Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-09-14
TIME LOCK OF
OUR CONSTITUTION
Senator Gordon Discusses Some
Proposed Amendments before
Wash. Co. Bar Assoc n.

Montpelier, Sept. 12.-The annual meet
ing of the Washington County Bar asso-
citation was held last night at the county
court house with a large attendance Of
members of the bar and others Routine
business was transacted and the usual
resolutions were adopted The officers
elected by the association were Pres-
dent, G. ". Wing; Vice-Presdent, L. j.
Dcayitt Secretary-Trcasurer r L.
Gleason; Managers, BENJAMIN Gates and
John II. Sentcr
Retiring President John W Gordon read
his address on The Constitutional Time
Lock" At the banquet at the Pavilion
the guests were Congressman Plumley,
senator Dillingham;. Supreme Justice J.
II. Watson and superior Judge w. II.
Taylor. After the business session the
party adjourned to the Pavilion for the
banquet.
Senator Gordon I'm his address spoke in
part as follows:
The constitutional amendments We're
an important part of the program of the
Legislature Of 1910. Fifteen proposals of
amendment We're introduced in the Sen
ate, nine Of which met with approval,
and were proposed TO the House of Rep
resentatives which concurred therein.
They now await the action of the next
Legislature. Six OF these proposals were
prepared by an able commission created
by an act of the Legislature in 1905: the
other three were the work OF the last
Legislature.
ITO discuss these nine proposals in an
adequate manner would carry us beyond
the limits of this hour. We shall confine
ourselves TO one of the proposals of the
commission of 1908 that failed TO meet
the approval of two-thirds of the mem
bers of the Senate The refusal Of the
| Senate to adopt it was an action of much
public discussion and severe criticism of
that body. 1t is not our purpose to defend
! or criticize that action
! So far as material for our purpose the
proposal referred to is as follows
AT any session Of the General AS
! sembly of this State the Senate may by
vote of a majority of its members make
/ proposals of amendment TO the constitu-
/ ton of the State and If two
thirds of the members of the Senate and
{ the House of Representatives of the next
following General Assembly shall re-
spectfully concur in the same proposal of
/ amendment, or any of them. ii shall he
the duty of the General Assembly t.
I submit the proposals OF amendments SO
/ coucurred in to the ,lirect vote of tn,
freemen of the state"
This would have amended Article - of
/ the amendments of the constitution a.
adopted in 1870, 1t would have made thre,
/ important changes. First, proposals OF
amendment could be made by the Senat,
at every session, instead of at every
tenth session OF the Legislature. Sec
ond, a majority instead of two-thirds o
the Senate could make proposal. Third
the second Legislature to act upon tn,
PROPOSALS would do so by n two-third
instead of aiority vote, In one respec
II was more conservative than the pres
ent provision, since n proposal require,
at one stage the two thirds vote of boil
Houses of the Legislature before II coul,
be submitted to the people, while at tn
present time a two-thirds vote is onl,
|, required by the Senate in the first in
stance
The commission of 1909 reported that tn
most needed" change I'm our constitution
VA lie abolition " liza I~~syIssAss~ =