, 1859-02-24
.PRESS~e4A.lA9DI. TRIBUNE:
THURSDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY "a, 1858
The Blockade; and the Blockaders Of
the; 1.CfSlhrure.

T he Blockade and the B1ockaders Of F
the; Legislature.
1t is now well assured :that the Legislature
'as came to an informal enc, and that the Gov
'rnor, Secretary Of State, Auditor, Treasar-
II, Superintendent Of Public Instruction,
Circuit aud Supreme Judges, are left either
10 shut MP shop md go about something to
earn living, or to proceed With their duties
Tor two years without pay. The constitution
Of our State never contemplated the
latter alternative, and the officers are
at perfectly liberty to close their
doors, 60 home and earn the plttanco
for their families which that economical in.
strumcnt prescribes for them, in their seyeral
ways. The people have no claim on them
after their salaries are Withdrawn. But the
evil does not stop here. a large amount Of
much needed legislation Is blocked for two
years unless the Governor shall call q special
session, and two-thirds Of all themcmbers re.
spond to the call. We are not overstating
the amount Of business thus defeated when
We place the number Of bills Of grsater or
less consequence which have never re,ched
final vote, at fully three hundred. The
larger share Of these were of local necessity,
but their failure involves general mistor-
tune. Hardly q member, Republican or
Democrat, has succeeded in getting lalf the
measures entrusted to him by his constitu-
enta, acted upon, and many have not single
evidence Of their faithfulnes to carry home
to those who elected them.
The cause Of this great public calamity
need not be disguised. The leaders Of The
Democracy, In the intensity Of their hate
against Judge Truuhull, squared the Who'll.
business of the session to stare through nj
oligarchfca1 aud ewindline gerrymander o
tho State, by which they hoprd to stide the
popular voice and elect pro.slavery scnnto1
in 1861. As Justly and firmly declared in the
veto message Of Gov. Bisselt: Il Object tt
j" said I'LL, because its effect as law wou;:;
"be to continue the control Of the General
" Assembly in the hand@ Of a minority Of The
"reools.v In The b1indoess Of their zeal these
vlola,ore Of popular rights could not frame d
constitutional act. They placed the new coun-
ty Of Ford wholly within the IXth Senatorial
District and also wholly within tue XV1llth
Senatorial District. They also placed a
town Of "Southwest Chicago" in Senatorial
and Representative District, not"ithstaud-
ing the1e is no kuch town or voting precinct
created By law in The State They made dis
tricts which stretched over two degrees Of
latitude. They made eleven thousand pro.
slavery voters al to twenty thousand Re-
publicans. They nuilitled the first principles
Of American freedom and cqua!ity-and all
to crafty their epite against 4 true aud fear
less representative Of The people in the
Senate Of the United States
Having settled themselves upon tlis scheme
Of baldfaced public fraud, they resolved to
make everything else, Of little or great conse.
queace, dependent on its fate. Having major.
ity in 10th Houses, they frittered away tue for.
1y.two days contemplated by the Constitution
as the limit OF the session, in speech-maktng
"one'"oe iesoiu.'ous, aoo Aecotnpton
caattefs. Inc cole' BUSINESS OF each Legts!a
lure Is 10 PROVIDE inc means ior carrying on
the government and administering the Laws
oaflns the t"o o;years lnterregnnm. This the
msJ9flty sfuooornly refused to do or permit
TO be done. On Saturday last one of The,
1htlr o~n men (Mr. Erwin Of schuylcr), re-
ported the regular appropriation bills from
Inc regular committee. fet they fought il
Oh all dly, and declared lhat it should not III
passed until the ss'lndl'ng and unconstltu
tlonal apport'opment sboutd become law;
They would starEe tue Governor into signing
bill violating not only the rights of tbt
people but the constitution itself. And no
only SO, but they would peril the administra
lion OF justice thronghoot the entire Stat
LOT TWO years, nniess the Republicans woul'
our mho,a % S,st "a '1e eor v.sa'ns
becn another 81 ont,oo.o, on5 ,asaa.a,. .s ~
oct ot,ennto1 1,r ao1;t;,., .s.,' NJ -
pirn1enco or t,,o;. h..a 49,, n,a c.u~
their determination n foroo .tis ,n.as,s