Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 259, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1914 — New Constitution Again Defended By Dr. Curnick. [ARTICLE]

New Constitution Again Defended By Dr. Curnick.

Editors Republican: I feel constrained to write again for the columns of your paper in order to state other reasons noA given before why I am in favor of a new’ constitution for the state bf Indiana. One of the greatest objections to a new constitution is the ery of too great a cost to the taxpayers of the state. The Indiana, anti-saloon league trustees have made a careful investigation of the question of the cost and this is what they have found: “Based on the 'cost of Ohio’s constitutional convention such a convention in Indiana will cost hardly a half million dollars—less than 27 cents on each thousand dollars oi taxable property. This includes the cost o* the special election for delegates, the cost of the convention itself for five months, including salaries of delegates, secretaries, clerks* stenographers, stationery, mileage of members, publication of convention debates, advertisements in newspapers of the state of the new or amended constitution.” So we see that instead of the calling of a convention for the new constitution costing millions of dollars, it will cost less than a half million dollars. The governor of Ghio says that their new constitution has saved to the taxpayers of the state overfour million dollars the first year. Now why can we not see ‘that alcohol’s share of the taxes for the support of the penal and charitable institutions of Indiana is over one million dollars a year. A new constitution for Indiaha uitli lonsututional prohibition as one of its planks will save forty ndllian dollars of the people’s money that is now spent in saloons and this vast sum will yearly be spent for the necessities, comforts znd luxuries of life. If saloons take in forty millions of dollars a year, and if the drunkards, the criminals, the law-break-ers made by saloons cost the state over * one million dollars a year, surely it is a safe and sape reason why Indiana ought to have constitutional prohibition to close up the saloons of our commonwealth, and thus remove the main source off misery, law-breaking and crime. But I wish to say that there are grave and supreme civic, economic, commercial, governmental and social reasons why Indiana ought to have a new constitution. The Citizen’s League of Indiana gives the following seven reasons, none- of them ’ including the temperance question, why the citizens of Indiana ought to vote yes tor a new constitution. It will give the opportunity to secure: ' • 1. An up-to-date taxation system, which means lower taxes and fairer distribution of the tax burden. • 2. Effective control of government and its officials through the initiative, referendum and recall. 3. Economy and efficiency in the administration of city government through home rule powers for cities. 4. A system of nomination of officers directly by the people instead of by the party bosses. 5. Protection to the industrial classes through a workmen’s compensation act. 6. Elimination of the floating fore’gn vote. 7. The chance to get government away from the political machines and into the hands of the people. In closing I wish to call the attention of the citizens of Jasper county to the difference bi tween the question of a new constitution and'the reforms which ought to become part of the. new constitution. Next Tuesday we vote yes or no for a constitutional convention. If the majority of votes cast in the state are in favor of calling this constitutional convention, then the question of what will go Into the new constitution will be decided/ by the delegates elected to this constitutional convention. The question of constitutional convention is not a political one. As I understand the situation, not one of the political parties of Indiana are fighting either for or against the constitutional convention. Neither Mr. Beveridge nor Mr. Shively spoke a word for or againts this subject. There are hundreds of thousands of citizens of ahi political parties whom I believe favor the calling of a constitional convention so as to give Indiana a chance to enact a new constitution under the light of this progressive age, which shall be the fundamental law of our state for the next half century. In closing I quote the following: A now constitution for the state of Indiana? Yes. Fdr the sake of her standing among the great states of the union, for the sake of our coming generations of young people, who would like to live under the rights and liberties of the future, so rthe sake of our .homes, our commerce, our prosperity, 'or the aske of our general moral and social welfare; for the sake of justice, equality and grogress, let the grand old state of Indiana make a new constitution of which we all wil Ibe proud,

PAUL C. CURNICK.

The Junior Aid Society of the Christian church will meet Wed; nesday evening of this week with Mrs. George H. Healey. • 4

Mrs. J. E. Harrod and daughter, Mists Laura, oif Indianapolis, who have been visiting the former’s sister, Mrs. Laura B. Fate, at the Makeever hotel, for several weeks, left this morning ifor Johnstown, Pa., where they will-visit her son. They will 1 ait er go to Philadelphia to remain for some ‘time. Think twice before you vote and then scratdh Homer Cook, democratic candidate for secreta.y of staite. He was the speaker of the last house and is the man who wrote the letter tasking “how much” it was worth to havO the books of a concern adopted for use in Indiana. You don’t care about helping elect a man of that kind to office, do you?