Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-02-22
Bill Of RIGHTS IN
Ohio Constitution


Columbus. Ohio. Feb. a Especially
Following an all day debate. the
Convention on last Thursday adopted
the first amendment to the Constitu-
ton. This amendment amends section
of the sBill Of Rights. and is given
in full herewith, as follows:
The right Of trial by jury shall be
inviolate; but the General Assembly
may authorize that in civil cases al
verdict may be rendered by the CON
currence Of not less than three-fourths
of a jury.
AS the foregoing language makes
perfectly clear the amendment simply
gives to the General Assembly the
right to make the changes specified,
butsthis is big step forward in the
Judgment Of those who have given
this matter any careful study and
thought.
It will certainly put the worker in
better shap to get justice when he, or
any Of his dependents are involved in
a legal controversy with a corpora
tion. The fact was brought out in
the discussion on the amendment that
in personal injury cases it often hap
pened that a corporation was able to
buy of one member of jury and thus
defeat the ends of justice. This dan
ger viii be minimized by permitting
three fourths of the jury to return a
verdict. Hung juries and disagree:
ments would become the exception
rather than the rule under the new
arrangement. The reactionary MEM
bers Of the bar who are members of
the Convention. opposed the adoption
of the amendment.
Good Roads.
i Wednesday the Convention discuss
ed the report of the Committee on
Good Roads, which provides for the
raising of the debt limit of the state
from $4,000 to an amount equal to
one per cent of the grand tax dupli-
cate fof the purpose of building good
roads throughout the length and
breadth of the state. The report calls !
for the issuance of $50, 100000 in bonds |
to carry out the project on the proper
scale. The settlement Of this question |
will not be hurried. because the dele
gates want to look more carefully in |
to the details of the subject before |
giving their approval to such vast
expenditure of money.
Thursday Governor Harmon ad-
dressed the Convention and inciden- |
tally came out flat footedly against |
the Initiative and Referendum, His |
declaration on this important Ques-
tion came as quite surprise to the
governors friends. It is needless to
remark his stand was a disappoint-
ment to the friends of labor. who are |
committed to this policy. The COVER
nor also endorsed thep Ian Of licens-
ing the saloons.
The /. and r. members got an op- |
portunity to demonstrate what their |
real strength was on a motion to table |
a resolution offered by the reaction
ary forces of the Convention to dis
credit President Bigelow. The motion |
carried sixty to forty-tive.
Bring /. & Rites Together.
President Bigelow proposes to bring |
the l. and r members together in a
caucus to discuss the best method for
submitting this question back to the
Convention in workable form. These
conferences will begin the first Of the
week. The opinions of the friends of /
the measure differ greatly as to the
form it should take; the purpose of |
the caucus will be to bring them to-
gether so that q workable plan can
be procured.
Regulate Hours Of Women.
The Labor Committee took up the
matter Of regulating the working
hours of women, children and men, at
one of its regular sessions the first
Of the week. The discussion was ex-
ceedingly interesting. the committee
being made up of employees, employers
and lawyers both sides of which had
pronounced convictions on this sub
ject. AS climax to the debate, a sub
was appointed consisting
Of Farrel. Critics and Donahey to draft
suitable provisions covering the pro-
posed amendment.