13 



that all persons entitled to vote for members of the House of 

 Commons — the largest group of electors in the State — were entitled 

 to vote on the question. 



The Convention of 1835 adopted and the people ratified a pro- 

 cedure for calling conventions which remained unchanged until 

 1876, It read as folloi/s; 



"No Convention of the People shall be called 



by the General Assembly, unless by the concurrence of 



two-thirds of all the members of each House of the 



9 

 General Assembly." 



A procedure for legislative initiation and popular ratification 

 of constitutional amendments vjas also adopted in l835j this pro- 

 cedure, however, was wholly independent of the convention process, 

 which did not require popular approval of amendments adopted by 

 a convention. The apparent reason for this difference between 

 the two processes lies in the fact that a convention is, 

 in theory, the people of the State in convention assembled and 

 unless othen-Jise limited, is vested with the whole political 

 power of the people. Hence there is no need for further re- 

 ferral to the people of matters which they have already, through 

 their delegates, acted upon. On the other hand, the General 

 Assembly is a body of limited powers and is not entrusted with 

 the power to amend the Constitution without further reference 

 to the will of the people. 



9 



Amendments of l835 i Art. IV, oec, 1, CI. 1, 



l OAmendments of 1835 ^ Art. IV, Sec. I, CI. 2. 



