The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-06-11
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.


dacity and ignorance that the people |
must be in the exercise of discriminate |
ing vigilance to guard them against the !
consequences of erroneous judgments
and false conclusions.
Any proposition affecting the pro-
gress and development of the State and
the welfare and prosperity of its people
deserves fair and an honest considera-
ton, and he who seeks to mislead the
public by false statements, or to preju
dice their minds by scurriity and abuse
is no better than he, who, in a trial in
volving life or liberty, would bear false
witness against his neighbor.
These reflections are called forth by
an article against constitutional con-
vention appearing in the Nashville
Banner of last Saturday evening over
the name of r. f. Thompson, of Leb-
anon, Tennessee.
He begins his essay as follows:
"The conspiracy formed at Memphis
TO disrupt the state government is the
most wicked and diaboical that was
ever concocted against the institutions
of our fathers. No Democrat, no patriot
can support it. The whole scheme was
Matched in the brain of cranks, smart
Alexis and sycophants of power"
This eXordium is a fair sample of his
method of argument, and, may be, for
all that is generally known, a good in
dex to his personal character He then
labors some objections that are as far
fetched as they are ridiculous and in
dulges in some personalities that are as
low as the evident tendency of his own
mind
The article is as void of common sense
as it is of common decency and is as full
of false statements as it is of scurrilous
epithets. The weakness, unfairness
and ignorance of his propositions are so
patent that they carry with them their
own reputation and it is only in one
particular that we desire to correct his
assertions, and that is as to the cost of
the convention. He says: 1--WE are
threatened with deficit in the treasury
of 100000 or 100000 the present year,
and add to this 100000 or 100000 for a
Constitutional Convention and it will
amount almost to confiscation."
Those who have sincerely and con-
scientiously advocated Constitutional
Convention have done so in the hope
and belief that it would rebound, not
only to the political welfare of the peo-
pie, but also to the material benefit of
the State, and that, by the reduction of
offices and the looping off of abuses
we could start upon career of economy
and efficiency in the public service
which would relieve the people in a
great measure from the burden of in
creasing taxes.
In these years of hard times it be-
hooves the State as well as the individ-
ual to practice economy, and under the
pressure of public and private burdens
the people are making virtue of neces-
sity and just but hard economy is
now the guiding principle of their lives.
This disposition among the people is
as it should be and it deserves not to be
imposed upon. The opponents of con-
stitutional revision are ,howeverplaying
upon this economical disposition of the
people with shameless disregard of
truth and a reckless indifference to con-
sequences. AS if they could advance
no other argument against the conven-
ton except that of the expense of it.,
they are industriously circulating false
statements as TO the probable cost
which will accrue to the State upon
holding the convention, in the hope
that the people, at this critical iuncture
of public credit, may be frightened into
opposition.
The assertion that the Constitutional
Convention will cost the State 100000
or 100000 is either the product of ignOr-
ance or of a disposition to willfully per-
vert the truth.
In an article by w. w, Mcdowell,
published in the Commercially Appeal,
the subject of the cost of the conven-
ton is fully and fairly treated as fol-
lows:
"Many people who have not investi-
gated the question have been misled by
the opponents of a cons titutiOnal con
vention in respect to the cost that would
be incurred by the State in calling a
constitutional convention. Many of
these designing men place this cost
anywhere from 100000 to 100000, ac-
cording to the range of their elastic con-
science. The constitution of 1870 cost
only $2l ,242.70, as will be seen from the
journal of that convention, PIP. 400403,
and should one be called by the people
in August, it would cost but little more !;
that will be readily seen from the fol-
towing facts:
81. Section of house bill No. SO eX-
pressiy provides that the members
shall only receive - per day, and that
the convention shall not continue in
session for longer period of time than
seventy-tive days. There can be only
ninety-nine delegates, and if all of them
should be present every day, each of
the ninetv-niue would receive a per
diem of $3.50. Multiply this by the total
number ninety. nine, which gives Sl4S50
as the per diem cost of the convention,
should all the members attend each day
and the convention sit seventy-five
days.
"2. The number of members of the
convention, if called, will be the same
as compose the general assembly, who
receive as mileage Is cents per mile
from their respective homes to Nash
vile, which, at Is cents per mile, aggre-
gates S6,7l0, as will be seen from the
anDronriatiOn hills of the general assem-