, 1862-06-06

SANDWICH, June 3. 1862.
To the People Of DeKalb County:
As your delegate to the late constitutional
convention Of the State Of Illinois, I have
been requested by some Of my ftl1ow-citizenB
to express to you through our county paper,
MY views in regard to the proposed new con-
stitut1on adopted by that convention, and upon
which you in common with the people OF this
State at large, are to pass Judgment on the
17th inst. 1t gives me pleasure to comply
with this invitation, SO far as may be able to
do so within the limits Of newspaper article.
was elected your representative in the
convention, as 3ou all know, upon no parti-
san issue-bv Enion of the men Of all nar-
tiee-and entered that body with the honest
and earnest intention of contributing what
could to the adoption Of such necessary and
desirable amendments to our present consti-
tuition, as the experience Of fifteen years Of
prosperity under it since its adoption, had
shown to be expedient. But the heavy Dem
ocrtje majority which controlled the couyen-
tlon (obtained in such N amer as is Eot nee
essary to speak Of soon convinced those of us
whc had como to it with pledges and sentiments
opposed to partisan action in such body, and
IL sAG uIl3L VI tuE pEIilt Auu QISLiHEJlO1S OF
our common country. that our influence would
be small indeed in suci 3 convention. You
are aWare that the convention organized under
the whip and spur OF party caucus, appoint
ing Democratic officers throughout, from pre-
siot nj to page, and some Of them, too, persons
well Known IN the communities where they
reside, as any thing but earnest 81 Union men,
and, among, Others, the president himself,
may say, Who was quite uncertain even up to
the day OF the bombsrdrnent Of Fort Sumter,
whether he would sustain the loyal govern
ment OF the country, Or the rebels in arms.
The committees who were to prepare and
report articles for adoption By the convcn-
t1en, were appcinted by such chairman, aud
Of course wcre so constituted a. to give the
desired shape to every article upon which the
convention should act.
notwithstanding al this, VIC of the minori-
u labored faithfully and persistently, for the
adoption Of such amendments to the organic
laF, as re believed would tend to secure the
highest welfare OF the 'oao1< people Of our no.
Bile State 1t soon became evident, however,
that the majority had deteEmined to construcs
ne,c Constitution, entire, instead of proposing
| to the people few simple amendments to the
old one, as they had intended In ordering the
convention, and as We desired to do-and
worse than that, It also became evident that
in every article where it WAS possible, soz,e
advantage was 10 be secured to the Demo-
critic party Of the State.
CEder these circumstances, Of course there
tbH!A ES Aot1iuE Lint AdFHlQu1 III E1E aLLlQu
Of the convention. and In the end only fifty-
i've Delegates signed the constitution, as
adopted, and several Of these ou15 as q matter
Of form, while in fact opposed to its adop-
tion, las for instance Bartley of Gai1atin,
Sheldon Of Wiunebago, and Anthony and
Muhlke Of Cook}, while Some twenty Of US
| utterly refused, even by signing the instru-
r'ent, to give seeming Endorsement to it.
| say to you then, my fellow citizens, IN all
ffankness and most elnphasically-, thsr I aua
nrF cod f- In 3D. 1F fAo
! "ne# constitution" While there are some
provisions in it which could heartily approve
as amendments to our present constitution,
| thefe are others, many others, to which
!; tould never give my assent.
Let NE specify some Of my objections:
! I. The proposed new constitution imposes
+: no restrictions upon the Legislature In fixing
the salaries Of the officers provided for in it,
| state officers, from governor down, Judges,
| (circuit, supreme and countJ,) members Of
these officers and their friends, aud TO all can.
didates for their places, to bring IN uudue in
huence to bear upon the members Of the leg
islature to give them high aud extEAyaggaas
salaries. The present constitution fixes aoso-
lutel} al these salaries, and while iu some in
less than the one referred to, especially in
| these times Of loH prices and high taxes,
| when officers and ta1-eaters are doing quite IS
well as the people, the tax-pay ers, who sup
2: The expenses ofthe State aud of the sew
era1 counties must be vastly increased by the
adoption Of the proposed constltutiou-paztly
hy the increase Of officers, such IS additional
senators and representatives, attorney general,
| comfy attorney, etc, and partly by the yirtua1
creation Of new court in each county, by
giving the county court jurisdiction concur
rent with the circuit court in many cases, thus
requiring the attendance Of juries, and prose-
cators, LAWYER for judge, with salary cor
| responding, etc
3. The proposed constitution impairs, and,
to great extent, destroys that ancient bull
Wark OF the pe1aonA liberty Of the Citizen
| the grand jury-aud allows one 10 be put on
trial for crime without the presentment OF the
grand Inquest Of the county, composed Of his
! peers, and through the mere caprice or malite q
| nt the public Prosecutor. This is change, TO-
ano e. eoang th IN o. the
DOM 10 rs, of the highest importance to Us,
bat Is it improvement: confess fear to t1y