The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-19
WHETHER GAME !
IS WORTH The CANDLE
Tax Payers Should Study the Proposed Call for Another
Constitutional Convention Before Going to the Polls
and Voting for or Against it Next Fall.

Columbus, Ohio, ~May l9-Before
making up their minds whether they
will vote for or against the PROPOSE
tion to be submitted at the election
next year to call another constitu-
tional convention to- revise the state
constitution, the taxpayers of ohio
might well consider the cost of it.
They ought to know i'm advance, ii
possible, whether the game is worth
the candle. The only way to arrive
at an approximate estimate is to
turn back to former constitutional
conventions and judge the future by
the past.
II is required that a constitutional
convention shall consist of as many
delegates as there are members OF
the lower branch of the legislature.
The ratio Of representation for the
counties is also the same as the mem
bership of the house.
The constitutional convention of
1851 had 1OS delegates. The consti-
tutional convention of 1873 had 1O5
delegates. The present general as
sembly has III members in the house
but the Legislature to he elected next
year will have 119 members in the
house; therefore. II the proposition
to call another constitutional conven-
tion should carry a like representa-
tion of the counties in the house OF
the 10Th general assembly would raise
the membership Of the convention to
11g delegates. W+' sR"' ''r
In addition to the delegates the
constitutional convention OF 1851 had
seven employees, consisting of a sec
retary, two assistant secretaries, a
reporter, an assistant reporter, one
sergeant-at-arms and one doorkeeper
Those were days OF rigid simplicity
BY 1873 the tendency toward null
tiple ohicialdom had so far developed
that the constitutional convention OF
that year required a secretary and
-four assistant secretaries; an official
reporter and six assistant reporters;
sergeant-at-arms and two assistants
two porters, five messengers and one
postmaster 25 in all What the rost-
er OF subordinates would amount TO
for another constitutional convention
would depend on the liberality of the
legislature, but If the present array
of attaches in the house could be
accepted as a criterion another con-
stitutional convention would require
small army OF secretaries. reporters
stenographers, sergeant-at-arms pag-
es, porters, messengers, doorkeepers,
and at least two postmasters.
Writing new constitutions is a
much larger undertaking than one
would even imagine in the first has
ty thought. The constitutional con-
pention OF 1851 met May 6. 1850, and
was in continuous session until
March 10. 1851, Sundays and holidays
excepted.
The constitutional convention au-
thorized by popular vote in 1877 met
May 10, 1873 and continued until May
IA, 1874 just one day over one year
Out of these 366 days the convention
was in session 1888 days. Much OF it's
constructive work was performed by
committees corresponding very near
ly with the standing committees OF
the house OF representatives. The
mode OF procedure on the various
sections of the proposed constitution
was much the same as the passing or
an act by the Legislature. which ac-
counts very largely for the protracted
session. The people OF the state sent
I'm petitions for or against various