, 1859-01-20
PRESS AND TRIBUNE
Party Aid Invoked to Crush Municipal
Ak{~hfk

THuRsDAY MOANING, JANUARY 20, 1853.
Party Aid Invoked to Crush Municipal
flights.
We alluded yesterday to some OF the means
employed to bring the enginery Of State
politics to bear upon the municipal concerns
Of Chicago, aud alluded incidentally to the
claims which the Dyer charter and its back
ezs had upon the Democratic party at large.
A. the subject was not By any means exhaust
ed ne will pu1zuse these investigations far
ther.
The pilgrimage made by the editor Of the
Tsn,es to Springfield has not improved his
temper. He comes back enarlins and snap
ping like hyena. Before bc went to the
Capital he supposed Ills Olympiau presence
would put the Lccompton bill through in
three days. He imagined The severity Of his
frown would quell caucuscs on the instant,
and that the Democratic members OF the Lc-
gislature would run to his whistle like spa
niels. But not finding them quite in the
mood for go disgraceful conspiracy he
comes home in pavoxysm Of malice to ply
the party 1ash-opcning out in this style:
Te have been forced to make the bill now
matured for the relief Of Chicago party
measure, and q: such it will be urged from
this time until it is passed. can coll
spirits from the vasty dccp1
4 change or amendment of the charter Of
Chicago is purely local matter, which inter.
ests the people and property holders within
the city corporate limits, and them only. In
free countries ike ours, the people have the
RIGHT to choose their OWL style Of municipal
government, and no individual, Clique or
party has any right or business to alter or
abolish it without being first delegated by the
citizens to procure such change. The pas
sage or rejection Of the Dyer coatrivancc is
no more matter for party action than the
bill to incorporate the Rose Hill Cemetery
Association. There would be the same rea-
son and propriety in making Henry Fullcr's
petition before the Legislature, for horse
railroad charter, party measure, as exists
for making Tom Dyer's petition for new
Municipal Charter q partizan measure. The
cl.im Of the Times is an impudent pretencc,
and an admission besides that the scheme has
no strength Of its Owl; that on its own
merits it has no friends in the Leeis.
lature; and that it has 10 earthly
chance Of passing save by the illc-
gitimate aid Of party machinery. Rest
ing the success Of the scheme on party
grounds, is an admission that the people Of
Chicago are hostile to it-that the taxpayers
have not asked for it, and do not want it
passed it is invoking the aid of IN organi-
zatlon formed 10 advance State and National
measures, to override and crush out the will
OF the people of city IN matter which
interests no living soul sa1e the citizens
thereof. The matter Of q change Of charter
In Cairo, Mattoon, Decatur or Chicago, can
not, in its very nature, involve party qucs-
ton, because it is purely locuI concern.
Should party interfere in such afIairs, it
would slnk to The level Of tyranny, and
would be legislating not to promote freedom
but oppression. Every member Of the Le-
glslaturc who lends himself to such thing,
uamp!es upon the first principles Of Dc.
mocracy.
The people Of each town or precinct, harc
rlghtful voice in affairs Of State, but State
governments have no right to interfere in
municipal affairs. Each corporate munich
pality is sovereign over its own local con-
Germs, aud State or national parties have no
jurisdiction over the internal oTairs of
nurgls Every family must be aupr>mc in the
management Of its Owl household atIaira,
and the same rule must apply TO cormancs
OF clusters Of families which have adopted
q rule Of municipal government for thcir own
observance. We, the cditors Of the PRESS
4SD TRIBUNE, have just Us much right to call
On the Republican members Of the Leeisla
ture to pass bill changing the editors and
Workmen OF the Times, and setting up new
business rules for the observance OF that
Office, as the editor of that concern has to
call upon the Douglas Democrats of the ILL
nols Legislature to change the charter Of this
city without the authority or consent Of the
citizens thereof, which authority or consent
have never been asked or obtained. The
people Of Chicago are deadly hostile to the
proposed usulpation. The rcmonstrance
against 1t has already received the sigma
lures Of over eight thousand citizens; Of
these not less than two thousand are Demo-
crats, including nearly I'LL Of the best men,
and heaviest taxpayers belongin: to that
party. In making the charter party mea-
cure, does the Times propose to read this host
OF Democrats out Of the party, and prescribe
them from its communion, its rights, titles
sud benefits?