The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-11-15
A New Constitution.

Several OF the best country news
papers in the state are urging the
calling Of a constitutional convention.
Count the INTELLIGENcER against it.
There seems to be no really valid
argument for = new constitution. At
the last election eight amendments to
the present constitution were adopt
ed by various majorities, showing
that the people a be trusted to
make any changes that seem to be
necessary. This being the case what
is the need OF rewriting that iustru-
meit?
In the first place, our present con-
stitutlon was adopted just after the
restoration Of home rule in Missouri
and the return of the democratic
party to power. Among the delegates
who drafted 1t were many Of the best
and most emineut men this state has
afforded. The constitution was a
liberal one and provided a fair and
easy means for amendment. During
almost thirty years our court decisions
have construed nearly every phrase in
it, adding intellectually to its value
and fxedness. Why tear it up and
draft a new one?
A consideration II the exper-
fence OF our sister state, Ken
lucky, ought to go far toward
allaylng any restless desire for change
that may exist among us. The Ken
lucky revisionlsts had a better case
than ours. The old constitution 10
that state had slavery clauses 10 it
and dated back before the war to the
times Of Garrett Davis and his little
crowd, who believed that wisdom
would die with them. So 1t was en-
acted In that constitution-the con-
stitution OF 1846-that amendments
or a new constitution could be adopt.
ed only by a two-thirds vote Of all the
people Of voting age 10 the state, tC
be ascertained by a special census,
This was quite as ingenious as the
method Of Lycurgus TO render The
constitution perpetual. After mum.
erOas futile efforts to pass amend,
ments or call a new convention, the
supreme court finally winked at {
very questionable bill to dodge thu
special census clause. 1t was enacted
that a vote be taken on the PROPOSE
tiOn to call a constitutional con
vention and that the judges at eacl
election precinct should make up from
memory the census Of their severa
precincts! Judges were carefully Sc
lected according to the known bad
ness OF their memories and thei
known fav~orablenes to constitutions
revision. The proposition carried
Then every ism and every list beRa
to stir. Ii was at a time when tn
populist had just made his appear
ance 10 Kentucky and he was multi
plying like the army worm. The oil
greenbacker was not dead, and he no.
took on a galyanic activity. Th
single taxer appeared and the doubl
taxer and the franchise taxer and tn
no taxer AZ all. The revenue law
under the old constitution had bee
a little singular and not altogetht
Just, but property values had bee
accommodated to them. All sorts
new revenue theories began to aboun'
Within three months after the vol
TO call the convention there arOi
more political parties in Kentucb
than there were tribes 10 Palestir
when Joshua crossed the Jordan
The delegates were elected and Il
convention met. 1t was the mo
fanatic hero OF political Muscular
ever brought together 10 the graz
old commonwealth. There were son
eminent and patriotic men, amor
them j, Proctor Knott, who wlshI
merely to strike out a few old claus
and insert new ones. There we
about fifteen agents OF the L & J
Railway company who we're reaI
complaisantly to trade or their yot
upon every other proposition for CT
tain corporation franchise and re'
nue. clauses. There were some 10
haired and bewhiskered fanatics, a
some plain honest men, and sol
plain dishonest men In less thar
week the sessions Of the convent
began to lesemble a college cane ri
more than the deliberations OF a Il