The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1862-04-14
BAD LAWS MAY BE REPEALED
HEREAFTER,

Under the old constitution, the courts Of
this state have held that many of the laws en-.
acted by the legislature were above and be-
yond the reach Of the people, and could not
be.repcalcd. Generally speaking, the laws
that were held thus sacred by the courts were
laws creating private corporations. Men who
wanted to do an insurance, milling, manuiac.
turing, or some other sort Of business in
way that would enable them to rob and plum.
der the community SO that nobody, no indi.
vidual connected with the corporation, would
be responsible for it, debts, would 20 to the
legislature and obtain private charter Of
Incorporation Having thus secured the right
to rob the community with impunity, the
courts would decide that this privilege Of rob
bling was a vested right" and that sub,c
qucnt legislature couldn't interfere with it in
any way, nor even repeal the law under
which the robbery was carried on This evil
has grown to be one Of such colossal proper.
tions that it wa, thought advisable in the late
constitutional convention TO arrest and put an
end to it. This is done most ctiectually bv
the following provisions Of the new con-titu.
ton:
Sec 80. All laws enacted after the
adoption Of this constitution, which create
corporations, amend existing charters, or
grant special or exclusive privileges to indi-
Viduais, shall be subject to alteration, amend
mcnt or repeal"
Hereafter, if the new constitution is adopt
ed rs there can be no doubt it will De. the
people will have these corporations within
their reach, and will be able when they be.
come obnoxious all! odiou, to wipe them out
Of existence. This is a most valuable and i'm.
portant provision. II there is any power the
people should Hccer surrender. it is the pow.
er to repeal bad laws. 1t never their will
that the general assembly shall enact bad
laws; but if such laws are enacted, ms thcv
are sometimes, surely the people should have
1t in their power to get rid Of them. That
power they will have in the new constitution.
The state Of Illinois, under the bencfccnt
reign of special legislation, has been covered
almost six feet deep with charters for the in.
corporation Of companies for insurance, min.
ing, mechanical agricultural, and every
other conceivable purpose Many of them
were passed to trade on" and under large
number Of which no organization has vet
been effected. The new constitution wisely
declares in section 80 Of the article on corpo-
ratiOns:
"All acts OF incorporation heretofore passed, /.
under which the corporators shall not organ
lZc and commence business pursuant to the /
acts OF Incorporation within one wear after the
adoption Of this constitution shall De null and /
void"
As the present war is not favorable for
Corporations" to get their machines into OBJ.
Grafton the foregoing provision will clear the
state Of an immense mass of rubbish which
can never again accumulate. We're it not for
this section, many Of these supposed.to.be
defunct institutions would, upon the return
Of peace and prosperity, "turn up again"
and the effect Of some Of the best provisions
OF the new instrument be ncutraizcd bv the
debris Of the bad legislation Of the past. The .
reign Of chartered monopolies in Illinois is |
drawing to "a close.