Where constitutions can be revised by the convention method as well as
by amendment there is some hope; if amendment fails revision holds out
a chance. But twelve states[A] hold no constitutional conventions; in
Maryland conventions are twenty years apart and in many other states
it is as difficult to call a constitutional convention as to revise
the Constitution by amendment.
[Footnote A: Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Arkansas,
Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island and Virginia.]
New Hampshire amends by constitutional convention alone and these
conventions are held infrequently.
Only in Delaware is the Constitution amended to-day by act of the
Legislature without the people's vote and without any technical
requirements except a large Legislative majority.
Yet in twenty-four states[A] before the Civil War the foundations of
male suffrage were laid by legislature or constitutional convention
alone, and in many cases, furthermore, the conditions of suffrage were
dictated by the Federal Government.
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