The sun., 1915-02-28
By FRANCIS ". HiGO.
Secretary of state Of the state OF
New York.

|HE assembling i'm Albany mex
April of dc.cGates To a cos
veution meeting for the pun
pose of r"visinS the present
Constitution Of New Y-,k STATE Cnal-
iengcs attention 20 certain provisions
in the fundamental law OF this ana
olher commonwealths as 70 the meth
ods Of revision and amendment. Dur
ing "A period Of l37 years over two
hundred different constitutions have
been drafted in the several States.
New York has had six conventions.
With the exception of the 1901 con-
vcntion. when five amendments were
added 10 the Revolutionary docume";
OF HI each convention has framed
. new article complete.
Three Of these convention article,
drafted in 1921. 1916 and 1894, have
been ratified by popular approval;
one. that of l777. without popular
reference, while the remaining one.
with single exception Of the judi
ciary article, was rejected entirely oy
the people in 1867. Thus in New
York at least four different consii-
tons have been in effect, the frs one
lasting forty-four years, the second
twenty-five. the third forty-eight
years. when the fourth was accented
BY the people. and now u convention
is tn bc hcld in Apri! next for the
purpose Of revising the present one,
which was auopted in 1894, and has
been in effect for the past TWEEN =
years.
The earliest type ~ constitution, "
which there were about ten formu-
lated in the Eastern states at the he
ginning of the Revolutionary wGr.
was brief and characteristic ~ that
period. During the nat.onallstic or
middle period OF the first half Of the
nineteenth century seven const!tu-
tons OF a democratic type were
adopted. The next group was en-
acted after the civil war, when re-
constructive and more recent economic
changes nccessitated revision. The
last types OF constitutions. which
represent the radica. ideas of modern
government, are those drafted since
1890 in the new Western states, and
OF these Oklahoma and Arizona are
most characteristic.
New YOrks first convention, held ir
l777. was recommended by a resolu-
tion passed IN the Colonial Assembly
and suggested by the Continental Con-
gress. This ASSEMBLY had suggested 10
the electors that they either au-
thoriZe their present deputies TO act
lor elect special delegates, which lat =
ter recommendation prevailed, result
Ina in the assemblying at White
ITaius on July 2, 1T7G, Of the first
constitutional convention to dra "
up the first fundamental law OF
ita tind in this courtry. The con-
vention, afterward ddJournnS IL
Kingston, y. v, completed its work
on April 20 l777, when the first con-
stituton became effective without
popular reference.
In 1901 a constitutional convention
adnpis2 nve amendments. These were
enacted and ratified under the author
fly Of the delegates, and il was not
until 1921, when the second constitu-
ton was ratified, that a vote OF the
people was required However, II was
not before tho neNt convention ~ 1916
that this body could hr properly de-
scribcd a. peoples convention. Bee,
cause in tine earlier 0n''. HAT 81
1877, the delegates represented Tia;
landed artist 0craCy, while those ~ ~,
1891 convention were chosen hy own
srs ~ real or personal prop"rty, Hu
IN lsA6 almost universal suffrage pre-