The Advocate and news., 1898-09-21

and 1t was mostly copied from other con-
stitutiOns. Since its adoption eighteen
of the States then in existence have held
constitutional conventions - Alabama,
Arkansas, California, Florida Georgia,
Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,
Mississippi, Missouri New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. OF the
ten States admitted since Kansas was
admitted, Nebraska adopted new con-
stitutiOn in 1875 and West Virginia
adopted in 1872. In short, twenty States
have held constitutional conventions
during the existence of our constitution,
besides those held by Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, Nebras-
ka and West Virginia as preliminary to
their admission to the Union. Of these
twenty States eight-Californi Illinois,
Kentucky, Nebraska, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Tennessee and West Vir-
ginia.-have held one convention each;
si1-Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri,
New York, North Carolina and Virginia
have held two conventions each; and
six Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, GeOr-
gia, Louisiana and TeXas-haVe held
three conventions each since the Kansas
constitution was adopted. Surely, those
who demand a constitutional convention
are not unreasonable! If older States,
whose constitutions were adopted when
the States were well developed, have
found it necessary to make new consti-
tutions within the past thirty-eight
years, is it rash to assume that State
which adopted constitution before 1t
had population enough to make a good
sized city, and which copied from the
older States, should take measures to
adapt it's organic law to the ideas OF
government developed since that primi-
tive time? But let us see If there are not
specific reasons for a constitutional con-
vention here.
1. The charitable, penal and educa-
tiOnal institutions Of the State should be
put beyond the reach Of partisan poll
tics. No act of the Legislature can ac-
cOmplish this, for subsequent Legisla-
ture could repeal it. Besides, no political
party will favor this when in power.
Only a party out of power becomes an
earnest advocate Of civil service regu-
latiOns But constitutional convention
would have no control Of patronage, nor
would it, in such matter, be influenced
by partisan considerations. The man
agement Of asylums for the insane
should be entrusted to people selected
solely because of their natural fitness
and their special training, regardless OF
political affiliations. Every citizen Is in
terested in this, for who, in these days
of nervous strain, is wise enough to de-
clare with certainty that some one very
dear to him will never be an Inmate OF
such an institution? Were there no other
reason. would not the necessity Of work
ing this one change, so long demanded
by public sentiment, be reason enough
for calling a constitutional convention?
2. OF recent years change has come
over constitution makers, a change with
which we need to keep pace. Says re-
cent writer: "There has been within re-
cent times a radical change in our IDEAS
in regard to State constitutions, and our
conception as to what matters are suit
able for a place in these instruments.
At the beginning they were, as constitu-
tions are supposed to be, statements or
the fundamentals of government They
included in the first place bill OF rights,
declaration OF personal privileges,
which were to be guaranteed to the citi-
zen. and which the government was at no
time to abolish or abride. They included
further, a scheme of public management
and administration. They put the leg
islative the executive and judicial pow
ers in the custody of certain speclfed
agents and prescribed in a general way
the methods which should be used by
those agents in exercising theiy respec-
tive duties. They provided for the Or
ganization of the Legislature, the APP
Dointment or election Of the Governor
and other executive officers and the es-
tablishment and maintenance OF the
courts, and here the scope Of the constl-
tuition was thought to have reached a
limit. Now, however, very different