The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1918-10-17
CONSTITUTION
TAMPERINC
OPPOSED
Ex- Governor Mcdonnell, Who
Helped Draft Present
Document, Objects.

That he is unqualifiedly opposed to
tinkering with the constitution at this
time; that he believes if there are any
changes to be made they should be
made in the manner provided by the
constitution itself, and that under any
circumstances no radical changes
should be made in the fundamental
law of the state until the soldiers from
| Idaho, who are now fighting in France,
have an opportunity to participate in
| the making of the proposed changes.
! are the firm convictions of w. J. Nc
Connell of Moscow, two times governor
of Idaho. one of the first United States
senators and member of the Idaho
constitutional convention which franz
ed the present document at Boise in
| 1885, says the Wallace Press Times of
October 3. Ex-Governor Mcconnell
was a business visitor in Wallace yes
terday. Before Idaho was admitted to
the union the present constitution was
| framed and submitted to the people
and became the written fundamental
law of the state when Idaho entered
as a full fledged member of the union
on July 3, 1890.
Don't shut out the boys who are
now fighting in France to save this
country" said Ex-Governor Mcconnell
last night LET the boys who fight
have hand in the writing of the new
constitution should it be found neces-
sary to have one. When they return
home some of them may be crippled
\ and it will be only just to permit them
to share in the framing of the new
document, in event the old one cannot
be fixed up and made to serve"
Ex-Governor Mcconnell who has
been so closely identified with the
existence and progress of the state of
Idaho, is most emphatically opposed
to the calling of a constitutional con-
vention at this time Having helped
draft the present constitution and hav-
ing watched the operation of state af-
fairs under its provisions he is well
qualified to speak on the subject. Last
night he said: II know the difficulty
of calling together representatives
from all sections of the state and keep
ing out things that should not be in.
This is large state and its interests
are widely diversified and it is danger
Gus to bring delegates together to write
n constitution to take the place of the
present document If changes are
deemed necessary let those who believe
they see defects tell exactly what ar
ticles or section are wrong Then let
the remedy be proposed and submitted
to the people as an amendment, or
amendments, as provided for In the
constitution itself In this way the
remedy can be secured at an expense
that will be trifiing compared with that
. involved in calling constitutional
convention.
After the war. things will be diff
ferent. Then decided changes may be
necessary. Perhaps the taxation sys-
tenn will have to be revised. but let the
boys who fight have Il hand in this re-
vision. Do not shut them out. Per
/ haps some of them may be crippled
: We should wait to see what we want
and what they want before acting.
) Don't fix new constitution that
will, perhaps, cut off the school chill
? diren from their just heritage, or may
hap give a monopoly to certain inter
2 ests. The thing for the voters of Idahc
to do is to wait until the war is over
E before attempting to write a new con
ID stitution'
0 Ex-Governor Mcconnell was the
r chief executive of Idaho in 1892 and
' 1894. He served the short term as on,
: of the first senators from the state o1
5 Idaho in the 51st session from Decem
r her to March, being elected governor
0 upon his return TO the state. He is tn,
= father-in-law of u. s. Senator w. L
r Borah Of Idaho He IL in Wallace ol
r business. He is U. s. immigration in
spector.