The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1909-03-11
JEFFERSON CITY NOTES.
Doings at the State Capital.
Busy Week for the Legislators Prohibition Coming
to the Front. Capitol Comment.

uSeQ TO line up the Tecalc1tTantS De-
fore they have a chance to vote or
submission. Charley Stokes, who i:
the leader of the prohibition party il
the state and Son-iu-av to the w. G.
T. y. Of which his wife is president
is here to aid his brilliant life partner
in the battle, and he says that the
! legislature will certainly vote to sub
NIT the prohibition question at the
general election in 1910, but the adds
that if the members of this General
Assembly have not the wisdom to do
that the prohibitionists will use the
new referendum amendment to the con-
stitution and bring on a vote without
the Intervention of the legislature. So
there you are. To the anti-prohi-
bition lawmakers it looks like there is
a hot fire on either side OF the fence
on which they fain would take lodg-
ment. They are to be damned if they
do and damned if they don't.
But do not forget that the average
Missouri legislator has convictions and
plans of his own. There is a PROPOSE
ton to provide for calling a constu
tional convention. That proposition
is just now taking definite and good
shape and it may be that it will be car
ried to success before the proposition
to submit any amendment to the pres
ent constitution can be determined.
There are about ten resolutions pend
ing for submission of amendments to
the constitution, one of them provid-
ing for a bonded debt of $5,00O,OOO
for new capital. Another provides
for supreme court with sixteen mem
bers and the abolition of the two courts
of appeals. These are big propositions.
If these propositions as we'll as pro
hibition are submitted at the same cleo
ton there will be lively amendment
campaign. Prohibition may be over
shadowed by the other propositions.
These are not the only amendments pro-
posed, however If all of the amend
ment resolutions now pending are to
be put on the ballot in 1910 the voters
will not know whether they are reading
ballot or law book. The situation
is becoming so complicated that the
constitutional convention proposition
begins to loom up very largely. Gov
ernor Hadley favors it earnestly, not be-
cause it may sidetrack some other pro-
position, but because it is, in his judg
ment, a necessity for. the future pro-
gress of the state. He is not disposed
to sidetrack or evade any issue which
may be presented during his admin
stration, but to face all issues fairly and
frankly, and he will do that; but he
saw, long before the legislature met,
that there would be number of big
propositions for submission to vote
for amending the present constitution
and he said then and kept on saying
that a new constitution is to be pre-
ferred to further patches on the old
preferred, in any event, to the
present constitution, which has been
patched till it looks like that part of a
poor mans trousers which strikes the
chair first He is for a new constitu-
ton, but he has not announced an
tagonism to any proposed amendment
now before the legislature. The gov
ernor has nothing officially to do in
connection with constitutional amend
ment. Amendments are submitted by
Joint resolution of the House and SEN
ate without the signature of the COVER
nor and independent of his authority.
SOURCES OF REVENUE.
Missouri has not heretofore required