, 1862-06-12
Gbt Grihut&.


" W. ~vT~v
THURSDAY, JUNE u, 1862.
LETTER FROM HON. q. F. LISDER
ON THE NEW CONSTR
TO the Voters of Coles County, and
Especially the Democrats.
Fellow citizens, those who have lived under
bad constitution, one that m1de aristocrats
and naoobs, know what blessing it is to have
a good one to llye under, and having obtained
It, they should not change it for light and
trivial enuscs, at any rate they should De pref
" Eure that they are getting q much better
one; But are you getting better? / hum
bly, think not, but one which is much worse,
those safeguards to liberty, which are so ad-
mlrably adjusted in our present constitution.
But tins is not tithc Of tile objections which
CHI be brought against this nc| Constitution,
and if you will bear with me, will take them
up III The order in which they are presented
t. MY mind, and compare them with the old
cne, aid see which Is best; and after having
tried them and pro:cl them, as panl SAYS, We
Will 'ho1d fast to that which is ttst ~
l have sometimes thought tae .lnerican
people lad become so cageT in the chase of
tic almighty dollar, that they lad gr3wn in
d.fie1cnt TO personal liberty; and Who could
h'lp thi1ki1ig so, who SAW lh-ln lately throw
up their caps and shout Eosannas to the men
VITO spit upon the great charter Of their lihe.-
tics, larEhtd ut the labcas corIns aad made q
Bastl'e OF every for.ress-suEely our delegates
must Lave lfes,111i-1 largely upon this tcm-
Per gid fuocd OF our people, wiasn they nl1d,.
lie citizen amcnable 10 u Court OF l:,A:tcl
jurisdiction, for more than taree-toarths Of
tEc otlrEscs known. to and punished bY tue
law, ltl.nut the Intervention OF yT.tat: ju;y.
ri fEt, r.fs k.,y.
tuition, where it provides Is follows: = The
Sid cuurts {lluding to equity cour:E) shall
have probate jurisdiction in1 =ucn other civil
u1l=clctlon as naJ b&; conferred by Law; a,t:l
ais" Jurisdiction II. criminal not cr:cn}lay
t. ut'ifit IF iU1iti:ui"tut IN TIE p.,tteat;afY,
arst'c'.t dAy {.3tw :.tnat,d of indictment Of d
Gi;4:n JURY aud most T5ndc1ful 10 tel,
this lille court, which E.:r coayGation them
seiFea Thought So smlll that they excluded
f:oH tarsr jdiisditt1ua any matter aif-c log
the title to real property, and actions Of SLAM
Ger and scduc.ions, ,tt invest them ct the
same time with This iunleuee criminal jucis-
cic'it,D, TAcfc must n1yt been an unusual
Eu1nber OF o1lc.horse lawyers III the conven-
tion.
Now wc know that 10 a very large majority
OF ;lic couatses in tae State, TO man OF high
l. gal attainnsen1E eau be procured to loid tie
tl:icc tf ceuu1y Judge, aud in many instances
the c..:c;: Is 1llecd y cicn not bred to the law
-n.en OF EO le&:a! Attachments whatever. Yet
to such fn1- r;i.auary as this, aud 1onseased
County attorney, wko is to be paid by convic-
tHl ttcs, is The citizen to be turned over
wi;btuta Irnnd jury to first examine and STE
! Wh.thLr i crimc has in fact been committed,
OF whether the prosecution has not originated
in n'alice. T,rMDy aud despotisin IT. high
places is bad enough, but in low ones in;i-
nitelt worse. What man, in any conmuuitv,
VINO has money Or property enough to 57tbs
himself out OF the clutches Of such 4 court
as.d prosecutor, with any enemies wh3te7er,
is safe against the malice Of the one or tte
tui'idits Of the other2 And please tell the, if
you can, upon what principles Of justice, eth
i:s or equality the convention reasoned. ri, n
they came to the sage conclusion that the
great villain is entitled to f:sircr trial, aud
better machinery to try him, than the small
| et1tnder. or the rights and immunities of
n,urderers and such like great yiolators Of tie
| law, they have been exceedingly tender; for
! them al the old machinery is lctt-iudict-
| nlents grand juries and the courts of the high
| cst attalnnlents; but for the petty offender,
| the small trespasser, who has in some frolic
| committed an accidental breach Of the peace,
or some two or more who have been guilty Of
| some riot, rout or unlawful asscmbiy-some
/ supervisor Of the public. highway WHO has let
! his road get out OF repair, or some negligent
i farmer VINO, in careiessly flriug the prairie
around his tarEn, has permitted thu fire to yet
| from under his control and burnt his ucigh-
! bor's fence-all this class will he hunted do IN
| with great eagerTless By the hungry county at
| torney. and his friends, upon whose informa-
! tion alone, without oath, they will be put
! upon their trial, unless they make their peace
| viii, hini by good round fce-which those
| who have money will generally do-while those
that have not will be summariy tried, cor-
| vlctcd, and sentenced to pay fine, OF go to
jail and there remain, and verify they shall not
be released therefrom until the 11ttcrlnost far
thing Of i5Ee, costs and attorneys fees Is plid.
