The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1916-01-21

posed change in the Constitution @,
the United states can be discussed IN
the large lines which are appropriate
10 such a question, and with a thor
oughness commensurate with it's i'm.
p~ortance. IL is only when the subject
Is before Congress that public atten.
ION a be adequately conferred upon
II. The Importance OF the action then
pending Is so plain that the persons
to II, the persons In favor OF
H. II the persons whose Judgment
mas nor been formed. are alike upon
notice TO fix their attention ON the
question. IL has a chance OF receivirg
lts due share OF notice In the press.
me various stages OF its parliament
tary progress are followed with keen
interest.
Responsibility With Congress.
AS tho final test OF strength an
proaches, everybody Interested real.
ICES that a decision OF crucial i'm
portance Is about to be made. and
when the vote is taken. IL is the out.
come OF such a contest as BELTS an
issue of fundamental Importance. II
congress were TO abdicate It's function
and regard itself as a mere vehicle
Tor the placing OF the question before
the State Legislatures, all this would
be swept away: for II Is obvious that
nothing OF the kind would take place
In the scattered proceedings OF the
forty-eight State Legislatures, each
charged with but a small share in the
responsibility OF the decision. and taxi
ing Ii up at odd times. determined per.
maps by chance, perhaps by some
clever and unnoticed maneuver.
inequality of Representation.
And in addition to these broad con
siderations there are two circum-
stances of a peculiar nature which
greatly add to the imperativeness of
the duty of Congress to its
own deliberate judgment on any pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution.
One OF these turns on the gross IN
equality with which the population OF
the country is represented In the count
State Legislatures. Nevada, with
$4,000 population, counts for as much
as New York. with 5000. 900; and, in
(by the Census Of 1910), the
twelve most populous States in the
Union have q population of 81, 200, 900, I
while the other thirty-six States
three-fourths OF the whole number
have only II, 900, 900. The House OF
Representatives is the only place. In
whole process OF passing an
where the people are rep
resented even approximately accord
ing to their number.
No Time Limit Fixed.
The other circumstance Is still more
important There appears to be no
of time for the ratification of an
amendment by a State Legislature. II
might easily happen that these ratif
cations were gradually accumulated at
odd times until the requisite three
was obtained, and yet that
here was no one time when three
'ourths of the Legislatures in actual
existence were In favor OF it. II Con-
sress is 10 stand aside, the whole
OF the adoption of an amend
nent becomes a haphazard affair. de-
'oid of almost every feature belong
ng to a real test OF public sentiment.
I we are to preserve our fundamental
aw from all sorts Of unpredictable
hanger, we must adhere firmly to that
'iew of the conditions requisite TO ef-
Getting a change in it which is pre-
alike by the language OF the
Constitution and by the plainest con-
alterations of reason and justice.