The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-11-10
DISTRTST OF THE PEOPLE.

One of the measures of supreme i'm
portance to come before the present
legislative session is the proposal of
amendments to the State Constitution,
and the most important of the propo-
sails suggested is the one permitting
such proposals at any session of the
Legislature, or a removal of the time
lock- At the present time such pro-
posals may be made only once in ten
years, and this year is one of the de-
cennial periods when it is possible to
make a change Unless the time lock
is removed no further proposals of
amendment may be made until 1920.
No other State of the Union has
locked and double locked its Consti
bilty of change as has our own COM
monwealth. Surely the people Of Ver-
mont are not more tickle and less
trustworthy than those of every other
State. Vermonters are not a radical
people, Their faults lie along the
lines of extreme conservatism rather
than in the other direction When it
is considered that any Constitutional
change proposed must pass both
branches of the General Assembly at
two successive legislative sessions
and then must be submitted to popu
lar vote it will seen that there is no
danger of playing fast and loose with
the Constitution if the timelock is re-
moved Why is it more dangerous to
change the Constitution in 1912, 1914,
1916, or 1918, than in 1910 or 1920?
right to change it whenever the neces-
sity arises
The Constitution is not greater than
the State which created it. The Con-
stitution was created for the State, not
the State for the Constitution. Are
we so afraid of ourselves, so fearful
to trust our own citizenship that We
must lock up our Constitution and
permit the people to touch it only
once in a decade? We make our
boast that ours is a government of
and every citizen is a sovereign in his
own right. Back of all governments,
all laws, all constitutions stands the
supreme power, the citizen with the
ballot. And yet we say to him: 1--WE
dare not trust you with the Constitu
ton, your own Constitution, oftener
than once in ten years"
What folly to suppose that with all
the gauntlets that an amendment must
run, with all the known conservatism
of our people, they cannot safely be
trusted to propose amendments to the
Constitution at any legislative ses-
sion. To hold such a view is to dis
trust the very foundations of a repub
lican form of government. If Ver-
mont, after 1873 years of independence
has not reached years of discretion
and maturity sufficient to be trusted
with every prerogative of government
in any and every year that passes,
when, pray tell, shall such period
be reached?
/ If a majority of our people desire
to change their Constitution they have
a right to demand the privilege of vot-
ing on such proposal at any bien-
NAL session, first, through their rep
resentatives, and later, by direct vote
at the polls. 1t is contrary to all prin-
ciples of self government to say that
no matter what may be the exigency
no opportunity of change shall be per-
mitted until 1920 If no proposals are
adopted this year. Our people are not
given to making frequent changes in
their government nor to favoring gov
ernmental theories new and strange.
There is no people between the At
lantic and Pacific seas that are more
sober and level-headed, that may be
trusted more safely with every gov