The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-11-02
No. H..

edopt amendments to meet those new
conditions led to the agitation for a
constitutional convention. and when
the question was submitted TO the
people in 1871, the proposition pre-
vailed by the following vote:
Whole number of votes cast at elec-
tion ................... 459,99O
Necessary to authorize the calling OF
convention ............... 229,S96
For the convention ........ 264,97O
Against the convention ..... 104.231
1t would be difficult to enJmerate
al the considerations that ed the
IeHple to vote in favor of a conyen-
ticn It was generally conceded that
the judicial system again ne 4ded re-
vision In public address, General
Tt onias Ewing declared that the SUI
preme court was four years in ar
rears with its work and that with
al. diligence on the part of its judges
the laws delays were destined to be-
come mere Yexatious and extensive.
There was also a general feeling that
there should be a more effective reg
ulaiion Of corporations. The eternal
warfare between the temperance peo-
pie ard the liquor interests figured
pretty largely in the vote for the con-
Iention. The anti-license advocates
had won by a small majority when
the constitution of 1851 was adopted.
The friends of the license system
Of
stleLgth and felt very sanguine that
they would be able to vote their
proposition into the constitution.
Other questions of minor interest
helped to bring about the result.
Among these were the veto power Of
the governor, limitation of Indebted
ness for cities, the salary system for
county officers and proportional rep
resenLa' On on the supreme fench.
The election of delegates resulted
in the choice of men of high average
ability number of whom were, or
afterward became, prominent. OF the
entire number, 105, sixty-fve were
lawyers, 2 fact that was seized upon
and used with telling effect by the
opponents of the constitution when it
was submitted to popular vote.
The convention opened with a more
intelligent discussion of the oath to
be taken by the members than that
noted at the outset of the convention
of 1S50-51. The oath of Office was
administered by Chief Justice White
of the Supreme court of the state, in
the usua' form, including, of course,
the pledge to support the then eX-
isting constitution of Ohio
A majority of the delegates were
Republicans, but the organization Of
the convention was effected without
PARTISAN controversy, and Morrison
r. Waite, of Toledo, was elected pres
ident on the sixth ballot. D. w.
Rhodes was elected secretary on the
fourth tallot. Before the convention
concluded its labors the president re-
signed to accept the position of chief
justice of the supreme court of the
United States. The vacancy thus oc-
castioned was filled January ?S, 1874,
by the election, on the fourth ballot,
Of Rufus King, of Cincinnati.
There was some controversy over
the letting of printing contracts, but
It die MT as in the previous conven-
ton turn on the politics of the print.
er. The politely of competitive bid
ding, which was openly opposed by
the dominant party in the convention
Of -S50-51, seems to have grown quite
purulat IT, two decades. There was
no objection whatever to it, md the
controversy arose over accepting the
bid of a Cleveland firm, but slightly
lower than that of a Columbus es-
tabishment. 1t was argued, aud with
mu2h show of reason, that the su-
periol convenience arising from hav-
ing the work done by local printer
woulG acre than balance the differ
ence IN price But the convention
by a substantial majority sept its
faith and voted to give the contract
to the lowest responsible bidder.
On May goth. the fifth day of the
conV entioll, the chair announced the
following standing committees:
|. On PRIVILEGES and elections.
2. On preamble and bill of rights.
8. On the legislative department.
4. On the executive department. I
5. On the judicial department III
G. On the elective franchise.
:. On education.
| 8. On public institutions.
9. On rublic debt and public works.
10. On the militia.
II. On accounts and expenditures.
| 12. On county and township organ
| izations.
13. On apportionment and represen-
tation.
IA. On levenue and taxation.
10 On municipal corporations
l6. On corporations other than mu'
nicipal.
II. On miscellaneous subjects,
IS. On amendments.
10. On the schedule.
20. On traffic in Intoxicating liquors
The Official report of the proceed
ings and debates of the third consti
tutional convention of Ohio publish
ed In two volumes, the second in three
parts, contains a very complete and
detailed record of all that was pro
posed and done. The volumes ag
gregate over 4,S00 pages One wishes
that the work might have been more
thoroughly indexed, for while it con
ia MS much that is now of little prac
tical value, it also includes great
fund of able discussions of funda
mental principles and problems o.
state government that are o. current
interest. To some of the more i'm
pc;tant of these, brief reference vii
b made in a succeeding contribution
II a