The San Francisco call., 1901-12-26
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

TOR more than generation there has been no
< amendment to the constitution OF the United
States After adopting such changes IN the
fundamental law OF the republic needed to
settle the issues of the civil war, the people have been
content TO carry on the Government under the con-
stitution without further alteration The content
ment howeve-, has been by no means unanimous
With each succeeding Congress there have come et-
forts toward amending the constitution and some OF
them have received strong support in the House
This Congress is to be exception to the rule
Already several amendments have been suggested
and some Of them may be urged with sufficient force
to become questions of practical politics,
AS matter Of course we have revival of the old
issue OF amending the constitution with respect to
the election of United States Senator'S This time,
however IN addition the plans heretofore proposed
there is j new one advocated by Senator Burrows
He proposes that when the Legislature OF a State
fails to elect United States Senator the people OF
the State shall have right to elect by direct vote.
The measure is designed to remedy such evils as now
exist in Delaware which State has no representative
in the Senate by reason of the prolonged Legislative
deadlocks.
An amendment likely to receive considerable favor
Is that proposed by Senator Stewart giving the Fed
eral Government authority TO control and regulate
for irrigation purposes the waters of rivers flowing
through two or more States 1t is believed that
less some such amendment be adopted it will be i'm
possible 20 carry out any comprehensive plan for the
irrigation of the arid lands lying within the bounda
ries of the States.
The advocates of uniform marriage laws have be-
fore Congress an amendment offered by Mr. Giett
OF Massachusetts, providing that Congress shall have
power to establish uniform laws on the subject of di-
vorce throughout the United States The evils
sutng from the existing differences regarding
riage and divorce in the various States have long
been cause OF confusion to lawyers and to courts
The need Of some remedy for them has been repeat
edy pointed out, and the American Bar Association
has made an effort 10 bring about the enactment Of
something like uniform laws by the State Legisla-
lures Such efforts however have Effected but little
IN the way Of reform, and is therefore strange
that the more earnest promoters of the movement
should now seek accomplish il by giving the Fed
eral Government power to act for the whole country
An amendment likely to give rise to much discus
sion is that proposed by Mr.. Crumpacker of Indiana
providing that Congress shall have power to tax
the capital stock and earnings of all private corpora
tOns carried on for the purposes of gain, without
gard to the population OF the States and such tax
may be progressive" The amendment has double
object First would enable the United States Gov
ernment tC levy an income tax on corporations, and
second, by means Of such tax it could exert control
over the huge aggregations of capital known as
trusts The proposed amendment will doubtless be
keenly debated but there is not much likelihood of
its passage, particularly at this time when the Gov
ernment has a larger revenue than it has any need
for.
Experience has shown that the people never make
amendments to the constitution for slight causes 1t
took the strain of the civil wiring consent to
the amendments which grew out of that strife We
have no strain upon Us now, and consequently most
Of the proposed amendments will hardly have much
support either in Congress or out OF it When once
the vast work of preserving the forests and conserv
ing the water supply of the West is fairly undertaken
such constitutional amendments are needed to car
it may be provided but the repeated failures
OF efforts to amend the method of electing United
States Senators to prove that the other amend
ments proposed will hardly do more than furnish
subjects for constitutional debates.
The California oranoe-orOuers have had .Lo;.