, 1862-06-09

Jos1yn on the Secession Constitution
Hon. L. ]. Joslyn, delegate to the constl~
tutioual convention from the county Of kane,
Is out strongly against the secession conTen~
tioD. In bis paper, the Elgin Gd1et'f, OF Ine
18th inst, he points out some OF the oDlcctlons
to it. from which We extract:
The real o!.;tttio1 to the new constitution,
the one which induced lis to decline recon-
US to decline supporting it, is the partlzan oc-
sign Of the men who made it, coupled with
the character and sentiments Of the men
themselves. -,
The design OF these men WAS AID is, to get
| control oi the State Government, to Use It to
the embarrassment q The 5's1tfrat goesrn01sHt IN
lie present contest lc'tA tie South
Under the disguise Of Democracy, these
| semi-.ccessionists are determined to place
| Illinois in position to dictate terms to the
| President and the nation. This design was
| apparent every day and every hour OF the
| session Of the con7ention. Having hunted
| the Governor and State officers mer2ilessly
| for two months, in hopes to ind an excuse
| to establish a provisional government, a "a
Missouri, they we're compelled. in default OF
| SUCCESS, to fall back on an election by the
people. They gave Chicago everything they
| desired, in order to get the support Of Went
/ worth, whom they seemed to think omnipo-
tent in that section. Peoria WAS offered the
bribe Of a court, and Ottawa was qoieted BY
continuing session Of the court there. Gale
was bought up by some local advantage. The
civil jurisdiction Of the county court WAS left
| to the legislature. That it was not the real
Democrauc party that they WISHED TO restore
to power, Is evident from the fact that all this
time they utterly ignored the Doaglas Demo
crat5 from this section OF the state. Jackson
Naramore, Paddock, Goodsreed and Simpson
were treated with contempt The leading
Democrats in The army from the central ant
southern portions Of the State, we're also
openly denounced. AcClernand,. Braynaan
Harrls, Morton, Kuykendall, Haynie, McNie
d Co., we're called renegades from the party
who had sold themselves to Lincoln and 7 ate
: | for commission.
f These men openly advocated the platforz
] ] laid down by rhe Indiana State convention {
Democrats Of the Jesse Bright school.
, They insisted on an election for State of
GERS this coming November, SO that Hacke
Edwards or Buck1naster could be elected Go
ernor, and the present efficient and loyal Stat
| officers, should give place to the precloI
: Democrats we have named. We know the:
J | men. Several of them left the hall to avoid
: vote on the rrsoluGons cougratulating tt
u country on the capture OF Eort Henry. III
q very best Of them denounced the Prcside1
; and the Governor for suspending the habe
:, corpus in the case Of traitors, and for pushi1
4 the enemy to the wall From no one ef Tie
e did aet eeer hsur a sE'ontaneoNs, oatsookeH 60
tlenaaatio7a u The rebellion. They were etc
nallJ denouneing the abolitIonistslf for prey
d king the South into war: Haying such uis
d to deal with, nc prefer to make assuran
!. loubly sure, and vote down the eonstitntio
d | We warned these men that their course W
3 fatal to to their designs. Wentworth co!
II planned bitterly that an attempt was be51
lie men to vote against the document witho
q, ever reading it. Ne pointed ont the cause
4. this prejudice, in the following language:
ID "Now there has been much said here I'll
II morning, and said with great earnestnes
to about conspiracy to destroy this cousti1
70 | ton. Afr. President, SAW nothing Of t
ds kind, until gentlemen began to initlate 1nc:
an ures here flat are considered strange and 81
Of gular. Sir, it was The appointment Of j COZ
nittee Oh congressional apportionment, a
the report Of the committee On the judicia
!. that this WAS the legislature Of the State
ad Illinois in accordance OF in harmony with t
is Constitution Of tue United States, that beg
# to arouse suspicion. It WAS the resolution
cil the honoroble gentleman before lue, iuluiri
IN whether We Lad the power to elect Uni;
he the part Of the majority hero that Ire col
vc pass laws and put them into effect j
he mediateIy, without submission to
I'D people And the claim that this is
he virtual assclnhlage Of the people. endoV
icy with tile powers Of sovereignty, which mig
We if ne chose, reyolutionize the State; the
al and the drnunc!ations OF the President {
IT, Governor, implying. 4 secret disloya1ty that
as raised this cry against the constitution we
a. forming Let gentlemen take warning.
III. it is moi among the Republicans only.
ll- honorable gentlemen on this floor to with
his that the Democratic papers Of this State,
ed many Of them, express the same fears that
Id. Republican papers do"
) it We low repeat that We cannot vote for
Dc, constitution, without seeming to endorse
pie lc:pot;c assumptions aud unconstitutit
m aats Of the majority who made it. We gre
ow tzto arc rirfuazy opposed to "ur Gors'7tmyn
chance, ty.rr4ud a1d deception, to seize upon
pry State Go,y rnz9ent. We are compelled, til
ght fore, to furego all the good in the new COZ
n1y turion, to guard against the possible sue
zen Of those conspiEttOrs.