The Farmington times., 1916-11-24
A STATE NECESSITY

only be done through Constitutional
Convention. Various attempts have
been made to amend it in several par
ticulars, but few of the amendments
have been accepted by the people;
partly perhaps because they have
been submitted at our general cleo
tions when partisan politics engrossed
their attention and the amendments
were not given the study and discus
sion that would familiarize them with
the good or bad qualities they con-
tanned. Sometimes a dozen or more
amendments were submitted together,
and if there happened to be one among
them that the people instinctively
objected to, which was invariably the
case, they voted against them all for
fear they might make the mistake of
voting for something they did not
want.
These amendments were either
drafted and submitted by a busy Leg
islature to correct some seeming or
apparent inadequacy of the constitu-
ton that prohibited or interfered
with certain lines of legislation that
appeared necessary, or by the ini-
tiation of certain groups of moral
people or alleged tax-reform organiza-
tions which had a single purpose in
view with no relation to other fea-
lures or defects of the constitution.
The large number of amendments
thus sumbitted, either by the Legisla-
ture or the initiative law, is evidence
conclusive that there is a strong con-
viction among the people that our
State Constitution, which admirably
fitted and met the conditions existing
half century ago, falls far short of
the requirements Of present condi-
tions. 1t handicaps and retards pro-
gressive policy that would make for
the States material advancement, be-
sides embarrassing it in meeting it's
pecuniary obligations.
That a representative convention,
composed of men elected especially
for the purpose, from among our best
constitutional lawyers, business men,
progressive farmers, industrial and
labor representatives with no other
object in view but the framing of a
constitution TO meet the requirements
of good State government, could and
would do the work better, more
thoroughly and more satisfactorily
than any number of amendments to
the present instrument, even if the
people could be induced to adopt
them, must be admitted.
There are a number of restrictions
and limitations of our present State
Constitution that might be very wise
ly eliminated, and more latitude and
responsibility placed in the General
Assembly in the matter of legislation
with such checks as the Executive de-
partment affords. If these exceed in
any way the will of the people, they
have the final veto power in their
hands through the referendum. The
matter of apportionmeht of the pub
lie money should be more clearly de-
fined and made more elastic. There
is a surplus of money in certain funds,
thousands of dollars more than re-
quired to meet expenditures, but this
surplus is tied up by provision of
the constitution and cannot be di-
verted to other uses. A reform might
also be made in the policy of appor-
tioning certain part Of the States
general revenue fund to the public
schools of the State. The constitu-
tion requires that one-third of the
revenue shall be apportioned and re-
turned to the counties for school pur-
poses. A separate State tax for the
State school fund would be better and
the constitution should so provide,
and separate tax for State revenue
purposes should be installed.
Then budget system of expendi-
lures within the estimated revenue of
the State for each biennial period
should be provided for, and the Gen
eral Assembly prohibited from ex-
ceeding the estimate. This would pre-
vent the biennial shortages that oc-
cur every two years and the institu-
tions of the State would know just
what they might expect and cut their
cloth accordingly.
These and many other matters, in
a constitutional convention, could be
gone over carefully and methodically
and worked out to satisfactory con-
clusioh, and there is no doubt that the
new constitution, after being
thoroughly discussed and the people
ss~'-eii I'd
the present out-of-date organic law,