The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-02
1T NEEDS REVISION
HON. T. w. HARDwICK SAYS CON-
sTITUTION SHOULD BE AMENDED.
BILL TO CALL CONVENTION.
WAS INTRODUCED IN BOTH HOUSE
AND SENATE AT LAST SESSION.

1t VIII BE Placed on Its Passage
when the Legislature Next Con-
venes-BOth Mr.. HardwicI< ana
Hon. Roland Ellis, of Bibb, who
Introduced II in the senate, Say
1t VIII Become a Lnw-tducation-
nj Qualification for the Suffrage
MIR. Hnrdwick's Principal Aim-The
Present Constitution Has Been
outgrOwD, He Says, and Other
Changes Are Needed.
Representative T w. Hardwick, of
Washington, and Senator Roland Ellis,
of Bibb who introduced, in the House
and Senate respectively, the bill provid-
ing for constitutional convention, were
together in Savannah yesterday. They
both say the constitutional convention
will be held.
Messrs Hardwick and Ellis came down
from Macon in the morning and returned
at night. Mr.. Hardwck, however, was to
stop off at Tennille, near where he lives.
A Morning News reporter saw the repre-
sentative from Washington at the
De Soto, and gained from him
an interesting account of the motives that
inspire those who making the fight
for the constitutional convention.
bills providing for the convention were
introduced in the House and Senate by
Mr.. Ellis and myself on the same day of
the last session of the General Assem-
bly," he said. Because of the pressure
OF business at that time neither bill was
placed on its passage, but they will be at
the next session. think the bin will be-
come law and that the convention will
be held"
What is the trouble with the present
constitution and what important changes
are contemplated" Mr.. Hardwick was
asked. How about the educational quail
fication for the suffrage?"
why" was the answer, everybody
who knows me understands that that is
one amendment to the constitution 1 am
very anxious TO see made. For reasons
which l have explained az length and in
detail on other occasions, l am convinced
that such an amendment would result in
great good to our people and that 1t would
solve many of the political problems that
now confuse and perplex us. While l
don't think the educational qualifice tons
for the suffrage would remove all our
y
1t would result happily and beneficially.
But there are other changes in the
constitution that should be made. The
present constitution was adopted in 1877,
before the state had more than barely
been wrested from the rules of the carpet
baggerss AS a consequence there are va
Tious restrictions upon the exercises of
power, by the state government and by
municipalities, that are not necessary
row, however imperatively they were
needed at the time of the adoption of the
constitution. For instance, 1 think a city,
If it wants to do so, should have a right
to exempt industrial and manufacturing
enterprises from the payment of munich
pal taxes, if it desires to do so, for
term of years after their establishment
This, of course, is a matter of opinion.
That we have outgrown our present con-
stitution there can be no doubt, as is
shown by the fact that at almost every
state election there is submitted to the
people for ratification an amendment;
sometimes there are several.
Again, our tax laws are cumbersome
behind the times and ill-ada pied 10 the
present needs of a great state Georgia
is the only progressive state in the union
where man is practically the sole judge
of the value of his property for taxation.
There is provision in the haw by which
the tax receiver may reject a return and,
with the taxpayer, submit the question of
value TO arbitrat lion. Tax receivers are
human, however and usually politicians
My experience with them leads to the
conclusion that all want to be reelected.
When they understand that 10 reject a re-
turn means the enmity of the man whose
return is thus questioned, they reflect
long and hard before they adopt such
course. The practical result of the matter
is that property is returned and taxed at
the valuation placed upon it by the owner.
Now taxation is a relative science. If
two men return their property and both
undervalue it equally, why the result is
not harmful If the same basis of value
is observed throughout, 1t matters not
whether the tax rate be made high or
low; all taxpayers will contribute equal
ly to the support of the government. Blu.
If there is a difference in assessing val
ues why then the result is Injustice
If A and B each possesses a piece of
property worth $1,000 and A returns it at
$1,000 and b at $780, and the receiver, as
he is altogether likely to do, accepts both
returns contributes, for the support
of the government just twice as much
as does b. There should be some fixed
and uniform method of assessing tax val
ues and IL is one change which should
De made in the present constitution.
Another defect. The judiciary of
Georgia is worse paid than that of any
other prominent state in the Union
worse paid than that of most of the unim-
pcrtant ones. The result is that unless
man has an Independent income he can
not afford to accept a seat on the bench f;
he cannot support his family on the beg
carly $1,000 a year that the state doles
out to judges of the Superior Courts The
consequence is that only in rare in
stances does a lawyer of first rate or
even second rate ability. accept an ap-
pointment. This ought to be changed.
These are not all the changes I think
should be made" said MIR. Hardwick,
but they are typical of the others. 1t is
my fixed opinion that a constitutional
convention is needed and my belief that
Il will be called"
Yes" Senator Ellis said. land we are
going 10 rave one We shall introduce
the bill first in the Senate and l am as
sured OF the votes Of three fourths of the
members OF that body in its favor With
the prestige of victory in the Senate. we
hope without much difficulty to get the
bill through the House"
Messrs. Ellis and Hardwick are regard
ed as the leaders of the fight for the con-
stitutional convention. Both are young
1nent, but both have been long in politics
and number among their political and
personal friends the political leaders of