The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-11-17
LASTED
367 DAYS
Did The Constitutional COn.
VentiOD 43 Years Ago
Some Facts Of Interest About
The Noted Men
| Who Revised The Constitution
Of The State In 1873
Morrison R. Waite Was The
President Of IhlSCODventiOD
Afterwards Was A Justice OF
The Supreme Court
columbus Dispatch)

state constitutional convention, the
session of the coming one will be long
drawn out. The last one met for the
first time in the hall of the house Of
representatives on May 13, 1873, and
did not finally adjourn until May 10,
| 1874. -Four large volumes, each as
large as the volumes of the new state
code, contain its proceedings and de
bates. Every word that was spoken
in the convention was taken down and
made a part of the record, so that one
who wishes inside information as to
the real meaning of the sections of
the present constitution may secure it
by reading what was said in the CON
vention
There were 105 members of the last
constitutional convention and there
will be 119 members of the coming
one. Not only viii there be more men,
bers in the coming convention than
were in the last one, but there are
more burning questions up now than
there were then, so tnat the proceed
ings are likely to consume more time
and the session will probably be drawn
out longer. The last constitutional
convention, however, took a recess
when the weather got too hot for it in
August, to the beginning of December
1t reassembled at Cincinnati. The
recess adjournment extended from
August to December 2.
While the delegates to the last con-
stitutional convention included mostly
men prominent in their day, few of
the names in the list would be recog-
nized now. Such are Morrison r.
Waite OF Toledo, who was elected
president of the convention; George
Eoadley of Cincinnati, afterward gov
ernor of the state; Thomas Ewing, al
terwards United States senator; Sam
uel f. Hunt of Cincinnati, still well re-
membered as an orator of ability;
Peter Hitchcock, long the holder OF the
purse strings of the state; Francis b.
Pond, whose name is connected with
one of the early liquor laws OF the
state, and William H. west, whose
death occurred only this year and who
was long known as "Blind Man Elo-
luent."
b Mr.. Waite, the president of the con-
yention, resigned his place in the con-
q ,ention on January Il, 1874. to accept
the appointment as chief Justice OF
the supreme court of the United
States, rendered him by President
n Grant. Though Lewis ID. Campbell OF
Butler county, was the vice president
of the convention, he was not pro-
noted to the vacancy, but it was filed
by the election of Rufus King OF Gin
cinnati, d. w. Rhodes Of Delaware,
was the secretary Of the convention;
Fred Blankner was an assistant SER
geant-at-arms; d. S. Fisher. we'll
known newspaper man, then of Lima,
: an assistant secretary, and j. V. Lee
of Columbus, an assistant official re-
porter. Blankner, Fisher and Lee are
still living. The late Allen O. Myers
- was also an assistant secretary
q There were 2O5 separate PROPOSE
tions of amendment of the constitu'
:, ton. The convention adopted the COM
>, mittee plan of work, each proposition
that was taken under consideration be-
ing referred to an appropriate com
mittee, of which there were 26. These
followed in composition closely the US
!. ual legislative committees being de-
/, nominated. committees on education,
! militia, legislative matters, county and
: township organizations, business COR
" porations, municipal corporations, etc.
1t Thomas w. Powell of Delaware
county, was the oldest member OF the
convention, and as such was called to
er preside over it in it's temporary or
~ ganization. He was nominated for this
~ honor by Mr. West. Mr.. Powell was
IN the father Of Thomas &c. Powell, now
ell-known as a Columbus attorney.
To take down for publication every
WORD that was said, as well as to note