| II favor is to be shown to any, it would stem
according to every principle OF justice and
/ policy ii should be to linn who has committed
son and public policy all proclaim that every
nan y ho oiiends agaizst the law, whether lie
be rich or poor, high or low, should not be
! convicted until Every reasonable doubt of his
t guilt is removed, that the same rules Of evi-
detce should bc applied 10 the case Of the one
! US to the other, and both should be tried by
| the same tribunal, and ttat the very best that
tile law can create, without It, no man is Sc
| cure in llft liberty, or proncrty-,rifh it. cyery
man aud citizen walks erect, and bids defiance
to all the Vaccinations Of envy and Of malice,
and would you believe it, If we had not read
it Tor ourselves one OF the REASONS given in tue
address accompanying the pamphlet constit,-
! ton for this new jurisdiction and summary
!. course OF proceedings is, that it viii relieve
F; the circuit courts OF large share OF tho bust
| less heretofore done by them.
! Was the like cvtr heard before they speak of
| the rights OF the ci1izcp, and how they Shall be
di:poEed Of, as if they were only 4 matter OF
| Go:lugs and cents, AID that III this matter tile
only things to be consulted, is not how they
| eau best protect and guard the rights and
! liberties Of The citizen, but how they GIN save
, money to the State, by diminishing the nun
: Der OF cifcnlt judges, some ten or more, and
! substituting new tribunal with 10i new oil
GERS 10 be either ted Ut The public treasury, OIL
| by the prosecutions they shall stir up-it is au
t awful /. aturc in the corstitut1on-ouc which
/ s,F nil eli II
| convention did not stop here. They seem to
! have been Impressed With the strange delu.
i eion, that while thesa county courts and Ius.
| tees had no capacity for civil business-tney
we've the very thing for criminal business
hear them speak as to the jurisdiction Of
JUSTICES OF TIE PEACE,
Article 6, section %: - But the Jurisdiction
OF snel justices shall be Uniform throuyhou1
the State, and shall be limited to cases where
the Judgment shall rot exceed 800: ItopianI
That the general assembly shall have power tt
eoufer jurisdiction upon Justices Of tho peace
topnniM by Imprisonment for time not eN
cccding thirty days" shall pass to Other
objections, some uf them equally grave, anl
t}le next III orcer is the
bou1; OPENED Ivy TIE :;Ew CONSTITUTION tt
EE1EEIt1 AND CORRUPTION.
Sec. 80, Of article i, provides that ssal
laws enacted after the adoption Of this con
stitutiun which create corporations, ameut
existing charters, or grant Special or cxcu
Five privileges to individuals, shall be subjcc
to alte ration, amendment, or repeal" If thu
friends OF this lacasurc supposed they wcrt
thereby killing of corporations they #er,
| simply mistaken; but they Gid Eo1, many o
the men who made this new constitution
expect to be members Of the general assembl,
for many years 70 come, and they were einlpl;
making provision for the future. lie tina
rrov:d:th moi for his own household i
verse than an intidcl, and hath denies
the faith" 1t is notorious that from 1un,
bc1ing provision in the New York constitu
tinn (as Il repealing clause III all or most @
the charters OF lucoTpora:ion.) The New YorI
Central railroad il compelled every session 9
the general assembly to take the members int
fEcir pay TO preserve its existence, aud it i
well known that they do far better by til
members than the State itself does. Do 70
, not perceive that i'll the old political harris
1ueD, prorerbial for their ~ easy virtue" Ut
out working for the new constitution.
VIZ have 4 1nan il Chicago VINO from his nc
sltion and influence, ut i particular time, j
. said 10 have received for his influence in IL,
stock of the Illinois Central railrold tue nes
little sum Of S150, ,00u. Such man, If thct
: were any such ia the cuuyention-aud
] shou'dnt wonder if there wcre-would kno
,, whore to put the ftnce up, aud where to Ieaq
it down, and like au old, orcachy horse, whe,
the clover gels tail, sueulent and juicy; b
tTOts right off to that mart i1f The f,.nre whp1