The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-05-28
Convention or no Convention

AS predicted in the columns
of The Waterman some weeks 81
AGO. the extra session of the
legislature has degenerated into !,,
a political scramble which Will
result in no good to the general
welfare of the state, and per-
haps to the hurt of many OF the
politicians who are now IN the
iimelight at the state capital.
We have pointed out to our
readers the unwisdom of under,
taking to hold a constitutional
convention during the progress
Of a state campaign, and have
even given it as our opinion tnae
there is no pressing need for =, a
new constitution; and unless tne
people could be assured OF a vast
IMPROVEMENT over the constltu-
ton of 1898 as revised in l9 u
the the tax payers would not feel
justified in mourning the expense
necessary to the holding OF i such
a convention. The cost OF hold
inc a constitutional convention
e can u not be- less than a hundred
snd fftv thousand dollars, and
CO. ~ nrotovt of leSsenlng
this cost, the politicians are now
talking of the plan of framing
such a fundamental law without e
submitting it to the people Il Ior
ratification, but this is not the
real purpose of these politicians.
Their purpose is to prevent the
voting down of any jokers when
they might slip into that lnstra-
ment. tu
months past a desperate effort
on the part of the politicians OF
the state to instill into the MIND
of the public that there is a
great popular demand and out
cry for a new constitution, but
when the sentiment of the rank
and file of the people is sounded
on this subject, it will be found
that there is no such popular
demand and cutlery. So far as a!
The Waterman is concerned 1t
has no desire to advance or re.
tard the political fortunes OF t
any candidate except that OF
Our choice for governor. the
Hon. L. E. Thomas, and if ne
stood any where else on this
question than where he does, our
position in the premises would
not be different from what it is;
for as a newspaper man we feel
that it is our peculiar province,
as we'll as our duty to our read
ers to place these matters be-
fore them to the end that they
may Judge of the wisdom of oul
course, and to render thel1
own verdict''after hearing ou1
argument.
The Waterman has not believ
ed from the start that there wa
any overpowering necessity TO
the holding of another constltu
tional convention, nor has it be
lieved that there was any insis
tent demand for it on the par
of the masses of the people. Ii
truth and in fact there has no
been heard from any quarter O
the state any clamor by privat
citizens and tax payers for tn
convocation OF a constitutions
convention. They are not nov
and have not in the recent pas
been making any demand TO
such an expensive proceeding
and even those who are crying
for it and who think their .politi
cal fortunes will be increased b.
it, have not put forth any yer
convincing reason why it shoul
be held. They argue that tn
very fact that not a single sess
sion of the legislature has bee
held since the adoption of tn
constitution of 1898 withou
numerous amendments being Of
fered is proof of itself of the ne
cessity of a new one, but wha
assurance has the people that
new one would be any bette
than the constitution of 189
since it is inevitable that tn
trainers of the new one will b
of about the same mental an
moral calabre as those VIII
framed the constitution of 1896
And even if the new cor
stitution should turn out to nc
be a political makeshift, ther
could scarcely be any way to pr
vent the offering of amendment
thereto by our representative
in the general assembly.
The complaint that the consti
tuition of 1898 contains too muc