The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-02-08
Constitutional, Convention.

present constitution was up on Tuesday
last, and re-adopted as they now stand, q
motion TO strike out the qualification re-
quiring % years for eligibility to the Senate
or house having failed.
The only other proposed amendments to
the constitution that have been before the
Convention during the week were the
bank propositions reported by Mr.. Purple.
The first section OF this report is as fol-
lows
SEC No banI. or banking corpora
ton, or any association or corporation with
any powers of circulation or deposit, or
any banking powers whatever, shall here
after be created in this State This section
shall take effect and be in force iinne-
diate!y as a portion Of and rs an amend
ment TO the constitution Of this State and
the same shall be and remain in force as
such unless rejected 10y the people upon
against the the adoption Of the same when
submitted in this constitution.
To which Mr. Wentworth submitted an
amendment:
Add after the word estate" where it
first occurs in the first section the follow
ing: Nor shall the banks now existing
be allowed to increase their circulation;
and the Auditor is hereby prohibited from
issuing any more bills or notes to any
banks, or to any person or association OF
persons, proved, or to be proved, for the
purpose Of banking under the provisions
Of the laws of this State or otherwise
The discussion on this section seemed
to hitch chiefly on the power of the Con.
vention to put in force constitutional
provision without Il previous submission
to the people; and secondly, granting the
power, the propriety Of doing so. The
Convention seemed to have no difficulty
on the former head, but halted on the
latter. The section was informally passed
over, and Sec. , taken up and passed as
follows, in committee:
SEC. y The General Assembly shall have
no power to pass any law whereby the
charters of any OF the existing banks,
banking corporations, or any association
or corporation with any banking powers
Cor other corporations, in this State shall
be revived enlarged, extended. or renewed,
or whereby any of said banks banking
corporations, or association or corporation
with any banking powers (or other corpo-
rat!ons), shall acquire any rights or priyi-
leges which they do not now possess under
the constitution of this State and the laws
passed in pursuance thereof.
Sec. was read next.
SEC. 3. That no bank bill, check, draft,
note, or other written or printed instru
mcnt fer the payment of money, issued
by or drawn On any bank, banking corpo-
ration, or on any association or corporation
with any banking powers, without this
State, of less denomination than ten
dollars shall be uttered or passed within
this State; nor shall any bank bill, check
draft, note, written or printed Instrument
be uttered or passed within this State,
unless the bank, banking corporations, or
association with banking powers, issuing
the same, or upon which the same is
drawn, shall, at the time Of uttering the
same redeem It's circulation and indebted
ness in gold and silver.
Ny. Reilly threw pomo-shell into the
committee by Offering an amendment to
the section which would prohibit the cir
cuiation Of all bank notes Of any deno,ni-
nation in this State, and which spread
such CONSERVATION among the members
that ii was adopted, much to his surprise.
On Monday, however, the amendment
was recousidered and rejected.
Tuesday and Wednesday were chiefly
occupied in discussing Mr. Wentworth :
amendment to the lst section, which was
finally Wednesday evening adopted
by ayes 50, noes -.
\ note was received from the auditor
on Saturday striking the collector of Blu
reau county from the list of delinquen,
county collectors
A report of the army Auditors was
presented to the convention stating that
they had allowed the claim Of the II liuois
Central Z. r. Co of Sll6,7l9 against the
State for army transportation. One Of the
Auditors-Mr, Lamphier-refused his as
sent to the allowance. 1t also appears The
allowance was made and signed by Mr..
Woodwork after he had resigned as one
Of the Auditors. Under this state of facts,
in the Convention a resolution to instruct
the Governor, Auditor, and Treasurer not
to pay the account until they should re.
ceive further instructions from the con-
vention- This brought up again the ques-
ton as to the powers of the convention,
an amendment having been submitted to
use the word ''request" instead of instruct.
During the debate it was clearly intimated
that the officers about the State House,
although willing to give the Convention
any information they called for as an act
OF accommodation they did not acknow-
ledge the power Of the Convention to
demand anything of tn en- or to "instruct"
them on any point. The Convention,
however, insisted on passing the resolu-
ton with the word instruct in it. We
shall see what Mr.. Yates and his CO off
cials will do about it.
The following is the substance of a
statement received from the Clerk Of the
Third Grand Division of the Supreme
Court, giving the number Of cases brought
before the Court during the past three
years, de
Whole number OF cases brought in three years . e6I
- tried and finally adjusted. 40
continued until next term. a
dismissed and otherwise dis
posed of.............. -. PSI
Whole number OF chaneery cases brought for fnal
Whole number of criminal es......... ...... ~
- penpe's e. -. ....... Il
I" - criminal cases for final adjust
intit 40
he amount of CLERK tees collected in
1859 was s., 962 0S; in 1860, S30ll 30 in
1861, $3.50 1t was doubtful if any more
of the fees Of 1859 or 1860 could be col
lected, but he expected to collect about
$500 more OF the fees Of 1861
Tie Jndiciarv Committee made 4 rerort