The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1918-12-26
ROY NJ. CRAIG, Business Manager
People Cannot Be Ignored.

Judge I. NJ Mehaffey who was president
of the Constitutional Convention that drafted
the proposed new Constitution of Arkansas, re-
Gently rejected by the people, has announced
that the coming Legislature will be asked to
re-submit the constitution at the general cleo
ton to be held in 1920.
Judge Mehaffey in statement given the
newspapers, gives number of reasons why
the new constitution was defeated, and says he
thinks the objections can be overcome.
The reasons given by Judge Mehaffey are
plausible so far as they go, but the Judge miss
es the main reason-the one thing that in reali-
ty lost more votes fer the constitution than any
other three things connected with it-and that
is the fact that the entire procedure from start
to finish was too far removed from the people
To begin with, the manner of selecting
delegates to the convention not in keeping
with Democratic principles. The people were
given no choice in the matter of selecting the
delegates. In practically every county
in the State the Democratic County
Central Committee met and elected the
candidates. No primaries were held and the
people were given voice in their selection.
It is no reflection upon the delegates from
our own county to say that they were not the
choice of the people of independence county.
Both are able men, and good men-as good
can be found in the county-but the fact re-
mains that they were not chosen by the peo-
pie. They were chosen by the Democratic Cen
trail Committee. Their names were printed on
the ballots as the Democratic nominees and
they were elected at special election-a spec
ial election at which less than one-fourth of
the normal vote of the county was cast
What is true of independence county in this
respect is true of at least 60 of the Is counties
of the State, and as a result the people had no
part in the first and NEST vital part of the pro-
ceedure-that of selecting the men to frame
the constitution.
AS we said before, this is no reflection on
the delegates who framed the constitution. and
is not mentioned by The Journal as having any
bearing upon the merits or dement's of the con-
stitution. But it IS a reflection upon the men
who framed and passed the law calling the
Constitutional Convention, end is an indication
that they were unwilling to trust the people or
desired to put something over and thought it
could best be done by removing the procedure
so far from the people that they would take no
interest in the matter.
The very fact of the undemocratic incep-
ton of the procedure created among the peo-
pie feeling of distrust and preiudiced them
against the new constitution before a single line
of it written
The further fact that the constitution was
not submitted to them through the regular
channels at a regular election instead of at
special election, served to strengthen the pre-
JUDGE against the instrument and caused
certain degree of distrust of any man who fav-
ored' its adoption.
The people believe, and they have right
TO believe that they should be consulted in
matters of government This is especially true
when 1t comes to matter of such vital impor
lance as the framing of constitution.
IL any further efforts are to be made to-
ward the adoption of new constitution thew
should come through channels that will give
the people free hand in the procedure from
beginning to end. Candidates for delegates
must be chosen in the regular Democratic nri-
MARES at which other officers are chosen. the
instrument should be submitted at a regular
election and the entire procedure conducted in
manner that will give the people a voice in
the matter
The people cannot be successfully ignored
IN Democratic Arkansas