128 Stoux City Academy of Science and Letters. 
and turn aside the will of the people, and the work of 
such a convention could not well fail to fall far short of 
the popular mandate. But assuming that the amend- 
ment were passed by the convention, this method only 
brings us to the same point at which we should have ar- 
rived by the more direct method of securing the proposal 
by a two-thirds vote of both houses of congress: the 
whole thing must now go before the several state legis- 
latures for ratification, and must be ratified by three- 
fourths of these before the amendment can become 
effective. No state is obliged to take any notice what- 
ever of the matter, and inaction counts against the pro- 
posal. 
If favorable action on the part of two-thirds of the 
state legislatures be difficult to attain that of three- 
fourths is doubly so. Men will always differ, and as to 
almost any public question there is an irreducible mini- 
mum of opposition. To require the advocates of any 
measure to reduce this, is to ask what is tantamount to 
unanimity,—which is impossible. I believe the three- 
fourths rule of amendment falls dangerously near the 
line, if not within this principle. 
There are forty-five states in the union. Three- 
fourths of this number are 333, and, therefore, the ratifi- 
cation of a constitutional amendment must be by 34 
states. Twelve states standing out may defeat it. One 
state counts as much as another. Nevada is as strong as 
New York; Rhode Island wields as much power as Penn- 
sylvania. The twelve smallest and most insignificant 
states in the union might block the way of progress, per- 
haps forever. These twelve smallest states in population 
are as follows: 
SN ape a fl eM a a RN 42,335 
Noe) ach oT oA NER ga RY YY EUW IO Me Ds 92,531 
Mic ea FG ic i ASL a a Ea A A 161,772 
Pe Veaswypen ee Sica gh hs Ee i ae i a RL 184,735 
1s [oy a 2 10 gy SN URE PUPA PSL UNO LS 243,329 
Wtahy eu. ery een add an La J a ga 276,749 
ON seorety En si) ea thea ye 0 a os a aaa aa EL 319,146 
AV errno highs eee Ai) eSNG ay ig al A 343,641 
PS icoiuasti dn Bea Bechet a a DR el 401,570 
New; Elamipshire: acu ee ah tok ln eae 411,588 
51 fek1L0 1 sR AM ape yee el ap Eas at Bee EAE MOE awa 2 AUAUN IN ar 413,536 
Ehode! Esl) 2s aia A a AL Mem) po peopuheal 428,556: 
