, 1863-06-22
Gbica9o Gribn're.
MONDAY, JUNE &c, 1868.


To The General Assembly Of the State Of Illinois:
On the 12,h day Of june, 1868, u bill for an
bash Railwny Company" which passed your
honorable bodies during your late session,
was placed In my hands for approval and sig
mature.
I deem It my duty, after careful consider-
alton Of its provisions and the circumstances
under which It passed, to return It to the Sen
ate (thc body in which it originated} with my
objections to its becoming a Law.
The bill passed the Senate on the ed day Of
January last, under mistaken Impression Of
the Senators as to Its contents.
From Its title 1t was supposed to be IN Or
binary railroad charter, for the construction
of q 1al1~ny in the southern section of the
8tate, deriving Its title from the river " Wa.
bash, y which runs along the southeast bor-
der Of the State
The Senators were the more readily induced
to believe that such vas the object Of the bill
from the fact that it was introduced by a
Senator from that section of the State; and It
was permitted to pass that body without
being read at length, as the constitution re-
4uires, upon the statement Of TINT Senator,
that It was Tor IN ordinary railroad charter,
containing the nsu1 provisions Of bills for
that purpose
The rcal provisions of the bill were not
known, either to the Senators or to the citi-
zens Of Chicago, whose interests wera to be-
effected BY It, ninth a few days before it passed
AAN A4Nu6N u REPRESENTATIVES, WHICH Has on
The 6th dny Of the present month.
There was, Us am informed, no discussion
OF the provisions Of the bill In either House,
previous to its Passage.
The bill, as 1t finally passed, and as 1t came
TO nc, was found 70 be q bill With provisions
entirely different from those EXPRESSED IL it,
title, and from the representations made In
the Senate At the time of its passage.
Instead Of bill to incorporate q railway in
The eouthern section of the State, 1t provided
ft1rf fa rouEf Furff0D ut ~.nt1
road tricks through eighteen Of the principal
streets in the city Of Chicago, across four Of
Its most Important bridges, and also for
"rai1way OF railways on my common high
Of South Chicago, Hyde Park, Lake, Worth,
West Clicago, Lyons, Jefferson, Cicero aud
Proyiso, in the county Of Cook, in this State.
and from time 70 time to change, enlarge and
extend the locations thereof''
II Is m Immense corporation, comforting
exclusive privileges upon the corporators, and
efecting most materially the people of Chi
cago, now and for long time to como.
lhe bill It seems haa never been submitted
to the City Couacil, or to the people Of Chi |
pile If the city. or to the residents on the |
streets and highways to be adac'ed by It, to l.
examine its provisions. Indeed it would seem |
that even the intention to apply for such
charter had been etudiously Kept from those
most deeply interested, and no sufficient rea-
false title to the bill, unless it was to conceal
from those interested and from the public, the
real provisions Of the charter.
The faet that over three months interviewed |
between its laasagc IN the Senate and In the |
House, md that during this long Interval the |
citizens Of Chicago were not even apprised Of
its existence, Is evidence that those having
control Of it we're unwilling to have It sub
mitted to the test Of public scrutiny.
One Of the uses Of the reto power Is to ar
protect the people as well MS the rights Of iu-
diyiduals fro \. the effects Of fraud and 1uisre-
presentation in the enactment Of laws.
ln the present Instance the bill comes to me
with the signature Of the Speaker Of the Sen
ate, not in The usual way, but with his pro.
words:
81 sign the within bill with this statement:
:. The same was passed, in my opinion, under
- mlsapprehenston on the part Of the Semi
the Senator introducing the same, previous
81 tc the passage Of the same"
The FedcIaljst upon the subject Of a mega
tive By the Executive says: :" The primary IN
ducement to comforting the powerln question
upon thc Executive Ii to enable him to defend
chanccs In favor Of the community against
The passing Of bad laws through haste, iaal-
st5tence or design. The oftcner measure is
brought under examination, the greater the
diversity In the situations Of those who are
to examine 1t, the less must be the danger of
those errors which flow from want OF dae de.
liberation, or OF those missteps which pro,
coed from tie want Of comuton nassion or
interest,""
In the case in question II certainly IA MT
too much 70 say rs q sufficient reoson fnr ffe
exercise of nv constitutional nrerooatira ofa
neratiye. thai the h;li nnssfd the Santa
Through cither Ias,e iaaI,e1fr,,ot S5-e;1n ~ |
,ca,,f Of due de7;Yofio,, and thaf T. c3sa ~
sucl, VAST Interests for IN 1nnr- a I'm. fhat
Ehonld exercise nv constitutional nower asr' ~ |
1,rotect 1he comm1inffy from meosnres 1rh,cb
ihe Iorihlotnrc itself m matnrr -e1a"t;n.
mipbt coudenn. and at Ieasf rive the 1;ener,i
Assemtlv mud fhe r,eoD1e interested m m.
noTtnniH "a to cyam5ne md nerfect +ha III, XII
az to remove il ohiecfionohle fsafure md
moEe fhe enternrfs:s .,ronneea ~ ~ na-
atrncte5 n l,1essinr and c6nven;enca n s ~
nenn1e NJ xciI ns i7rof3rah1e - fhe comnan,, W.
4rhfrl1 f,ni,ds ff,en, ~'eS
The ahove reasons, ,s;thouf ot,,ers wor,a |
h. Sufficient IN instifv nv neoat;rn mt thara
arr other ohsecfions IL t},e Xii 1rh;ct 7 1:i,i
eimnir refrr to ,rI,l,ont arpnment "AA
Wti1e do not deny f;;1t nnder +.e doc,a-
ions of tbe courfs The Irr3siat17rr has ~.
bower to mass the bill unaer congideration
TTct link that he Common Conrcii ~ f ~
city Of Chicago Is more competen: to decide
In what gHcets railroads shon(d Ie construct.
cd than The Legislature, '0''
Chosen by the 1,eo1,le to represcnt their
views and wishes, and on the cround to rive
their personal inspection, they are certainly
more competent to determine what viii be