The Commission And University

In the Constitutional Commission on Monday last, the educational article beug undor consideration, the power the Regents should havo over the diaposition of the interest f unrt and other funds apjropriated in aid of the University, reoeived duo attention, as follows : Mr. Withey moved an amendment to eetion 2, 80 as to give the Bourd of Regents control of all the stated funds of the University, and all appropriations by the Legislatura, except as the iet making appropriatious f or the L niversity shall limit tho use or uses to which it is to be applied. Mr. Willits thought that would Ik: the effect of tho Boction as it stands. Mr. Biley thought the proposod amendment right in principie, but thought it too sharp in expreasion. The same result might be reuched by other langunge. Mr. Withey stated that his object was to makt: the section so explicit as to do away with the uncertainty that now exista. Mr. Upson- -Wouldn't you be etirring up a hornet's nest ? Mr. Withoy - Perhaps so, among the homeopathi8ts. He contended, however, that the character oí the University was snch that it nhould be under the entire control of the Corporation having it in charge. If tha people want homo(ipathv in it they should olect Begents who would" put it there. To leave the matter iu its present uncertainty would place it in the power of a Circuit Judge to declare tho lnw of the case, as the equal división of the Supreme Court would prevent a rcversmg decisión by that tribunal. Mr. Crane concurred in the object desirod, Imt favored retaining the section as it stood. Mr. Withey withdrcw his aniendment. Mb. Withey was on the right track, and we regrot that he yielded to tho fear of his colleagues and withdrew his amendmeut. "We do not believe that the Constitntiou would bo weakeiied by the insertion of the provisión proposed by Mr. Withey. Oh the contrary, other things being equal,- that is no obnoxious features being engrafted upon the instrument- the friends of the University all through the State would rally to its support with special zeal and enthusiasm and secure its adoption. Hut the provisión should go f urther than the amendment proposed by Judge Withey, and should leave no battle-ground on which the Logislature and the llegents can hereafter wago a contest. The clause in question should voad substantially as follows : "The Board oí Regenta shall liave the genera! supervisión of the University; the exclusive right aiid power to establish and fill such chaira or professorships ui existing or authorized departmenta as they shall deern necessary, or for the Lood of the institution ; and the direction and control of all expenditures from tho University interest fund aud of all funds appropriated n aid of the University, unless made for a xpecific purpose by the appropriating act." What is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and while the Coinmission is at it let it do a clean job, and leave no disputed jurisdiction. Unless this is done the conflict bet ween the Legislature and the Kegents may be renewed at every session, at the demand of uneasy spirits and demagogues, until the doom of the University is sealed. The Legislature will be left to be as penurious or generous as it pleasea, and the Regents- selected for that expres and only purpose, by the same intelligent voters who select the Legislature, and responeible to the people for the execution of the trust reposed in them - to mark out the courses of study, desígnate professorships, and manage all the details, - details which the Legislature cannot intelligontly take in charge. - Sinco the above was in type we have the proceedings of Monday, when the educational article again being under consideration, it was amended on motion of Mr. Pond, by striking out the words, "The University shall continue under the supervisión of a Board of Begents," and inserting, "Supervisión and control of the University shall be vested in a Board of Eegents." In support of this amendment, Mr. Pond said : The language of the section as it stood was subject to construction, and was the very language on which the Suprerae Court divided on the homeopathie case. It was proper that the Legislature might attach conditions to appropriations when made, but it was not proper that the Logislaturg should dictate to the KegenU about the management of the University. They ought to have the exclusive power in the matter. Mr. Wells asked if the lauguage which he proposed to substituto was so expheit as to give this power. Mr. Pond- It is, beyond all oontroversy. Mr. Upson thought the change unnecessary- that the provisiou of the preaent constitution reenacted would be construed as the intentiou of the people to