The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-07-16
LETTER From
DR. 5. A. PENkING7ON
Publisher Of the Journal

Publisher of the Journal
wish to state that l am candidate
for delegate to the State Constitutional
Convention and as such, | also desire
to say that as the position is one Meth.
er of emolument or profit that l am
seeking to represent the parish with
no desire or motive other than to
serve the public interest. Therefore
for your consideration you will find in
the contents of this letter my views on
few of the many subjects that will
come before the convention.
Our present constitution conta rs 325
Articles and is complex, bunglesome,
poorly arranged and is packed full Of
ideas and statutory law and does not
meet the present demand for mo4ern
ideas of government support. There
fore, | am in favor of drafting and
adopting a plain, simple, concise law
with only about 20 Articles with sec
tons under each, to cover less than 70
pages and as free as possible from leg.
iSlative law.
The state has spent more than $3.50,
600 during the past five years for, and
have added only very few amend
mentS to It's constitution. Therefore
/ am and if elected. will bitterly oppose
and fight any effort to incorporate in
the new document the present promis-
cuouS haphazard methods Of amending
the law as now provided for. l am in
favor of drafting and adopting con-
Stitution that will automatically call
its own conventions in multipleS of 20
years and give the legislative assem-
bly, the authority to call limited con-
vention ten years from PRONUNCIATION
of the new document, and every 20
years thereafter If need be, to amend
or revise any minor portion thereof,
reServing for the people the inlatia-
tive right and authority to amend any
Article or section thereof at all times.
l am In favor of all provisions, limita'
tons, restrictions and powers given
the legislative department to be explic-
it delineated and incorporated in one
Article DIVIDED into sections and moi
distributed throughout the entire doc
ument as is the present case.
Our constitution now provides fo1
four Supreme Court Districts and five
Justices at a salary of not less than
$4,000 each. Now, in my opinion three
distr cts with four judges is sufficient
Supreme Judges may retire under the
present constitution On full pay at the
age Of IS. Does the latter part of this
paragraph meet with your approval
1t does not meet with mine.
The coStitution provides for two as
sistant attorney generals, one OF which
receives salary of 81. 900 and the Other
$780, Now, as this office cost the stats
some fifteen thousand dollars am il
favor of reducing their salaries $1,CO'
each. In fact, will favor the combina
ton of all minor and aboliShing all I'M
: necessary offices, curtail clerical ex-
pense in all state departments and re-
duce the salaries of the state and dis
trict officers at least ten per cent ex.
cept that Of the governor, attorney
genel al and district judges in an efror
to prevent an increased cost OF govern
ment to the tax payers.
/ am not i'll favor OF aboliShing TIT
board of appraisers created by tn
pl esent constitution composed OF ninj
. members with their compensation ffxe'
by the general assembly, but am in Ia
: vor OF having it opel ated and maintain
ed with but Little cost to the state b,
:, removing ali salalied members AM
;. add in lieu thereof as its members, tn
Governor, Sect. OF State, Auditor
Treasurer, Attorney General and Com
missioner of Agriculture to serve with
: out compensation.
lam in favor OF the land Office bein
abolished as a department of the stat
adornment and placed in charge OF tn
Auditors department without add
n tional cost except for clerical work.
d am in favor OF and IL elected will &
S my utmost to have Incorporated i'll til
new constitution al article entitled
k paris b and Ward Organization.
S Said article to deal only with paris
: and ward government, but must cor
: tain threein everything pertaiLin
If thereto, tanning offices and describ n
fully the duties, powers and term
e officers, both parish and ward.
If am in favor of electing the paris
Of superintendent of education as oth'
d rarish and ward officers are elected
Ia,o opnocod RI anv offica hai.lp file