New York State Constitutional Convention, 1915 Committee Correspondence, Minutes and Proposals Files

Alphabetical by committee name.

The series contains records produced or received by 29 individual committees active during the Convention.

The records document meetings and hearings held by these committees as they discussed adoption of a large number of possible amendments. The records also document the pressure placed on these committees by individuals, private agencies and organizations, local and state officials, business, educators, attorneys, and others trying to influence changes in the Constitution.

The series includes the following: correspondence and proposals sent to committees arguing for new amendments, resolutions, or other changes in the Constitution; the proposals usually take the form of petitions, memorials' resolutions, or briefs, and include extensive information about the topics discussed; minutes of committee meetings including date of meeting, committee members present, summary of discussions, and roll calls on votes; hearing testimony including date of hearing, names of speakers, and either summaries or verbatim transcripts of testimony; and printed material including reports, pamphlets, article reprints, clippings, and copies of statutes and constitutional amendments from other states.

These records contain a large amount of information on nearly every significant topic discussed in the Convention. Examples of these topics from several committees include: Bill of Rights Committee: capital punishment, prohibition, length of prison terms, public support for private schools, and changes in the jury system; Committee on Cities: home rule, power over local charters, local election rules, police and fire safety, and control over local civil service; Civil Service Committee: preference in civil service hiring, especially regarding veterans of the Spanish American War (includes petitions with signature from thousands of veterans); Conservation Committee: policies relating to the state forest preserve, water power, and the need for establishing a state department of agriculture; Education Committee: governance of schools (state versus home rule) and compulsory vaccination; Committee on Legislative Powers: local versus state power, reorganization of state government agencies, the need for the short ballot, public authority versus private rights, procedures for passage of local bills, and socialist ideas in government; State Finances Committee: serial bonds versus sinking funds, state budget procedures, budgets of New York's large cities, and charitable loans; and Suffrage Committee: women's suffrage.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.