The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-07-19
Coz. Clement s Proclamation
Editorial Comment By Leading Papers - Springfield Re-
publican Calls 1t Curiosity of American Political
Literature.

iendum since the constitution itself dis
l-tincly provides as to the method of
qualification.
In the second place, even if the SUI
preme court had not decided the mat
ter it would be utterly absurd to hold
that the constitution of any state
should rule in relation TO action to be
taken, under the jurisdiction of the
federal government.
In the third place, Vermont in seek
ing admission to the Union voluntarily
made its organic and statutory law sub
iect TO the constitution of the United
States. Wherever there is a conflict
the constitution of the United States
rules as the supreme law of the land.
Governor Clement, on the other hand
seems ready to defy the constitution
of the United States He quotes the
decision of the supreme court that the
referendum provisions of state con
stitutions and statutes cannot be APP
piled consistently with the constitution
of the United States in the ratification
of amendments to it" and declares
concerning the supreme court of the
United States:
''This decision leaves the people at
the mercy of any group Of men, who
may lobby a proposal for change to
the federal constitution through con-
gress and then through the legislatures
of states.
he adds that eff the people of Yer
mont in accepting a place in the union
of states inadvertently lost in whole
or in part the right of self government
and conferred it on legislature, there
is all the more reason why a legisla-
ture should not pass upon a question
that has arisen since their election and
upon which their constituents have had
no opportunity to express themselves
Governor Clement thus not only puts
the state above the constitution of the
United States but he also makes it i'm
possible in effect for any Legislature
to pass in special session upon any i'm
portant question arising after the close
of their regular session.
The constitution of Vermont, con-
! corning one part of which Governor
Clement is so selections. expressly says
that the governor "shall have power
to cali together the general assembly,
whom necessary, before the day to
which they shall stand adjourned -
ANY matter arising after the adjourn
ment of a legislature. according TO
Governor Clement could not be eonsid-
| elected on thdt issue
That Is directly contrary also to the
! spirit of the constitution of the United
| States. which places ratification of con-
! stitutionaI amendment in the hands of
either constitutional conventions or
, state legislatures. according as congress
NAV direct.
I Governor Clement holds that either
the Vermont constitution must be
! changed to agree with the constitution
of he United States or vice versa, as
! if there could be any question as TO
| which to change.
Governor Clement goes on to attack
the provisions of the constitution of
the United States for its own amend
ment as interpreted by the supreme
court Of the United States as ''threat-
! ening the foundation of free popular
! government
If a radical agitator in the third
!! party eonclave in Chicago had used
that declaration relative to the consti-
tuition of the United States, we would
| have regarded it as incendiary.
The weakness of Governor Clement :
argument appears further in his declar-
alton that our constitution was framed
| to insure our liberties, not to prescribe
them, and his consequent assumption
| that the extension of the right of cit
izenship to women in any way whatever
| interferes with the liberties guaranteed
| by the constitution.
We never realized before that the
sharing of the blessings of liberty with
| others interfered with our own liberty
in either the legal or the constitutional
| sense
| However, we long since concluded
| that no consideration whatever would
induce our present executive to remove
any obstacle he could place in the path
of political justice for women.
A minority of the voters of Vermont
chose our present executive on a "wet''
| platform and he will remain their
''wet' representative to the very end,
| opposing the entrance into citizenship
of any class whatever, regardless of
sex, that threatens to oppose the fac
tion and interests he represents.