The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-05-14
The Constitutional Convention
When Shall it be Held

olLCl tIlS SSliSi% 5S~SS
in 1916, and since the issuance
of the governors call for an ex-
ira session of the Legislature to
meet or the 18th of this month,
in which he indicates his desire
that said convention be held
during 1915, very large numb
err of prominent men in different
sections Of the state have put
themselves on record as opposed
to the holding Of the convention
uni after the general state elect
i'm in 1916 and it is gratifying to
US that these men have based
their opposition on the very
grounds urged by The Watch
man. Senator A. F. Barrow OF
East Feliciana, Senator A. N.
Amaker of AvoyelIes and Rep
resentative Duncan Buie OF
Richland, are among those who
have declared themselves as op-
posed to holding the convention
prior to the general election in
1916.
That we need a constitution OF
a plain, common sense sort, Tree
of all matter of d purely leglsla-
tive character, is pretty general
ly admitted but there are many,
and we are among them, who
Question the dire necessity OF
rushing into it at this time. The
expense, and the ability OF the
state to bear the expense Of a
convention at this time, is a fea-
ture that should have the
very serious consideration of eV-
cry senator and representative
in the General Assembly. But
we shall not undertake to dis
cuss this feature of the matter
at this time,
In framing the organic law of
the state, her business interests
should have precedence over
all political demands and neces-
sites and no situation should be
allowed to develop which will in
ject the political ambitions OF
any candidate or any set of can
didates into it's deliberations, but
how will it be possible to pre-
vent this If the constitutional
convention and the state cam
paign are on at the same time!
Past experiences have taught US
chat it will be wholly impossible
to do so.
But because the governor has
designated that the convention
shall be neld in 1915, it does not
follow of necessity that it must
: be held then or not at all; for ii
is the prerogative of the legisla.
.ure to say whether it is the bet
, ter part of wisdom to hold it in
1915 or afterwards, and if ii
should be determined that ii
shall be held in 1916 after the
general election, or even in
1917, it will entail no legal en-
t%anglement.
The complexity of every con.
stitutiOn that Louisiana has ha0
since the civil war has made ii
the source of more vexatious lit
cation than all of the statutory
enactments put t%ogether-ir
fact Louisiana is and al
ways has been overburdeneC
with both organic and statutory
law; so much so in truth, tina
every citizen, high and low, rict
and poor feels himself at per
feet liberty to do any and every
thing which is not forbidden bl
some kind of a | law to be found
either in the constitution or il
the general statutes, regardless,
of whether it is in violation O
public or individual morals O
not. What Louisiana needs i
fewer laws, less statutory am
judicial regulation and more pa
triots, more men of keener MOI
al sensibilities -man who live
not by the law alone but b,
right, justice and religion. Yea
men who are at all times pos
sessed of a sense of persona
responsibility, Of the need O
self-respect and of the beauty O
individual independence. Howev
er, men can not be filled wit
these attributes by legislation
but precept, training and educa
ton will accomplish these end
and aims in ninety-nine case
out of every hundred, while la,
enforcement will accomplis
them in about one case in ever
hundred.
Therefore when our represer
tatives are assembled again i
convention to frame a constit,
finp for tho ouidonoo of +ho,