Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-12-12
New Hampshire constitu'
tionaI Convention.


sion in New Hampshire to revise its con-
stitution is one of the most practical
pieces of political work now going on.
And Notwithstanding that it is spinning
some things little fine, like theological
and educational conditions and defini-
tions, it is getting down to good deal
of solid work, such as fixing the basis
of representation, the regulation of cor
porations and the like. No matter on
how correct bases the fundamental laws
of the old thirteen states were founded,
conditions have so changed that now
those old constitutions require a CON-
plete overhauling. A provision that
was in the beginning just adapted to the
wants and conditions of those sparsely
settled states in primitive times may be
most vicious in their application to
present conditions. Besides, absolutely
new conditions have grown up in the
time having, perhaps, no constitution
al provisions for their regulation and
control. Take the subject of corpo-
rations, business combinations and like
creatures of the Legislature. These pre-
sent phases that were hardly dreamed of
in the days of the Dartmouth College
case. The fundamental laws of the
whole country are found to be wanting
in these times. When everybody sup
posed that the masses were secure in a
fair adjustment of the prices of their la
Dor the country was startled by the sug-
gestion that few men were growing
inordinately rich by denying workmen,
direct producers of wealth, just compen-
sation for the results of their production.
The people discussed the situation and
became partially satisfied that no great
Injustice was done. And so men went
on combining, appropriating all oppor-
tunities for individual enterprise or la
Dor, imposed their own terms, compelled
acceptance or starvation, and became so
rich that some of them were scarcely
able to unload by giving away their
gains. When the wronged complained
they were told that the relations between
the law and those capitalists were the
oretically so arranged that they didn't
apply to new conditions. And so New
England has to shiver in the cold and
thousands go hungry because in the ma,
ture of our institutions it is impossible
to warm the freezing and feed the
hungry out of a greater abundance than
ever existed in the land before. 1t is
terrible under any conditions that mer
should suffer from cold or hunger; hui
it adds tenfold to such horrors to tell the
sufferers that these corporations and com
binations and monopolists who fix terms
to correspond with the unrestraineC
avarice of man are the masters of the
country unrestrained by law. If thu
fundamental laws of this country, STATE
or national, have power to create com
binations of men and still have no powel
to prevent their freezing and starving
vast portion of the people of the countr,
=. s. L. - -,
and the control of law has passed away
And so there seems to be encourage
ment in the fact that New Hampshir
is taking the lead in rendering corpor
ations servants and not masters of tn
law. And when the states and fedora
constitutions shall be overhauled an,
reconstructed men will not starve ant
freeze in the midst of plenty, nor b
subject to uncontrolled robbery by
class amenable to DO law. Besides, tn
proceedings Of the New Hampshire Con
stitutional Convention are quite spicy
There are several distinguished mel
members of it like Drew, Streeter an
Lyford and that class of men, and the
too the end men in the performance ar
entertaining, the cratic and radica
Chandler at one end, and Judge Aldrict
spicy, entertaining, yet careful and con
sentative, at the other. So on the who'll
the proceedings of this body furnish in
teresting reading.