, 1859-01-15
PRESS AND TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY NoR1mu, JANUARY Is, 1858

PRESS AND TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY 1oRImu, JANUARY Is, 1853 !
The Lecemptea Charter for Chicago.
Tbs contrtganoe before the Legislature
called 4 New Charter, would be appropriate.
u entitled " 4 hill to enable the minority to
rule the majority, aud to pension upon the
"people a pack Of repudiated demagogues."
The feature In the Lecompton rwindae that
rendered 1t insn1erably odious ~as that
which undertook to ride down the will Of the
nAjotity, and to elevate the minority TO
power. This was the cause Of the bloody do
inge in Kaneas, md the fierce strife in Wash
ington. And we warn members Of the Leg
islature not to disregard and trample
upon the popular will Of the people Of Chi.
cago, unless they willfully and malcioualy
desire to jcopa1dize The public peace. The
people cf This city as free American cltizene
claim The right Of choosing their oTn form OF
municipal government, and they deny the
right Of the Legislature to alter OF abolish
their charter without their consent and
against their protest. The people have not
deputed Tom Dyer, Aaron Haven, Elihu
Granger, or any other gang Of hungry
schemers, to ask the Legislature to subvert
their charter or empowered them to procure
amendments 10 it. The people Of Cook Coun-
ty have elected and sent to Springfield .fte
representatives. to look after their local inter-
ests, to whom they coride the duty Of bring
ing before the Law making body such amend
rnents to their local laws as from time to time
they may desi,e. They have reposed that
privilege In the hands Of no olAor men, or set
ofmen and al! schemes devised secretly OF
openly by Dyer and Company, whose Object
is to patch or tinker our city charter, is un~
authorized aud spurious, aud any member OF
tue Legislature who lends his sanction and
support to the intrigues Of this cabal. is med
ding with matter that does not concern
him, and is overstepping the line Of his duty.
The only delcpsible rule in the premises is for
the representatives OF each district to bring
forward The local legislation desired by their
respective constituencies And the manifest
propriety Of this is seen in its uniform observ-
ance in past legislation. 1t is to be pre-
mmed that each member better under
stands The local wants Of the people who
sent him to Springfield, than those
from distant sections Of the Stale. It is
indecent and insulting for members from
the Ninth Congressional District to attempt
to dictate the local enactments Of the Firss
District and it would be m act Of insutIer.
able arrogance on the part Of the Cook
county members 10 set themselves up as the
special lawmakers for Quincy, Alton ol
Cairo in opposition not only to the represent
atives from Adams, Madison and Alexander
counties, but to the will Of the majority o
the people Of those cities aud counties ; ani
should odious and oppressive local laws b<
forced upon them, they would have just caust
for resisting their operation. This is prccisc1,
what the ta1-catcrs in the lobby seek to hay'
done by the representatives of Quincy, Alton
and other distant portions Of the State, TO
Chicago.
There is no member in the Illinois Leglsla
ture living within one hundred and fifty milts Q
this city who possesses the impudence OF th
meddlesome meanness to ignore the declare
voices Of all the representatives Of this count
in matters appcrtaining exclusively 10 il
local concerns. We repeat, that there caE
not lc found in tie Legislative body Of III
nois. 3 solitary member, living within fro d
g7es Of ltitude Of this city, who has the hard
hood or baseacss to disregard the will of Ii
people Of Chicago or any other city, to suc
adegree as to force upon them chartt
hatefu1 in their sight, and in conflict vii
their wishes and feelings. If votes can |
found to sustain the scheme Of The usurpel
they will come from the remotest parts of II
State. 4 charter passed under such cicun
stances would enbody the unclean spirit
Lecomptonlsu, which it was supposed had L
representation in the Legislature, hut vi
confined exclusively to tue 5,o45 " Danitcs
The plotters pretend to say that the prop
scd charter is backed by majority Of Il
people Of this city. We are perfectly w1lli1
to have that question tested and forever p
st rest BY The simple democratic process
submitting The Dyer charter to a vote of Il
people, und if they do not 1eppdiate the br,
rs emphatical]y as thcy have heretofore rep
dated its proscnitor We will never ute
another word against the usupation. But
charter is enacted in opposition to Il
will and consent Of the people; in defan'
Of the voices and votes Of their constit
tional representatives both here and
Springfield aud all this without subnitti1
it to the popular vote for rati6cation,- n,-th'
we cay the people Of Chicago will be justii
by the democratic precedents Of history, Al
impelled by the instinct Of sclf-prcservatio
to repudiate 1t utterly ind entirely. Al
for the Information Of any member or me,
bsrs Of the Legislature from dlstant counti'
whose rights We have never infringcd,
Who may be inclined TO do the bidding Of
lobby demagogucs, VIC declare, earnestly O.
sdvisedly, that the enactment of this chart
will be only tic beginning OF the end.