Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-11-03
LACK INTEREST
IN SELECTION
OF CONVENTION
important Problems Of State
Fail to Rouse Voters to
Pick Capable Dele
gates.

Lincoln, Nov. 2.-(Special. with
he election of delegates to the con-
'titutional convention only one day
distant there is much worry on the
part of those deeply interested in
seeing the very best men elected
because of the lack of general in
crest in the. election.
Nebraska has not for many years
1ad an election which calls for such
universal action as the election of
next Tuesday" said a gentleman
Yesterday. II cannot understand
lust why there is so little interest
1t is we'll known that the nonparti-
san league has been working for
weeks. yes: months. to capture this
convention and secure enough dele
gates to control the situation 1t is
not at all likely that they will elect
a majority of their candidates. In
fact, they have not sufficient en-
dorsed candidates to secure ma
jority, but the danger lies in their
electing enough so that they may
hold the balance of power in i'm
portant matters covering the most
vital propositions"
Want Short Session.
1t appears to be the opinion of
large number of those interested
that the session should not be long
one in any event. They contend as
general thing that the present
constitution is pretty good sort of
. document and that a great mis-
AXE will be made if an attempt is
made and should be successful to
make the new constitution anything
more than bringing up to date"
affair. To make it a legislative
proposition would be mistake and
would simply mean an expensive
proposition for the state. The legis-
lature should be given the right to
make laws to meet changing condi-
tons and not put that obligation
upon the constitution, which in that,
case, would compel calling to-
sether of a constitutional convention
or the submission of a constitutional
provision to the people, which has
always been an expensive and unsat-
isfactory way because so few people
vote upon constitutional PROPOSE
lions put up to them.
Sonie of the things which appear
% interest the people the most that
he new constitution should cover,
S fixing maximum amount which.
state officers should receive and
giving the legislature the authority
change the amount to suit condi-
Raise Officers Pay.
For instance the governor of the
state receives no more now than he
lid when the constitution was made
n 1875, yet expense OF living has
gone up to many times what it was
1T that time. The constitution should
read that the governor should re-
ccive not more than the pay of a
congressman, $500 a year. Tie
duties and responsibilities of gov
ernor are much greater than those
of congressman and he represents
an entire state, while a congressman
has only district to look after, al
though of course he may be con-
sidered to represent his state in
large way. Other state officers
should be raised accordingly and
none of them ought to receive less
than twice what the constitution
gives them now. Some are advocat-
ing the cutting down of the member
ship of the legislature to about halt
what it is now. giving the lower
branch 50 members and the senate
about rs. Others wan. to conhne
the legislature 10 onl.S one body.
Some others would make the gov
ernor and lieutenant governor the
only elective officers and make the
balance appointive something under
the plan of the code bill at the pres
cnt time.
Slight Interest Shown.
Another thing that some would
like to do is to do away with execu-
tive sessions of the senate. There
is nothing which has ever happened
in an executive session of the senate
but what could just as we'll be pub
tic, and many believe it unamerican,
anyway, to transact business in
which the state is interested and
which the people should have part
behind closed doors. Others be-
lieve that the calling of special ses-
sions should be put up to the state
officers as whole and that their
judgment should be taken, before
The call is made.
However, with all of these things