The age-herald., 1900-05-20

repeal end set aside such legislation On most of these subjects the legislature should be forbidden to act except by gen. eral laws applicable to the whole state. Upon other subjects of local legislation as to which 1t cannot be wise to deny author ity to the general assembly to legislate, the constitution should require the introduction and passage of bills upon such matters. to take place in the earlier days of the ses- sion, and thus leave ample time for the more important matters of legislation.
 4 There is a great need of change in the existing provisions regarding our judicial system-both as to the constitution of the courts and the modes of administering jus tice. The scope of these reforms have often been discussed in the press, and by the State Bar Association, and there is cer- tainly wide room for beneficial change.
 D. The governor necessarily and rightly, has great influence in shaping the policy and conduct of the state government. He should be freed as far as possible from temptation to misuse his great powers, and likewise made more independent No poor man can afford to hold the office and the salary now attached to the office deprives the state of the services or many of its ablest and purest citizens. The politicians are afraid to increase it. The constitution itself should fix liberal salary, and the governors term should be changed to four years, and he should be made ineligible for any two terms in succession, or for any other office within a year after the expi- ration of his term The senatorship is rock upon which many an administration is split The desire to at,aln that office presents many temptations to the execu- tive, to which he often succumbs, and of ten causes him, to the great detriment Of the public, to make the office, whose great powers should be administered solely in the interest of the people of the state, the mere stepping stone for federal ambition. If fy ho aol cation for federal office, and hence the pro- visions of the state constitution forbidding state officers to accept federal offices dur ing their terms are nugatory. There is, however, a practical way to enforce such disqualification. It could be effected by adding to the official oath of the governor that he would not accept election or appointment to federal office contrary to the terms of the state constitution; and by adding to the oath of legislators the promise that they would not elect any per- son to the senate contrary to the provis- ions of the constitution. The appointing power of the executive. save as to the heads of departments for whose conduct he is made immediately responsible. should be restricted to the narrowest limits and where a vacancy occurs in an important state office the governor should not be al- lowed to fill it beyond the next election by the people, at which his successor can be elected. The terms Of state officers | assessors should be given longer terms and made ineligible for any two consecutive terms.
 6. There should be a radical change in the constitutional provision regarding the pardoning power. This great burden should not be borne by the executive alone: and while he should not be freed from all re- sponsibility, he should have the aid of a board of pardons. No pardon should be granted except with his consent and upon the concurrence of a majority of the board. There are many instances, espec- ally in capital cases. where 1t is claimed that newly discovered evidence demon- strates the innocence of a convicted per son, and the executive must act finally up- on the matter. The result is that death sentences are sometimes commuted to life Imprisonment when the defendant should have been freed; and sometimes persons sentenced to death escape just punishment because the executive will not take the risk, in a doubtful case of allowing the
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