New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-26
LAST PLEA
FOR CONSTITUTION

... office. or the fear Of men they
turned out Of office. the fear
.. .. shat their personal perQulsites
OF os9or.uu.ucs viii be !nteriered
Will.
convention Non-Part.san.
.r.-. as one thing which fee.
bound 10 say. The Constitutional Con
yen.cn Of 1915 rose aboyt the plane
Of paltisan politics. lt rejected, not
without struggle. not without con-
test. not without strenuous eXeruons'
the desires of many meu-of some men
TO use the great majority OF the
Republican party in that convention
FOR partisan advantage. IL deemed ITS
Juty 10 be TO serve the parties that
each man owed allegiance 20 by serV-
inc the state. and 5 was that which
led 90 this extraordinary agreement
That was why Democrats and he-
pubIicars alike voted for these great
and sa'utary measures; that was why
after the close of the convention, there
was almost unanimous approval OF us
work by the men who had been en-
gagged IN II.
III is with the deepest regret that
observe that among some people
perhaps among many or our reno"
citizens. there is an unwlllngness 70
regard this great and important meas
ure for the public welfare upon lhe
came basis. love of country and SUI
periority 20 partisan advantage. All
honor TO Republicans and Democra0S
alike who united. regardless OF party
TO serve their state in seeking TO give
the peou'a Of the state better gov
ernmeut. and regret and sympathy ioI
the future 90 those who reject 'h@'
and seek 10 Illustrate this great meas
ure for the public good IN order Una
there may be party advantage ga'heu
BY H."
Mr.. Root declared that the legal pro
eedure Of che state was so hedged WIN
technicalitIes that the farmer and tns
lGborer mad practically no chance. lie
declared that there should be no rea-
son WHY an honest man could not go
into court and plead his own case WIN
cut being hedged IN by the technlca4I-
ties Of law
1--WE have got our procedure regu-
lated. he said, according 10 the hlgheF
trained. refined. subtle, ingenious IN
tellect Of the best pracused lawyers
and 10 Isl an wrong. Our PROCEDURE
ought .o be based upon the common
Intelligence OF the farmer and the mer-
chant and the laborer. And there -
no reason why IL should not be- l say
II not without experience IN Legal pro
eedure There is no reason why d
plain, honest man should not nc Ter
mitted TO- 70 into court and tell ms
.iory and have the Judge before whom
he comes permitted 10 do justice IN
hat particular case unhamper@d oy a
great variety Of statutory rules. Ana
n this convention. acting upon the
teaching Of the Great experience OF us
members and following the philosophy
Of the history Of the development OF
the law. we undertook by plain AM
adequate provisions 20 compel the res
loraton Of our judicial procedcre TO
hat plain basis Of honesty and oppor-
ignity"
Taking uD the simplifcation o, the
state department. Mr. Root said:
We must have government ever
agent Of which was accountable u
somebody above IL. until you get up 70
nt executive head Of the state, wno
himself is accountable 20 the people ~
NE polls And We endeavored 20 BRING
mat about by requiring the Legislature
70 put all these one Hundred and nifty
loose-lying agencies into sevente IN
named departments, each agency 10 be
accountable TO the head Of depart-
neat and each head Of department 70
accountable TO the Governor, wirh
we exception Of two.
And that was the executive reorgar
.Iaton bill Of. the convention, com
monty spoken Of as the short baliO'
s,l although the short ballot feature
NE bill was but an incident 20 IN s
ueN work Of putting the executive
aa administrative business of the
..f upon sound business basis ri
Nountsbility and responsibility ana
nsspohsiveness 10 the public will and
v'ssr 70 execute the public will"
turning to the legislative branch,