confer full power upon the Eegents, while an attempt to make the lauguage more explicit would arouse opposition. Mr. Pond replied that those wno opposed granting full power to the Eegents were smart enough to discover the cat in the meal if we attempted to put one there. The better way was to place the matter beyond doubt. In this connection we should say that anotber clause in the section as previously adopted is : "Said Board of Regenta nuall have the direction and control of expenditures from the University fundê. This, coupled with Mr. Pond's amendment, may reach the design of the clause we have suggested above. If not it should be further amended until it does. No divided juriediction should be the rule. To hold the purse strings of the State Treasury is all that the Legislature should have given it : when opened the Regenta should direct the expenditures without condition. Not i. Seeiotjs Pboposition. - We had not supposed it possible that any one could have believed there was anything serious in the propobition recently made in the Constitutional CommiBsion to submit the question of woman's suffrage to a vote of the women of the State ; but the comments of some of the journals in other States lead irresistibly to the conclusión that our (Jonstitution-menders have been grossly rnisapprehended. The proposition is nonsensical on its face. It would undoubtedly be very gratifying both to the friends and opponents of woraan auffrage to know precisely how the women themselves stand upon the question ; but the clause of the Constitution which prohibits them from voting can only be amended in tlie way which the instrument itself provides. In other words, before woman can vote upon a constitutional amendment the Coustitution must be so amended by a masculino vote as to confer the right upon her. - Free Preta. Does n't the Free Presa mistake the nature of the proposition of Mr. Willits ? If we understand it, it will incorpórate into the body of the Constitution a provisión for a submission of the woman suffrage question to the women at the spring eleotion of 1877, prior to which it is expected that the Constitution as revised by the Commission will have been adopted by the people and become the organio law of the State. If it shall be so adopted the " masculino vote" will be unnecessary, and the women will be legally and absolutely the masters of the situation. The "nonsense" of the propowition i not, therefore, in the diieotion indicated by the Free Premi. Pabso Nabby haa entered actively upon the work of burlesquing the Patrons of Husbandry or " Grangers." Does he see iu that organization a wedge which he fears is to enter, be driven home, and split the Eepublican party into fragmenta, or has he no grain of sympathy with the farmeri who saek to right thaii wrong by meaaí oí ooöperatioa r In THE Constitutional Commission on Tuesday a communication was receivod from the Michigan Annual Conference of the M. E. Church, the substancc or pith of which can be learned froin tbc following resolution accompanying it : Resolved, A the sense of this conference, that no chance n the eonstitutional provisión iu relotion Ut thi: trufnc in int.oxieul in{? drinkn ij desirable. Which is of course a declnration in furor of retaining the present prohibitory clause, a clause which has for over twenty years made the regulation and control of the liquor traffic impracticablo if not impossiblo. Whilo we Byra)athize with the meuibers of the conference dojiting the resolution, iu thoir desiro to do away with the evils of the liquor tntffic, - drunküuuess, paupevism, and orimo, - our obgervation hu tnught us Ui ut probibitory legislation íh but a guarmitcn ot' freo trade. Once in favor of prohibition and opposed to a liconse system, wc have eomo to bclieve thatmen uannot be mado tuiuperate - either in enting or drinking - by legislation ; that so long ir tho nveragc taste and appetite and conacieni c is what it is, men will drink some kind of stiraiilating or intoxicating bovoragi; ; and that if such beverages aro used tboj' will be manufacturad wd oíd Inpally or Ilegally. lf thon, tlie tiüíHe otniiot beefftütuully srohibited or ia other worda il' prohibitory legislatioii cannot and will not be jnforcod, camiot something le dono to modify tho ovils by license or oxciso legi.sliition. Wo do not mean by linonse guaranteeing a man tho privijpgo of doing wrong, but making hiin pay for tho Bvils growiug out of thü iraffio. Let the Comuiission strike the prohibitory clause from the Constitutton and tho Logislatuve will be nmstuf of "the Huitiim. It ohq onact that uo pcrsou ghall ojien a saloou for the galo of intoxicating heverages of any naine oï naturo until he has paid an excise taz of not