The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1915-01-19
A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION


Bills have been introduced in bot
house and senate asking that a con
vention be called by the citizens of Ida
no for the purpose of framing a neN
constitution for tnis state. The me-
who are sponsors for these measure
are able and loyal citizens Of Idaho O
long and honorable standing, an,
doubtless are sincerely DESTROYS of i'm
proving the conditions under which
some of the public business of thu
state IS done. But it is to be hoped
that their proposition will not NEE
with favor at this time. In our opinion
worse period in which to hold a con-
stitutional convention could not be
imagined.
That this is the case the list of bills
introduced yesterday in the Legislature
is sufficient evidence. The public mind
is in a state Of doubt, of chaos. Every
man has his own theory of how af-
fairs should be run. No department
provided by the constitution seems to
remain unattached in one or more
quarters.
A constitutional convention during
these unsettled times would be moth
ing short of calamity in the polite
al and economic life of Idaho. Thought
has not crystalized, and no program
proposed by the theorists has had the
careful consideration or the endorse
nlent of any considerable number of
sstsfs There are too many destruc-
tive schemes, too few seasoned policies
for constructive legislation to be based
on
One group wants to do away with
the tax commission, another with the
board of equalization. One group
wants to do away with the commits
sioner of education, another with the
state superintendent One group
wants to do away with the public
utilities commission, another wishes
to give it more power. Some want
more boards; others want none at all.
Some want increased salaries; some,
free public servants. Some want TO
make the government more truly rep
resentative by the convention system;
Others would throw everything into the
primaries.
AS a matter of fact we would be
s,o n p1 nO foil
ed with our constitution as much as
we have. 1t was not at first hall
such bad document as it has been
"amended" into; and if the articles
in the original form had ever been
actually enforced, we should have had
all this time a state government that
would come pretty near managing the
affairs of the people in satisfactory
manner.
1t is to be remembered, moreover,
that our state constitution was drawn
up and deliberated upon by the best
men the state of Idaho ever sent to
the capital to transact public business.
They were smart men, keen men, sea-
soned men; they had foresight. But,
above all, they were true Idahoans,
and they knew Idaho from A to lizard.
We had better put off that constitu-
tional convention for few years. We
had better wait
Until we know whether there is
really anything serious the matter
with the one we have;
Until some of these fresh new per-
sons have settled down long enough on
our soil to know Idaho and Idaho con-
ditions and Idaho people;
Until we know whether the schemes
proposed are sound and wise
Until public thought and sentiment
a little and until we have
learned to detect crazy experiment
when we have it showed under our
noses.
The men who are asking for con-
stitutional convention are real Ida
1oans. and they know this state and |
ike it; but we are very much afraid
hat their plan would work the very
disasters they are trying to avoid.