The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14
MAKE IT EASIER TO
ALTER CONSTITUTION
Prof. Beard Discusses Difficult
ties Surrounding Amending
Of Document.
WORK OF THE COMMITTEE


York covers the thing very thor
oughiy. Every twenty years the ques-
ton Is to be submitted to the people
Of the State as to whether or not
they desire to hold convention
Every detail Of procedure Is clearly
set forth. There is no reason why
the set date and the detailed routine
for a Federal convention should not
be as definitely Fixed.
Remember, that's all moonshine
about the Constitution OF the United
States being too holy to touch" said
Prof. Beard with a smile In conclu-
sion. How could our forefath,rs
know Of the complicated problems we
face when they framed the great in
strument? It's come to pretty pass
il we have to acknowledge that we
can't look after our present day af-
fairs better than our fathers, or IL we
have no hope Of brainy men now or
In the future"
The organizer Of the Committee on
the Federal Constitution is Seba
Eldridge OF Brooklyn. former stu
dent OF Prof Boards Mr. EldrdRe
has gathered around him an organ
ization committee OF thirty-eight
There are representatives from Okla
homa. Illinois, Pennsylvania. Massa-
chusetts, New Jersey. Wisconsin, In
diana, Minnesota and the District Of
Columbia.
I'VE believe that the people should
be masters OF their Constitution in
stead of the Constitution mastering
them said Mr. Eldridge when the
reporter sought him out at Prof
Boards suggestion. In order to make
the Constitution NJ present conditions
and needs the Supreme Court has in
terpreted until It is safe To- say that
the court is our real legislative body
and our real Constitution. There are
a number Of burning questions be-
fore thu nation at the present time
that are baked OF proper settlement
because Of the unavoidable method OF
amending our organic law.
Something is needed in the way
OF amendment to fit the California
Japanese situation Something Is
needed in the way Of amendment per-
hitting Congress to Ak wage rates
and other units connected with ma
tionai industry The California mat
ter might at any time get the entire
nation into difficulty because Of the
insistence Of one state on its rights.
81 have had considerable experience
with social problems. and there Is
oaly one way TO treat them az n
whole-they should be treated nation
| ally the moment they assume ma
tional magnitude. instead OF each
state fixing them to suit conditions
within its own borders-or its inter
probation Q: conditions within So bor
ders our resolution will he actively
1 pressed at Washington"
President Woodrow Wilson in his
book on Congressional Government
says: mo impulse short OF the i'm
pulse of Representation no force
less than the force of revolution. can
4 nowadays he expected to move the
cumbersome machinery in Article v"
/ In Amess work on the History OF
| the Amendments To the Constitution
/ he collects no end of utterances by
/ famous men to prove the practical
/ impossibility OF changing the docu-
ment
Chief Justice Marshall himself said
the machinery provided for the
amendment Of the Constitution was
unwicldy and Cumhruus Patrick
Henry said the ma jorIties for ratif'ca-
ton We're too large Andrew Jack
son said tha' the evils which can be
| clearly traced 10 an organic defect
in the Constitution ought not to be
overlooked through too scrupulous
generation OF the work Of our ances-
tors"