, 1862-01-20
Gbt >Ttibutte.
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1866.


Ge une OF Tue Legislature on private hill
"A practice that had grown to be 50 rcn
crai and gr'eyous, that tile people demand
cd reform. The Convention directed thu
the legislature should frame certain genera
laWs Of incorporation, under which indus
trial, charital1c, religious and other prone,
associations might be organized; and with
out torhdding in terms the creation Of any
corporate body hy the Legislature, left leg
aslators to infer that such a prohibition was
the spirit Of the constitution that was adopt.
ed. The legislature met; and, in Obedience
TO the constitutional obligation, framed
such laws as seemed to be demanded hp
the necessities Of the people. They were
no'' perhaps, tie wisest statutes that could
have been devised; but, subsequently added
TO- amended and improved, they yet remain
in force and sufficient for uiuety-nine of
every hundred CAGES that they are intended
10 meet The same legislature, however,
lnat enacted these laws, commenced un-
willingly at frst, and continued after lit
lie with moro assurance, giving up its time
to the private bills that the Convention SUM-
posed it had efectually routed out If the
legislative chambers. The abuse contiu-
ucd to grow; and III the three Last 1ceisla-
fures it attained such frigh1ful propor-
eions that it dwarfed or crowded
out The public business, and demanded Of
the men who were elected TO frame laws
lot all the people, their almost undivided
attention. We hare not at hand the exact
hgures, but, if our recollection serves Ms
Tue number Of public laws compared with
the private or corporate acts, is as one to
1en-out OF more than thousand bills in
freduced no: one hundred were of public
character! The abuse could be better borne
II there was any real necessity for thus
impeding the business Of legislation; but
there is not 4 large majority Of these
private bills are for acts Of incorporation
companies for al heard ofand unhcard Of
rufposes-acts incorporating hamlets and
atflSng the names Of cities thcreto-acts
incorporating burial places-acts chaneinr
ne names OF persons-acts incorporating
railroad companies that have no existence
save on pape--acts organizing insurance,
loan, trust, printing, mining, manufactur- |
ing, coal, land, iron, stone, and other com.
nan1es Without number, three-fourths Of
which never go into operation, and many
OF which are The work Of one person, who I
putting the names Of his relatives and de- |
pendents into the bill as corporators, Sc
cures to himself all the advantages Of a
possible sale Of the franchise which he has
begged ofthc State, at heavy cost to the
body polite As might be supposed, each
member has his hobby; each is anxious to
serve his constituents in some. way SO Dat
ent that they will not be Obliged tn
search the Journals for record of
LIS votes on measures Of grave pub
hc import, to ascertain his legislative
capacity; hence the industry with which
private bills are pressed-hence the peril
nacity with which committees arc bcsieeed
hence want Of attention paid to matters
of taxation, finance, and the public debt
hence the dlssraeeful hurry -scurry with
Which each Legislature winds IN it's ses-
sions, passing sometimes an hundred and
fifty bills day, each being read by its title
alone, and each approved upon the asslr-
ancc That's al right:' Of the member
most interested in its success. That ne do
not e2aggerate, al men who have seen thc
last days Of any Illinois Legislature in the
last ten years. can bear witness.
We need not point out the consequences
o1abuses like these we describe. Publiclaws
1n'pcr1ectly maturcd; private acts confer
11ng extraordinary powers; (thc "Gcneral
banking Law On specie basis,'' lust voted
down by the people, is an example,; cor
lnptlon Of members by the common prac-
uce OF employing them as "attorncys"
10 push money measures through; statutes
Always obscure and often coutradictorv
Nh1ch distract courts, puzzle LAWYERS
and harass the public; (ride the School
Law which nobody is able to intcrnret
III way satisfactory to himself or ANYBODY
cse) rewards Of successful chicancrv
caf1ied On BY corrupt and designing lobby
ISIS; general contempt for the Legislative
authority; and growing Discrimination
among capable men to accept a scat in
elmer branch Of the law making body;
enormous charges for printing and bindine
tic thousand laws which eyery session nnts
on the statute book; and Last and more :
gl1eSous than all, the feeling which is ran-
1aly growing that the legislature though it :
may be the fountain Of law, is entitled to y
no more consideration than town-meetinn L
or jury on sheep stealing case in a ius. :
tees court.
The remedy for all this seems to be clear !
NO general laws can meet all cases. hence =
special legislation will continue to be {, ne j,
ccssity; but it is within the power of the ,
Convention to 60 circumscribe it that # 6
Will cease to be pernicious Thing as We I
now see it. The insertion in the funda- d
mental law Of clause requiring, ~
lst- That the presentation Of any private
''sl Shall be accompanied By the certificate :
OF the Treasurer Of the State that those for
whose benefit it is drawn have paid into
the Treasury one hundred dollars, to cover :
the expenses Of its consideration; +
I'd. That every bill, public or private /
general or special, shall be printed, and {
copy lald On the desk Of each member Of i
|ile House and Senate, and copy present. F
ID TO the Gorernor,-the expense Of print ?
ng Of all private bills to be dcfraycd hy
hose for whose pleasure or profit tley are =
Considered.
stt- That no bill shall become law untit :.
hree days after it is printed and distrib,,- o.
ed as aforesaid 81
"ath- That in no case shall the rules
'e suspended for the consideration of nri- Il
rate bill and, "
9th That no bill shall become q law al
Until 1t is read at length, ut least once in M !a
zach House. II
These few and simple bat eminentIv me- r.
'essa1y provisions would drive ninc-tenths r
# the special legislation out of the General
Assembly; would create necessity for ST
Vlse and comprehensive general laws bv &C
Which most companies, having laudablc re
'h]et and not seeking any dangerous priv 70
'egcs, could be effectively and cheaply m
'rganized; would give back to the law 10
makers 'he time that they now devote to
rf Et4Ta / ~