mr..
Malone failed to appear, but GEM.
J. Dupuy, of Memphis, was present
and spoke for one hour and a half
on the necessity, in his opinion, for
a new constitution.
He was introduced by our talent
ed ex-representative, Hon. JAS. w.
Jones, in an appropriate manner.
Gen. Dupuy prefaced his re-
marks by paying high tribute to
the honor and patriotism of the
people of Hardeman, among whom
he lived for many years. The reas-
ons he gave for the necessity of a
new constitution were chiefly the reg
ulation of railroad corporations,
the adjustment of the privilege
tax, the changing of certain county
offices and the curtailment of GRIM
inal court costs. He said that the
states of Missouri, Mississippi, n orth
and South Carolina and Georgia had
adopted new constitutions and as a
result their population and wealth
had increased. He said that Ten
nessee was 60 years behind the times.
This is the same argument that
all the advocates of new constitu-
ton advance. Well, no honest
man can object to the railroads pay
ing their just proportion of taxes;
nobody objects to the curtailment
Of criminal court costs or to the
adjustment of the privilege tax or
the changing of the county offices
provided a majority of the people
desire it. There was a wise pro
vision made by the trainers of the
constitution of 1870 for the express
purpose of regulating just such mat
tiers as the above, and this provision
is in itself Knockout argument to
all advocates of a new constitution.
In order that the public may see
that any defect can be remedied
without the expense of convention,
the BULLETIN reproduces Article
XII, Section 8, Constitution Ten
nessee, 1870:
Any amendment or amendments
to the Constitution may be proposed
in the Senate orHouse OfRepresenta-
tives; and if the same shall be agreed
to by majority of all the members
elected TO each of the two Houses,
such proposed amendment or amend
ments shall be entered on their
journals, with the yeas and nays
thereon, and referred to General
Assembly then next to be chosen,
and published six months previous
to the time of making such choice;
and if, in the General Assembly
then next chosen as aforesaid, such
proposed amendment or amendments
shall be agreed to by two-thirds
of all the members elected to each
House, then it shall be the duty of
the General Assembly to submit
such proposed amendment or amend
ments TO the people in such manner
and at such times as the General
Assembly shall prescribe. And i'll
the people shall approve and ratify |
such amendment or amendments by |
a majority of all the citizens of the
State voting for Representatives
voting in their favor, such amend
ment or amendments shall become /
a part of this Constitution. When
any amendment or amendments to
the Constitution shall be proposed
in pursuance of the foregoing pro-
the same shall, at each of
the said sessions, be read three times
on 3 separate days in each House.
The Legislature shall not propose
to the constitution of
tener than once in six years.
Note from the above what safe
guards our fathers threw around
the cOnstitution-how carefully they
guarded it; but now with one fell
swoop our friends propose to wipe
out the whole instrument. The
people of Hardeman county are de-
,idedly opposed to any such pro-
and the result of the Au-
gust election will prove it we think.