The Washington herald., 1914-03-24
Most Recent Resolution Look
ing to New System Is that
Which Would Put Suffrage
Up to States.

Agitation In Congress for the passage
of n resolution submitting to the States
an equal suffrage amendment to the
Federal Constitution has directed atten-
tion anew to the many attempts that are
being made to change or supplement the
fundamental law of the land. Every now
and then a resolution of this character Is
dropped into the hopper in Congress, but
II is not until the entire batch is coll
lected and laid out in review that one IS
impressed with their real significance.
There have been such periods OF un-
rest and agitation before, but never has
such a variety Of changes been proposed
to one Congress as now. Many officials
in WASHINGTON even would be surprised
to learn that there are at present forty
resolutions pending before Congress pro-
viding for changes in the Federal Consti-
tuition. The amendors want to change al
most everything-the executive, the leg
islative, and the judicial departments OF
the government-and then they want to
write into the fundamental law also a
good many things that cannot be inter-
fered with by any part of the govern
ment. They want to settle things for all
time, and the strange feature of the sit
uation is that many of the proposed
changes were considered by the fathers
and rejected as out of harmony with the
scheme of government which they were
seeking to establish.
Repeal by Legislatures.
OF all the propositions of this charac-
ter now before Congress that of Repre-
sentative Doolittle, of Kansas, is probably
the most fantastic. He proposed to-
amend Article V of the Federal Consti-
tuition as follows:
Whenever any law of the United
States shall become invalid through the
ruling. Judgment, or decree of any court
of the United States, to the effect that
said law is not in conformity with the
Constitution. then the validity Of said
law shall be submitted by the Secretary
of State of the United States to the
governors of the several States. and by
them to the legislatures thereof. for their
approval or rejection, together with pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution,
making said law constitutional
THE said amendment shall be framed
by the Judiciary Committee of each
House of Congress and the Attorney
General. If the said law and the pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution
shall be approved by the legislatures of
three-fOurths of the States. the law shall
be and remain in force, the same as
though 1t had not been set aside by the
court. and the amendment proposed shall
be valid as a part of the Constitution.
but if the amendment shall be approved
and the law rejected, the amendment
shall be valid as a part of the Consti-
tuition from the time of its approval as
herein provided
This is a method for the recall Of tu-
iicial decisions by referendum to the
state legislatures and not to the peo-
pie. Mr.. Doolittle is Democrat and
claims to be a direct descendant Of the |
first colonial governor of Virginia
Cold shoulder to Congress.
Mr. DoolittIe has introduced another
joint resolution for a Constitutional |
amendment. This also proposes new |
method of proposing and ratifylng
amendments. 1t leaves Congress out of
consideration, and allows the States to
take charge with a sort Of chain let
ter plan This resolution provides that
the Constitution may be amended when |
ever the legislature of any State shall
propose an amendment. and the leGisla- |
lures of three-fourths of the States have |
ratified il.
II this amendment should be adopted, |
Congress would have no part in propos- |
ing amendments or in calling conven- |
tion to change or amend the Constitu- |
tion.
Representative Lafferty, a Democrat
from Oregon. suggests an amendment by |
which proposed amendments to the Con- !
s1titution may be submitted to the States :
by a majority vote of the two Houses of
of the States. Under this plan pro-
posed amendment could be taken into
party caucus and with the approval OF
the caucus, could be put through Con- |
gross by that party machinery.
Courts Are Made Target.
Representative Hardwick. of Georgia,
proposes the repeal Of the fifteenth
amendment and all after the first SEN
tence in the fourteenth amendment, so |
that all to remain Of those TWO cele-
brated amendments would be the declar-
alton. "Ar persons born or naturalized
in the United States, and subject to the
jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
United States and the State wherein they
reside"
Another group of proposed Constitu-
tional amendments Is directed at the
courts Representative CulIop, a Demo-
crat from Indiana, proposes that all
judges of the United States Supreme
Court shall be elected at Presidential
election. four of whom shall serve for
four years and five for eight years.
After that first election the term of the
Judges shall be eight years. The court
shall elect a chief Justice, clerk and