Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 254, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 October 1914 — NEW CONSTITUTION IS ABLY SUPPORTED [ARTICLE]

NEW CONSTITUTION IS ABLY SUPPORTED

Important Issues That Would Come Up For Adoption Dia- „ cussed By Dr. Curnick. ; The people of the great state of Indiana, Will have ah opportunity to decide whether or not a constitutional convention shall be held in 1915. This will be determined by the majority of votes east at the coming November election. I desire to give a few reasons why I am in favor of such, a constitutional convention. ,

The state of Indiana has adopts ed a constitution two different times. The first was Adopted in 1816 and the present constitution was adopted 35 years later, in 1851.It is now 63 yehrs since the present constitution was adopted and it takes no great amount of argument to prove that the state of Indiana today is politically, commercially, socially and every other way a different and greater Indiana that it was 63 years ago. Let us look for a moment at the tremendous and the fundamental changes whicif have been wrought in this long period otKyears. In 1863 Indiana had only onV third the population it has today. The largest city was Albany, which had only 7,786 people. Indianapolis then bad 7,680 people, but today has nearly 300,000 population. In all Indiana there were only njne cities as large as Rensselaer is today. During this period the population in county and cities has increased, bringing with it great municipal problenta and grave agricultural questions. The large per cent of foreign population in our cities, the changing conditions of life, customs, institutions and business, all necessitate new laws to cope with new conditions.■ Think for a mo-mept of our railroads, our gravel roads, our interurbari lines, our factories, our schools, our colleges, all. having so largely developed during the last 63 years.

r When the did constitution was passed, Indiana had aboui 14,000 men working in factories; now there are over 200,000. \,Then our annual sales for manufactured articles were aboiYt $19,000,004k Now our yearly sales amount to nearly $600,000,000. The citizens of Indiana had nearly $8,000,000 invested in, factories; now over $250,000,000. In 1863 our state taxes amounted to about $450,000; now they amount to $6,250,000. Then “there were no great corporations, worth millions of dollars, no labor problems, no foreign population, very few libraries, and the State existed in the simple condition of the stage coach and rural simplicity. * Now, in the year 1914, all this has changed. Since that time immeasurable progress pas been made in ealth, education, science and inventions. Today new problems of government and society, new demands of the people for larger rights to greater personal power over the government and laws of the state are demanded. 1. We need a new constitution to revise, our tax system, for it is welU known that our tax laws are behind the times, insufficient for the needs of the day and are not equitably adjusted to protect the poor as well as the rich. 2. We need a new constitution to adopt new laws for our cities. It is said that Indiana has an antiquated political system for governing its cities. Home rule for cities by which each city can have its own charter adopted to its own local needs, is one of the great needs of today. 3. We need a new Constitution that will solve thereat problem of wealth and poverty, capital and labor in a spirit of justice and equity. 4. We need a new constitution that will enfbody the new twentieth century ideas of progress along the lines of civic and moral reforms. The proposed reforms are many and I hereby mention a few of the most serious and important changes that the people of Indiana desire in the new constitution: 1. Woman suffrage. 2. Educational test for suffrage. 3. Jury and court reforms. 4. Workingmen’s compensation laW. . ■ z 5. Compulsory arbitration of labor disputes. 6. Primary elections. 7. The initiative and referendum and recall. 8. The constitutional prohibition of the beverage liquor traffic. Thus we see that the calling of a convention for the adoption of a new constitution for the state of 'lndiana will bring all these up-to- ! date and’ much needed reforms bei fore the constitutional convention for adoption. Of course, we do not expect all { these proposed reforms to carry. I

But we do believe in the progressive spirit of our people and ip the growing demand for larger and better things which only a new constitution can give to the citizens of Indiana. Personally, I am most concerned in favor of a hew constitution because I believe it will give- the people of Indiana the best opportunity to get rid of. the saloons, breweries and distilleries of the state. F

Today constitutional prohibition is demanded by hundreds of thousands of citizens because the liquor traffic is the greatest foe’ to our homes, our schools, our churches, our factories and our government. Today the saloon is the source of more economic waste, more crimes, more broken homes, more divorces, more poverty, more insanity, more political corruption, more hellish misery, more social degradation than all other influences, and the new constitution can by one great blow blot out every saloon within our state and give us a victory for temperance and morality that will put Indiana at the front of the great moral forces of our nation. PAUL C. CURNIOK.