Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1902-06-13
Inc Best That Could be Under
the Circumstances.

In an Interview published in the
/. Richmond Times of the 9Th. Hon
, 'ohn Goode, President of the State
constitutional Convention, sum-
marizes his view of the great work
accomplished by that body. He
says:
while the revised and amendad
constitution may not be altooetbar
Tree from objection or entirely 90
ceptaoie In every respect. il il in nv
opinion, the best Constitution tbat
oouio nave been framed under the
circumstances, and certainly it is a
very decided improvement nnon thot
under which we now live
When the members of the Convon
1lon assembled here nearly twoIvo
months ago they found tbemsalvoO
confronted with the most serious con-
ditions. They could not disreoard
tne 18th and 18th amendments Of tho
reueral constitution, and were hound
10 obey them as a part oftbe spnromo
law OF the land They realized that
the different sections of our state not
being entirely homogeneous held
conhictlng views upon the all-absorb.
ing subject of suffrage. For many
months they wrestled with that vexed
question. In the language of the
supreme Court of Mississippi they
swept the field of expedients They
nave adopted plan of suffrage which
Will accomplish the paramount object
ior which the Convention was called
a plan which will effectuaIly eliminate
liIiterate negro suffrage, and at the
same time preserve the rights of the
white man as far as it can possibly be
done without violating the 18th
They have cut down the expenses
OF the State government.
They have reduced the rate of tax
alton, because they felt that thew had
no right to take from the people any
more money than is absolutely neces-
sary to defray the expenses of govern
ment economically administered.
They have adopted a new Jury
system which will not only greatly
facilitate the trial of causes, but save
expense to the State as
we'll as to the counties, cities and
towns.
Ihey have introduced salutary re-
forms in the executive, legislative and
judiciary departments.
Ihey have made valuable changes
N the organization of the counties
md in the government of the cities
md towns.
Ihey have devised a just and
quitable system of taxation and, bv
hanging the system of exemption
ave added largely to the taxable
alues of the State.
They have adopted plan for the
overnment of the public institutions
nd prisons, which will not only
realty improve their efficiency, but
emove them entirely from the field
party politics, "a contamination
evoutly to be wished
They have made it mandatory upon
he General Assembly to enact laws
reventing all trusts. combinations
i'd monopolies inimical to the public
elfare.
They have established a CORPORA
on commission with the power of
pervising, regulating and con-
olling all transportation and trans.
ission companies in all matters
lating to the performance of their
lblic duties, and their charges for
e same. This has been done-with
purpose to embarrass the corpora
ms in the performance of their
portant public functions, but to
otect the people from unreasonable
q unjust exactiOns.
undertaking to enumerate
the beneficent changes that have
EN- made, have no hesitation in
pressing the opinion that the
mbers of the Convention have
ilded better than they knew.
JOHN GOODE,
pracsIa,%