The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-04
CLEMENT IS A
SECESS|ON|ST
I'll. B. Amey So Character.
ICES His Attitude Toward
Federal Constitution
HOLDS SAME VIEWS
AS JEFFERSON DAVIS
Amendment of Federal Constitution
Not Subject to Whims of States -
Great Opportunity for Lieutenant
Governor Stone to Call Session.

Governor Stone to Call a Session.
ISLAND POND, Aug. 4.-Harry B..
Amey in response to requests by Yer
mont newspapers has given the following
opinion regarding Governor Clement 5
recent proclamation refusing to call a
special session of the legislature to ratify
the woman suffrage amendment to the
federal constitution.
The proclamation of His Excellency,
Hon. Percival w. Clement, refusing to
call an extra session of the Vermont leg
10Th amendment to the federal cOnstitu-
ton has created more than ordinary in
terest throughout the country, owing to
the unusual necessity of action on the
the women of the state for the presiden-
tial election wherein they are allowed to
vote in nearly all other states in the
union
Governor Clement bases his refusal
mainly on legal grounds, ignoring largely
all questions of expediency
As chairman of the committee on suf-
frage and elections in the Vermont state
senate, it is not out of place for me to
| answer the governor, combining myself
mainly to the legal propositions therein
involved.
The governors message breathes the
very spirit of secession and notification.
If we hesitate to say that the constitution
of the United States is the supreme law
of the land and say that it is a mere com
pact that can be violated at will and at
| every convenience and whim OF the
states, we are placing our very govern
ment upon tottering foundations and are
| raising hue and cry of secession. The
constitution of the United States pro
vides a method of amendment.
The congress-, whenever two thirds of
both houses shall deem it necessary, shall
propose amendments to this constitution,
| or, on the application of the legislatures
| of two thirds of the several states, shall
call a convention for proposing amend
ments, which, in either case, shall be
valid to all intents and purposes, as part
Of this constitution, when ratified by
| the legislatures of three fourths of the
several states, or by conventions in three
| fourths thereof, as the one or the other
mode of ratification may be proposed by
| the congress-; provided that no amend
ment which may be made prior to the
year one thousand eight hundred and
eight shall in any manner affect the first
| and fourth clauses in the ninth section
of the first article; and that no state
without its consent, shall be deprived oil
! it's equal suffrage in the senate"
| It also provides ti.at the constitution
and laws of the United States are the
supreme law of the land.
''Ths constitution, and the laws Of the
| United States which shall be made in
pursuance thereof; and all treaties made
under the authority of the United States
shall be the supreme law of the land;
and the judges in every state shall be bound
thereby, any thing in the constitution
or laws of any state to the contrary not
withstanding."
| Yet the whole burden of Governor
| Clements argument is that the state
| legislature has no right fundamentally tC
ratify the suffrage amendment because
! the state constitution, for its amendment
requires a referendum and the proposed
amendment to the federal constitution re
quires no referendum and cx proprio vi
gore it viii supercede the state constitu
ton when adopted.
Governor Clement evidently taxes the
same view of the United States constitu
tion and state rights as did the great
southern statesmen Calhoun and Haynt
and his opinion comedies with that of JEFF
ferson Davis and the whole southern con
federacy at the time of the rebellion.
He has seeded to the Mons Saeer like
the plebians of ancient Rome, but he finds
no sympathy and no authority to sup
port him. Governor Clements theory o.
the vitality and effect of the United
States constitution has been most effect
ually tried out and found to be most de
structive and dangerous The great Civi
war which cost so much blood and treas
ure settled that question forever; and MOI
single jurist or lawyer can successfully
defend the argument of the governor
which is in effect that the constitution o
the United States is not the supreme Law