The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-12
FRANK 3. HOWE. Editor and Publisher
Amending the Constitution.

Allen Mr. Fletcher, the representa-
tive from Cavendish. as well as many
other people and several newspapers.
says there ought to be put In the con-
stitution a clause prohibiting any
member OF the legislature from cleo
ton to a state Office. We have said
so repeatedly for years and years and
We say so now, and after the expert
ence of the past few months, more
emphatically than ever. And we
would add along with election" to a
state office appointment" TO a state
office. This amendment would from
many a blunder free us'-Bellows
Falls Times.
Like most questions there are two
sides to it with right on both. Had
such an amendment been in force it
would have robbed the state Of the
distinguished services of Judge Hen
ry r. Start, Judge l.. II. Thompson.
and Attorney General Clarke c. Fits,
all of whom were elected from the leg
islatures of which they were members.
What we fear at the present time is
that there will be an attempt made
to secure so many amendments to the
constitution that all of them will fail.
Better by far get the one amendment
that will open the constitution to
amendment at any time, than to risk
the success of that by undertaking too
much.
Personally, we are in favor of abol.
ishing the constitution entirely after
enacting some of its more essential
features into ordinary state law, but
this is probably too radical move to
be seriously entertained in a conser
yative old state like Vermont.
Students of history will admit that
when great advances are made by
state or nation it is usually not under
the law as laid down by the constih-
ton, but in spite of it. Such was the
abolition of slavery, and even the fore
ing of the states back into the union
after secession was perhaps contrary
to the letter of the constitution. The
income tax has been declared uncon-
stitutional, but it is coming as is also
the election of United States senators
by popular vote and an inheritance tax
that will make the estates of the plu-
tocratic rich pay due share of the
taxes of the country.
In this state many a desirable re-
form is held up on the ground that It
is unconstitutional. We are coming
to the time when persons mutilated |
in an accident will not have to fight a |
lawsuit that brings them to poverty |
and perhaps fails at the last, but will |
be entitled without question to their |
regular income as long as they live. |
such income to be paid not by the poor
little struggling owner of the mill in
which they were hurt, but by small |
tax on all the business in that line.
We are coming to the time when an |
unfaithful public official can be recall
ed from Office by the people-the tri- |
bunal which placed him in office. We
are coming to a more general use of |,
the referendum, and then will come
the initiative. We are coming to the |
time when men and women who have |
worked hard all their active life and |
unable to work longer by |
the approach of age and i'll health will
not be branded as paupers and left |
TO rot in an almshouse, supported by
charity but will be able to come for
ward without loss to self respect or So
cial standing and receive the old age
pension to which long years of toll
At insufficient wages entities them.
These things are coming but they
are all unconstitutional. What we
need is more common sense in the
conduct of public affairs and more
earnest interest on the part of the vo-
.ers. What we want is more patrlo-
ism and less demagogy, more practice
md less theory, more golden rule and
ess constitution.