The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-01-06
VERMONT'S
CONSTITUTION
Continued from page 81

gone. This section relates to the |
powers of the house of representatives
and is still printed in the constitution
as originally adopted,
l. 1t provides that they shall meet
the second Thursday of October. The
date now Is the first Wednesday of
October. (Amend. Art. 24.)
Q. 1t provides that they shall be
styled the general assembly. The
correct name is the house of repre-
sentatives. (Amend. Art. D.
3. 1t provides that they shall have
power to choose a secretary of state.
Amendment Art. 10 provides that this
officer shall be chosen by the joint as
sembly, and Amendment Art. 2S pro-
vdes that he shall be elected by the
people.
4. 1t gives the house authority to
sit on their own adjournment. Amend
ment Art. limits their right to ad-
journ without the consent of the SEN
ate to not more than three days
5. 1t provides that they may an
nually elect certain officers. That is
now biennialy. (Amend. Art. "a and
26)
6. 1t provides that they shall elect
these officers in conjunction with the
council. That is now in conjunction
with the senate in joint assembly.
(Amend. Art 10.)
Z. 1t provides that they may elect
sheriffs. These officers must be elect
ed by the people (Amend Art. $50
s. 1t provides that they may elect
| judges of probate. These officers
must be elected by the people.
! (Amend. Art. 10
O. 1t provides that they may elect
Justices of the peace. These officers
are elected by the people. amend.
Art. 49,
10. 1t provides that they may elect
| judges of the county court. The as
sistant judges Of the county courts
must be elected by the people.
| (Amend. Art. 14.)
IL. 1t provides in one part of the
section that they may prepare bills
| and enact them into laws, in anoth-
, err that they may grant charters and
In still another that they shall have
all other powers necessary for the
legislature of a free and sovereign
state. They now can do these things
and have legislative powers only in
concurrence with the senate.
| (Amend. Art. 3D.
The result is that if one turns to
Section 9 to see what the powers OF
the house of representatives are he
will find that it states them incor-
rectly in at least eleven particulars;
| nor can he ascertain what the true
sense of Section 9 at present is until
he has carefully studied the same in
| connection with ten different amend
ments. The courts and the bar can of
| course determine what the constitu-
tional provision on a given point may
be, although some provisions by this
system Of amendments have been left
obscure; but to the average layman
Chapter Of the constitution and its
! amendments abound in inconsistent
cies, and in parts are unintelligible
to those who are not trained in de-
termining whether one provision tech
nically supersedes another or is re-
pugnant thereto.
The fundamental law of the state,
which ought to be the simplest and
most easily understood of all, has by
the process of years become the most
complicated. AS handbook for stu
dents, and surely an acquaintance
with the constitution of our state
ought to be part of the education of
at least every high school student, it
is most unsatisfactory.
In the last fifty years we have been
compelled to rewrite our public stat
utes four times, in 1862, 1880, 1894
and 1906, simply for the purpose of
conveniently and logically writing into
the statutes the amendments then
| existing The same considera
tons which make that desirable
and necessary in the case of the
statutes make it even more desir-
able and necessary in the case of the
constitution.
The draft submitted is intended to
be simple expression of the chapter
with its amendments as it in fact now
is, preserving so far as possible it's
archaic language, but rearranging the
order of sections so as to group to-
gether those which relate to one sub
ject.