The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-01

slr. Rss>rVeli eR state constitutions.
IL there any subject which Interests
the mini ~ man upon which Nr THEo-
pORE ROOsEvEIr does not d-rrn him-..lf
eompetent t. prunrr adv,cr whether
the subject concerns the world ct large
or the particular plac,. m which b~ hap
pens 10 find himself Tor the tune being
His present tour has not taken hi'u
quite 80 far Nr~f a. Arizona auI New
Mexico but being within hailIug dis
lance of tho-. Territories h. Thought
NJ IN advise their p-Opl, ~ reference
to th.'ir new Constitutions. udrr the
enabling art passed BY the Ia>t ,augr,.-s
delegates are being cho-''n ~ each Terri
tcryto meet in convent lun anal formulate
a State Constitution. This matter -
naturally the paramount subject uf IA
tere~t AZ the present time IN each Fern
tory. and Mr. ROOSEVELT being m the
neithbOrh0nd apparently FELT bnunl
Ia contribute 10 the discussion a. Ia tn,
proper contents ~ a Constitution.
wish that could ~ down To- New Mexico
and Arizona h. Sald az Pueblo. but
this j. the nearest place 10 'G"m that |
will reach an this trip. There - On"
point uppn whirh ! wuuIi - Iu auN 49,
them. andthat l. tnmah' In'..r ,tH>i.lu.
tons easy II amendment 81 an iin.'
when the people i-eI they shuulI be-
amended Nfrer da,larinr ra' doc
trinairrS ant also d'-~ igriug ,urIspraiio.
att1fnPys oftan slIr.,.,l IN puftIng mo /
Constitutions matters whI,h ar. not
thoroughly Understood hv the uruia".
he went on IN say. Nv plea l. that rh,.
neople 81 the new Stalt- should b. fr,.,
80 that Il n, any tune they hnd that
something has been put, INTO ;ii,.i- Con
sfitutionS which they DID uOt know was
there. or " Ilrev find osu that something
~ working badly which they believed
would work well. they shall have the
opportunity To- easily make any Char ~
that " necessary
This view il decidedly az variance
with the opinions which have been rx-
pressed by many Of the ablcst CrnstI-
tutional lawyers in this country a. to
the facility of amending th. fundamental
Law Leading text writers have de
plored the tendency 50 manifest Of late
years in the Western States to introduce,
into their ConstitIIt ions many matters
OF mere detail which ought PROPERLY Ia
be regulated by statute. and also tll..
tendency to make the constitution too
readily capable Of change. Mr.. JAMES
BEIGE, the present British Ambassador
a. Washington. in his classic work
The American Commonwealth speaks
with emphatic approval of the attach
Taent which in an old and historic. a
civilized and well educated community
binds the people 10 their accustomed
usages and forms Of government. IN
is the newer States. he saws. without
q past 10 revere. with a population I'M |
disciplined or calculating. that are prone |
10 change. In well settled common
wealths the longer the Constitution has
stood untouched the longer II Is likely |
u stand. because the force Of habit /. |
or its side because an intelligent pappI.
learns 10 value the stability Of It's insti- |
tutione and to love that which II il proud |
Of having created
The larger Constitution -. and the
more elaborate. the greater - the ten
dency TO frequent amendment The 1
earlier type Of American Constitution /
embodied only few principles 81 fun
damental importance and prescribed !,
the broad framework II the Govern
ment nj tho State. The nawer Cnnsti- 4
tutions. like that II Oklahoma FOR .K-
ample. consist largely II matters If
administrative detail and prescribe ~
infinite a number ~ mere regulations
that u "a only natural that people should !
often want 10 change them. Thus the.
very character Of the Constitution itself
IL an lnducement 10 frequency of amend ,
ment. Mr.. FREDERIC !. S'TIMsoN. IA.
able professor II comparative legi-la-
ton IN Harvard nlyersitv. has pointed
out that historically and m the view Of
constitutional lawyer such conditions
are entirely un-cientlfic. In ms treatise.
on the Federal and state Constitutions
- says:
The 'a'" 60, -rnpr rr-ssir - Ha,sa~hu..t,.
in Ms AhdT"sS h"forr me ~. sw schJo well
po'nied o. the "H .r''ors 10 ''Iag sY,p r -.
Of 'h'rE' int fh- con st'H'uu lo'h 80 d-prlt ing
the isEi>atrfs - 81. s"s-~ ~ rospon.iriIIt. aud
a. di.~refiuHg tho ,ors'iuuoa is~Ir - IN
'ssi mas ~ dr. .rnrs 'rno4r Irg merely no .
TEMPORARY u~,i.-s ~ y prr-~u' r.s|o1t,. sh.,
eisNrr nsr"ssiry or rppa.-r op.. On r,u..-r. q,
Hrsnx~ in,pI o., 10" ne.~.-. pa. ~ su,r ru.u,4sf
sn-1d7r~o' aai f-ea.s r.irrpupn q. - rr.n-
q puttsn ,0asu'r'ISn intp ,ur'arrr
= WoHld he "aay W uulLrlv quota
uCSs - The same eFeot from the srit-