The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-07-25
VOTE ON CHANGE
IN CONSTITUTION
NEXT SEPTEMBER
Recent Attempts to Secure
Revision Have Failed Last
Convention Held in 1870.
Little Time for Campaign.

The citizens Of Tennessee win have
an opportunity mex September to say
whether or not they believe there should
De a revision of the organic law Of the
state as expressed in the state consti-
tuition.
Twice within 90 years there has heen
2 vote on this subject and twice a ma
lority of the voters have voted against
II. Yet. lawyers. almost without exccp-
tlon' and many leaders among the pro-
gressive business men Of the state for
years have asserted that the prograss
OF Tennessee is hampered by the pro-
visions of the present constitution,
which is virtually that adopted in 1884,
with a few changes made after the con-
stitutional convention of 1870.
Fear that if anv changes were made
they would be so FAR reaching that they
would react against progress, or fear
that the faces and emolunaents of office
holders would be abolished, or the pow
ers n dignity of the county courts
would be abridged, seem to have been
some OF the reasons urged against any
change In past campaigns for a new
constitution.
The law now on the books provides
for an election the first Thursday in
September Of this year on the question
Of holding a constitutional convention,
for the revision, change or amendment
OF the present constitution. If a favor
S'N Wv ~ ANSSANNNF NStN SeANNs " Wv
convention will meet at Nashville on
the following Nov. Is.
The convention is to make its W
| rules as 20 the time when, and the
form In which any proposed amend
ments shall be submitted to the peo-
| pie.
The law provides for the election Of
I 1874 delegates, at least one from each
I county, and additional members for the
larger counties, eight in all, for example
] from Shelby.
The hills providing for the convention
and the election were introduced by
Senators l. Z. Gwin and A. D. Burk-
halter.
In former campaigns a leading part
was taken by citizens of Memphis, not
ably James II. Malone, and a group OF
| other forward looking men. This year
no active campaign has yet been under
taken although a preliminary confer
enca was held recently in Nashville
and 4 meeting Of a number of men IN
terested in the movement has been
called for Saturday at the capital.
An ,no executive afteT t fGm% reeeSt Was Nashv ans
meeting, the members being Finney
Garter of Chattanooga, chairman, I. f.
Peck, NNlcomb McDermott and George
F. Milton, representing East Tennessee;
10. K. Holiday. w. c. Birthright an1
Joseph Campbell, Middle Tennessee; ana
l. f. Gwin, J. H. Malone and &. A.
miller. West Tennessee.
with only about a month for the pro-
posed campaign, the time seems short
IN which to arouse any great amount OF
enthusiasm or to interest voters in the
matter. II may be that the women OF
the state may become interested in the
~lcampaign, in view of the fact that one
of the proposed amendments would
probably deal with woman suffrage as
1t is apparently an open question Wheth-
err women AN vote in municipal cleo
lions even in Tennessee under a cour,t
| decision in Davidson county. although
they were supposed to have been given
a partial franchise by the last legisla'
ttufe,