Arizona republican., 1910-10-15
CONSTITUTIONS PREAMBLE
If the Rules Are Adopted
Today, the First Measure
for the Constitution Prop
er Will Come Before the
Convention at Once.

An elaborate set of rules for the
conduct of the constitutional conven-
tion was presented yesterday morn
ing, as soon as the convention was
called to order, by Chairman Winsor.
The rules, on which the committee
has labored during most of the week,
present few diversions from the rules
of any legislative body They were
read in full, the reading occupying
twenty-five minutes, for the commit
tee did. its work thoroughly and vol
unfairly There was no little discus
sion of the merits of the rules as ii
was decided to have them printed
before proceeding with their consid-
Grafton. Copies will be on the desks
of each member before roll call this
morning.
Chairman Crutchfield of the com
mittee on preamble and declaration
of rights announced that he would
be ready with the preamble to the
constitution today. 1t win be the
first actual step toward the making
of a constitution and will probably
come after the adoption of the rules.
The preamble will read as follows:
We. the people of Arizona invok-
ing the guidance of the Supreme
Being do ordain and establish this
Constitution in order tor perpetuate1
Liberty and Justice in our State, and
provide for the Peace and Welfare of
Posterity"
One or two of the "wise ones" who
spend most of their time drinking up
the delegates ice water in the lobby,
scented dissension and prophesied
disorder in the compilation of the
preamble because. they said. there
was an antipodal expanse between
the religious beliefs of the three
members of the committee. This de-
duction was founded on one sub
stantial fact and one surmised infer
ence. The wise ones" said that Rev.
]. E. Crutchfield, chairman of the
committee and presiding elder for
the district of Arizona of the Meth
odist Church South. would insist on
the insertion of the word deity or
some synonym, while William Nor
gan of Navajo, whom they said was
an honest freethinker and proud OF
IT. would be equally insistent that
there should be no such reference.
The third member is Connolly of
Cochise and just what his religious
leaning is if he has any the wise
ones didn't seem to know. They
said that smoke would soon issue
from the committee room to which
Crutchfield led his colleagues to dis
cuss the preamble. But there was
neither smoke nor the smell OF sui |
phur and they came out smiling and !
the preamble contains the reference
to the Supreme Being; and 1t is
now known that Morgan never even |
questioned it nor sought to make use |
of the precedent set by the constitu- |
ton Of the United States and also |
bv one of the states which omit all |
reference to the Deity whether term |
ed God, Supreme Being. or Architect |
of the Universe.
The reading of the rules came the |
first thing in the morning session. |
Winsor read for fifteen minutes and |
then got tired and Franklin finished |
them. They were little too intri-
cate for rapid digestion and the del |
ecates refused to consider them till
they could have printed copies to
pore over at their leisure. Crutch-
field did object to one clause of the |
rules-that referring to reconsider
alton. Il think that twenty-four
hours is too short a time in which |
to cut off all reconsideration" he |
said
Webb. in reply, said, 1T is one OF
the most liberal set of rules that
ever came within my cognizance. An
amendment will be in order up to
the very last moment"
Jones of Maricopa seemed to think
that the rules, when printed, shouid
be adopted: but Cunniff of Yavapal'
who is taking a rather prominent
mart in all the proceedings of the
urged that they be PRINT
ed first. Let us give these rules
prudent, careful, intelligent and So
Der consideration. I shall oppose
anv haste in this convention"
Cunniff. by the way, is beginning
TO display a voluminous vocabulary
which is particularly rich In adJec-
tives He is a son of Harvard and
as one of the really cru
dite men of the convention. he mas
been a magazine editor of prom
inence and perhaps that accounts for
the vastness of his vocabulary. AL
any rate. Cunniff is well worth
watching during the proceedings OF
the convention.
Ellinwood also favored haste