less thau #()() aud taken his license or perinit, such license to be forfcitcd, with subjection to heavy linos and ponaltiea, if he nhall viólate ita conditions : say keep a disordeily place ; sell liquor to intoxicated persons or minors, to persons after prohibition by authoritios or guardián, husbands or wives; keep open or sell on Sunday, on certain peoitiod days, or after a specifiod hour in the evening. A law of this kind, it scorus to us, would certainly accomplisli what prohibition has not - restrain the traffic and mako the traffic pay the bül. - We would suggost also that tho Constitution might require the Legislature to fix the liceuse fee or tax at not Ie9s than $500, guaranteeing protection against free trnde in the organic law itself. Such a provisión we havo no doubt woull give the Constitution streugth bOfore the peopie. Av KNCOUHAOiSO dispateh comes i'rotn Washington : a statement - and a statement ought to be more than a mere rumor - that a meuiber ot' the Oommittee on Banking and Currency oí the last Congress will at the coming sossion introduce and advocate a bilí establishing a freo banking systein. Sueh a systein is absolutely demanded by the best interests of the country, and ought to be adopted at once. The present national banking system furnishes a safe curreucy ; but it is a monopoly no longer to be tolerated_ Oue man has the same right to engage In banking ad another, and to limit the. number of banks or the amount of currency by law is an infringement upon the rights of thoHe citizpns not so fortúnate as to get a license from the Comptroller of Currency. liesidea, to limit the banking circulation by act of Congress or apportion it arbitrarily among tho States is a violation of the ground principies of finance, and a foolish and vicious attempt to shackle trade. Let the law bo so amonded that overy porson or corporation who will put up the requisito bonded securitios oan draw the samo rntio of circulation as tho present national banks and the deniands of trado will regúlate the volume of currency. Section 41 of Article IV. of the preHont Constitution of this State reads as follows : " The Legislatura shall not diminish or eiilarge the civil or political rights, privileges and capacities of any person ou account oí his opinión or belief concerning mattere of religión." For which, and also for Sec. 34 of Art. XI., the Conalitutional Commission proposes to substituto the following provisión, Bill of Kights," Sec. 3 : " The civil and religious rights, privileges and capacities of uo jrs u .shall be diniinished nr enlarged, nor shall any peraon le incompetent to be a witness ou account of his opimona ur bt)lief concerning matters of religión. We submit that the commission has made no improvement ; ia fact it proposed section is a very bungling afi'air. Section 2 of its " Bill of Kights " guarantees the citizen freedom of conscienco, the right to worship God as it uiayplease him, and protects him against taxation for religious purposes. Sec. 3 should prohibit discrimination against his civil or political rights because of his religious opinión or belief. The word " religious ' in the section quoted is superfluous and unnecessary, and it should be stricken out and the word " political " inserted. - There is a distinction between " civil " and "political " rights ; the latter are now protected against religious domination or bigotry, and theprotection slumld be continued. We wahs the Constitutional Coiiiraission again8t lengthening the term of Senators to six years. Two classes and a four yearg' term willbo satisfactory tothe mass of the people, and will make the Senate sufficiently a conservativo body. We also warn the Coratnission agiinst large Seuate distriuts - to be gerrymaudercdas arenow theCongressioual districts go as to prevent the represen tati on of the minority. Such a provisión niay array the Demooracy in a body against the revisión and secure its defeat - as enough Eepublicans will vote against it for other reasonB to swell the Democratie minority to a majoiïty. Hon. Wildüu D. Fostku, ot' Grand Rapids, a prominent merchant of that city, aud momber of Congress for the Fifth district - aud not a back-action salsry grabber either- was reported seriously ill on the 17th inst., at Cliftou Springs, N. Y., with no prospect of recovery. His loss will be severely feit t his home and through his district. DE8P1TK the lusty Radical crows over the recent victory in Maine, the Demócrata made decided gains in the lowcr branch of the Legislatura. Last year the parties were divided : Bepublicans, 128 ; Democrats, 21 ; Independen ts, 2. - This year the división is : Bepublicans, 108 ; Demócrata, 38 ; Iudependeatf, 5. Now for another cackle.