Smyrna times., 1897-06-02
DELAWARE'S NEW
CONSTITUTION.
Review of the Ninety Days Work of
the Convention at Dover.
THE MANY CHANGES MADE.
Great Advance Achieved over the Old Or.
ganic Law of 1891.


The Dover correspondent of the
Philadelphia Press gives the following
condensed form of the New Constitu-
ton.
The new Constitution, which has
been in progress of development since
last December, and which has been
completed, and in all probability pro-
mulgated and declared to be the efunda-
mental law of the State, is a much
more radical improvementOv over the old
instrument than it was expected to be.
1t contains more than fifty distinct and
important devations from the lines
of its predecessor.
The new Constitution has been made
altogether by way of amendments to
the old, but the most devoted student
of the old Constitution would hardly
recognize its lineaments in the new one
beyond the bill of rights, the duties
and powers of the courts, and those or
dinary and long established qualifca-
tions for the various offices. In these
particulars the two are much alike, and
i'll the first they are identical not a
word or line having been changed in
the bill of rights. The others have
been much changed as to form, but not
as TO matter and essence.
NEW PROVISIONS.
The distinctively new provisions of
the revised instrument relate, first and
cOnspicuously, to elections: next in i'm
portance and novelty, to local option
corporations, revnue and taxation,
education, agriculture, health, and,
under Miscellaneous, a provisions
to prevent the legislating out of office
men elected by the people, and, finally,
an easy method is provided for the
calling Of future convention.
The only new offices created are
First, fourth Associate Judge; second,
a Lieutenant Governor; and third,
three Commissioners of Agriculture.
The only salary touched upon is that
of the Judges, which shall not be less
than $4,000 year. This is an increase
of 90 per cent. The Assembly is
made $5, an increase of 50; but the
Legislative session is limited to sixty
working days. Hence, no Senator OF
Representative can draw more than $3O(
for each of the biennial sessions. i
was the original purpose to abolish the
fee system, now so common in Della
ware, and a report was made to that eff
feet; but it was concluded, in veiw Of
the difficulties in the way of stating it
to leave all that to the Legislature.
BROUGHT UP TO DATE.
The great purpose of the convention
which is about to close its works was
to provide for a modern constitution
The old one was formulated IN 1881
But aside and beyond this general pur
pose the delegates kept certain othe
well-defned objects in view and mucl
of the new instrument is due wholly tC
these less general but equally import
ant aims of the men who controlled
the deliberations of the convention
The delegates were unit in their pur
pose to stamp out bribery at the polls
They were almost a unit in seeking t.
demolish the county rings, the pro
duct of appointment instead of election
to Office. They were a unit in striv
ing to put an end to wholesale rObber,
of elections by partisan returning
boards, Notwithstanding that at leas
five of the delegates have held thei
seats at the result of such theft in Ken
County last November. They had n
divisions in changing county to distric
representation in General Assembly
and they were solidly in favor of talk
ing from the Governor his autocrati
power over pardons and in givin
to him the power to veto. Finally, a
their session ran along, side by sid
with that of the present Legislature
their united purpose to take from th
latter the power to grant divorces d'
veloped into fact