Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-05-08
THURSDAY. MAY S, 1902.
"rHE VOICE or THE PEOPLE"


III, nj 1hnts say: "Oi iilty.one counties
heard from, thirty.live have cxpsessed
themselves in favor of proriaiming th
new Cunslilulion-seven in favor Of sub
mission, and Zine in doubt"
The Times then proceeds % state thai
it has been satisfied for some time tina
''the white people of Virginia are largely
in favor Of putting the hew Constitution
into effect 10y the simple act Of prOclama
ton, and the people always have Their
way when they assert themselves" The
Times also congr;,tuate~ ilstll that it war
the first newspaper TO suggest that mass
meetings. he held f. instruct DELEGATES il
the c nm Ion as tn how they shout \ot
on the proclamation question. This thu
Times calls, The voice Of the p-upl'.'
There never MAS Il tuIle transparent al"
ridiculous fake Ierpctracd IN rOlirs
than TINS SO called nnvcment for instruct
ing the members of the Constitutions
Convention as to how they shall vote on
the question of proclaiuling or submitlin.
the new Constitution. Il is contempt
bic subterfuge, 10y Which rnen are seeking
to conceal their ptrfly-a pretext for
breaking a solemn pledge and Violating
what the present Governor Of Virginia
has declared to be "the Fundamental prin-
cipie underl, ing the making of all Consti-
tutions." Governor Montague, while At
torney. General of Virginia, in a letter dis
casing HE holding Of a Convention and
the framing of new Constitution, said:
"With the exception of the CpnStiiu-
ton uffll116 (which in lhe nature Of Things
could not be subHIirSSsed to the people, and
the Alexandra abortion, w1}lcL we nave
never recognized) all Of the Constructors
made in this State have been submitted to
the people. THE VERY GENIUS OF FREE
GOVERNMENT. IN Ny OPINION, REQUIRES
SUCH A SUBMISSION. | can perceive no
reason for departing from the wise and
Just precedenis Of the fathers, or from the
Fundamental principle underlying the
making Of all Constitutions, by giving to
any Convention the ngh, To make Con
stitu'iHn ,cii,om submitting il 10 the people
for rat;fcdioa or rejection"
What stronger argument can he pre-
scented than the above against the declared
purpose Of men WHO douia the
Constitutional Convention to proclaim the
new Constitution? Mr.. Montague wrote
these words jus; befre the Norfolk COnven-
ton, where tie d. nocralic party pledged
ilselfto submit theI Constitution. when one
was framed. tn the people fOrIatif"ation or
rejection. The man Who wrote the r,soin
ton adopted by the Nrrfolk Convention
afterwards sal in the Iynchburg NeNs,
of which he j. editor, dat the resolution
was pledge "to submit the new Consti
tuition to the popular role for ratification or
rejection" Only qnihblers will undertake
to deny the true meaning Of that pledge
or the subsequent, first construction by the
author of the resolution"
Iotelligen,, honest people cannot he de.
ceiced By The artice noT being employed
Occurring the sanction Of the people by
mass meetings) to release the Convention
from the pledge that was made to sn' init,
or to jcstify it in violating ''the fundamen.
tai principle underlying the making of ali
Constitutions.
These called mass meetings that have
been and are being held represent an in
significant minority of the Democratic
party, and still more insignificant minor
ity of the popular vote of the State. 1t
will take a very partisan conscience to be
satisfied with such release from a solemn
pledge and a still more solemn obligation.
The very effort of the Convention to man
ufacture sentiment favorable to its pro-
posed act of usurpation shows that the
advocates of proclamation are trying to
deceive the people rather than secure their
approval Of dangerous violation of pre-
cedent and lhe rights Of citizenship, The
voice OF the people is not being sought
and it is not being heard. II is partisan
machine. t. yirg to extenuate an act of
porfHv and tiSurnafinn