St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-05-21
The Convention and Its
Work.

The Convention, which assembled
in shis city on the 9Th Of laet Feb
ruary. to make . constitution for
the State OF Louisiana, concluded its
labors May Is.
The new constitution, exclusive
Of the schedule directing its taking
effect and operation. contains 325
articles. The constitution Of 1879,
without counting the schedule and
amendments. is composed Of ESQ,
showing that the new constitution
is by neatly one-th:rd its bulk more
voluminous than the old. This is
the result OF the introduction into
the constitution Of . large body Of
matter which should have been left
to the General Assembly.
Unfortunately it is difficult to
teach members OF the Convention
the difference between . constitu-
ton and . volume of statutes, and
to prevent the fastening in perma.
nence upon the people Of the State
regulations that should be left sub
ject to change, and are certain,
sooner or later, to need alteration
or amendment. Thus. despite all
efforts to restrain the Convention,
many such provisions were embed
ded in the organic law of the State,
and no matter how urgent and obvi-
GUS may be the need OF change,
there can be no amendment without
the most serious action.
The first and most important task
undertaken by the Convention WAS
the preparation Of = suffrage fran
chise TO establish qualifications for
voters in the public elections OF the
State. The Convention addressed
itself to the solution Of the problem
Of eliminating as much Is possible
the negro element from the voting
power, without infringing the politi-
Cal rights Of the negroes guaranteed
to them by the Federal constitution.
This was accomplished by requiring
that all voters in the State must be
able to read and write, or be prop.
erty taxpayers, thus throwing
out the greater part of the llllterate
and shiftless classes of the popula-
ton.
The same tests were applied to
the whites also; but, unfortunately,
way was made by which large
numbers of shiftless whites were
admitted 20 suffrage, when it would
have been greatly to the public
benefit If they had been excluded.
Nevertheless, the restrictions and
conditions to which the illiterate and
propertyless whites will have to con-
form before they can he registered
voters will discourage N anv Of them.
Under the circumstances, the Pica-
yune accepted the measure ~ the
least Objectionable upon which there
seemed any probability of agree.
ment.
The most important measure. sf-
ter the suffrage clause, was the re-
organization OF the judiciary Of the
State.
One OF the changes made in the
judiciary system 10 the abolishing
of circuit judges, and providing for
courts Of appeal, which are to per-
form the functions of the circuit
courts, to be composed Of two dis
trict judges under certain regula-
tons and provisions, the principal
judicial business to be done by
district courts, constituted much
as they are to-day. The powers
OF the justices Of the peace are con-
siderably curtailed, and this fact
throws more business into the dis
trict courts. An important pro-
vision is that the judges shall try
misdemeauors without the intenven-
tion of a jury. This will consider
ably reduce the expenses of trials
in trivial cases, for they will De
disposed OF and not fail OF adjudi-
cation through the prejudices Of
juries.
The country members generally
were eager to enact prohibitions
against the practice OF trading in
agricultural products for future de,
livery, and they secured = constitu-
tional ordinance to that effect.
There was also an earnest desire in
the agricultural sections Of the State
TO place restrictions and prohibitions
on railway and other private c0rpo-
rations engaged in transportation
and the transmission of intelligence
and news, aud these two measures
we're accomplished largely through
the cooperation Of members from
this city who have heretofore strong
!y opposed them.
1t has been reported that the COM
plaisance Of city members in regard
20 those measures explains the mean
ing OF the adoption Of ordinances
that were plainly In the interest OF
the political managers in this city,
and particularly the subservience
of the Convention to the Chairman
Of the city delegation. However
this may be, the requirement that
city and State officials shall be elect
ed At the same time, contrary to the
wishes of q great majority of the