The age-herald., 1901-09-20

any office under this State. Ambition and duty alike under such conditions will blind him to single-minded devotion to his great trust, leaving the people to mete out such reward as his acts merit, after he has gone out of power.
 The people always prefer to make di- rect choice of their chief magistrate. The office of Lieutenant Governor has been created. He presdes over the Senate and unless called to the discharge of the duties of Governor, receives like per diem as the Speaker of the House.
 The Governor has been guarded against personal solicitation of persons seeking pardons by the creation of a Board of Pardons, which meets at his call and sits in public, before whom all applications for pardons, communications and paroles in felony cases must be laid, and who | must advise the Governor thereon. The Governor must report his actions to the Legislature, together with the opinion of the board in every case of felony. Every Just safeguard is thus thrown around the exercise of the power; but the final re- sponsibility Is left, where 1t should always rest, upon the chief magistrate.
 Under the existing constitution, when a bill is vetoed, the alternative is to allow the bill to fail or to pass 1t over the veto. In legislation errors and omissions are often inadvertently made which the Legislature would gladly correct, if the opportunity offered, to meet executive objections. Under the new instrument, the Legislature has the choice of amend ing a vetoed bill and again sending 1t to the Governor, instead of attempting to pass the imperfect bill over the veto. The independence of the Legislature Is not thereby trenched upon, since it rests en- tirely with it to amend esbll or to pass 1t over the veto.
 Care has been taken to remove uncer- tainties In the existing instrument as to the succession, under all contingencies. in the office of Governor. The Lieutenant Governor, attorney general, state audi tor, secretary of state and state treas urer have been added to the officers upon whom succession may devolve. If both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor die. resign or are removed, more than sixty days prior to a general election for any state officer, a Governor and Lieu- tenant Governor must be elected at such election for the unexpired term. Pro- vision has been made for ascertaining and declaring the disability of executive of ficers, when they appear to be of unsound mind
 The long dispute as ito the powers of the speaker and joint convention of the two houses respectively. in ascertaining and declaring the result of elections for ex- ecutive officers, has been put at rest, by the constitutional declaration that the powers of both are purely ministerial.
 Judicial Department.
 Many changes have been made, in view of past experience, to make the constitu- tional system more flexible. and better adapted to local wants. After the first election under the new instrument, two of the associate justices of the Supreme Court are to be elected every two years, preventing the possibility of an entire change of the personnel of the court ev- cry six years and the uncertainty and os- cillation of judicial decisions which some-. times results from such causes. The Leg islature may confer upon the chancery or Circuit Court, the Jurisdiction of both courts and in counties having two or more courts of record, may provide for the consolidation of all courts, except the Probate Court with or without separate divisions with a sufficient number of judges to transact the business of the consolidated court
 A circuit or chancery division must con- tain not less than three counties, unless one of them has a population of 20,OO0 or more and taxable property of $3,500, ,000 No courts of general Jurisdiction at law or in equity, or both, can hereafter be ess- tablished for any county having less than 2o,000 population and property assessed for taxation at less than $3,5O0,00O
 Appodntees to judicial vacancies hold office until after the next general election for any State officer tx months after the vacancy occurs. When A new circuit or