, 1866-11-16

A NEW CONSTITUTION.

rlc Of all PARTIES in the State OF Illinois for n
thorough revision and amendment OF the
Constitution OF the Slate. The necessity for
such revision and amendment is patent 10
every ono; the inefl1ciency Of our present
Constitution is as generally admitted. Tue
trainers Of the present State Constitution
were governed in their action by an ever
present dread that Il the Legislature was In
vested Will, the slightest discretion, it would
reduce the State to penny and want, Every
department of the Government, Executive,
Legislative and Judicial. was surrounded By
constitutional restrictions which utterly i'm
pair lhcjr efficiency and destroy their useful
pess. The result has been that for flftccu
wears tAvEe has been q persistent effort 10 !
tvade the Constitution, and this effort has |
been approved by the people because Of the
necessity Of The ease.
The great difficulty which presents itself |
10 thr p. orlc is the provision OF the Consti-
tu;ion upon The subject Of its own amend
1aeut. The Convention, not content with |
tying the hands ofthe State Government, |
undertook also to tic tho hands of the peo-
1,le, anu to .lcny them tic benefit Of tue fun
damtutal principles Of popular 1ibcrtY cnun- |
ciattd in their own Bill Of Rights. in which
II is declared to he an s'upaltcrablk'' truth
that ''al1 power is inherent in the people,
'suu1 all free Governments are founded on
"thcir authority, ard Instituted for their
'.pcace, safety and happiness The Con-
I,ntjun also disrcgarucd the fundamental
Yrincipe Of all American Government, that
whenever any Form Of Government becomes
"dsSt.Ectivc OF these cnds, il is The right of
tile people to alter or abolish it, aud to ill.,
''s;iiutea Il new Government, lasin:, its foun-
"dat:on Oh stch principles, and organizing
its |uUcrs it, such form as 10 them shall
''>eeln most likely tn effect their SAFETY and
happiness"
ilr present Constitution OF the State of
..i1,i- rccitcs:
~ E,1vrc. sWo-,ti.Ge OF all the members
es;sd a.. :o each h1nnch Of u,e Genera! Assembly
~titutlon, they shall recommend 10 the eectoea III
the next election Of members u The General As.
it slall appear tla: ajority OF ali the electors
Of ths State voting for l.ave voted
G ee enf n;ssny ~ sha Ct
as many raeU1ers the House ef Representatives
al The t;n,e Of making said call, 70 BE- chosen iu
same elccinfs In thc same Districts that chose The
.ns.ohers OF The House Of llepIc;ens.tises; mud
Tss ah7 within he
in::. altering OF amending this Constitution
This clause, adopted twenty years ago by
apopulatiou not -.eSccediu% half Il million,
ties tue hands Of the tw" million, and + half
of people now i'll the State, from amending
this Constitution without preliminary ac-
tiun covering period of from tnr to six
years. Has one generation the --:;sAt and a.t-
tlotity thus to blvd tbos" *he may come
after them: Has one generation the right
and authority to bind future generations By
on irrcpealablc laws We lu not believe that
there is anything contained in this clause ol
the Constitution which can be- construed into
legal deprivation Of tic Inherent power ol
the people to alter or abolish their owu Con.
stitntion whenever it ceases 10 accom- mplisll,
or defeats the objects for which the people
established It. II is an anomaly 10 asser.
that nj! power to establish Il Con=titu,
.ion is inherent in tho people; that
the only power that can a'tcl
that Constitution is the people, aud
that the people themselves Wien once sad
died with Constitution t1lnt is oppressive
have not the authority TO exercise thcil
power to amend it, unless in a paTteut.
ma1t,cr provided twenty years before.
there were no Constitution in this Statc
who questions the authority ofthe people
f'y any process, to cstab}ish eney II th
Constitution vi this Statc prohibited i,
amendment, who will question the power q
the people to disregard that rrohihst'o" Ill
- -. ,.e s3ua1.ent, e'rh ~ .ae s11enl
ts.aoiisn.us IN 4l, cnt'1e's ns" ons - enc lou
stitu.lon " "a" .. w p""cl :" !a"n.''
-. t:"li. "oaa ",.e4. =. "''e,'ons ="
dtins 20 for fifty or thirty years, where tli'
~ us'' luz aa.no,.1s ~ .ahe "oAa ~
P.op.e t"e po"ef " aue'a''s tna. c"i M
u ~. ,,' ,:,', "n ,a.. - r.. ~ 0"s w.
-" 80
,,nns Z ,h., taa,- .I"1, IN t,,a ~ ,r;,I ~ 49,
,.,,a a.,I ,t.t 49, -.
n,t1r,,. ;,nn.,as;sI T,e n.',,,," ~" -
,;,n.1.,a,'.,,;n. tsna'. ,a'.. ~ ~ s"'
|.s..;.,,,;e r. 4ri ~ -: -
e.'a. .';,,, s.,,, s.aa 10y . ~ sp.
se.H. ,..'.,''.. =. -. =. ~ ~ 80 :"
% .pAt'a - '"ue e'"',4
~. Us suu'4,'t,so ~ tac tc"a'e. '". lucy
, .ne.' wv. sna:4 aeecf' auu 1at'', ste sam
tA'' s"'s.'n'io" oceo''!es t'e ~" ~ ~
Sla'e. !" Tue - exclusion o. any previous Col
Shic''H' nc power ol luz p:"ple 10 hiaa
anu "''.i,h1e eo'sS'''tl'''s Is 'anefea1 ana i
ue'eas''le' l"es cannot part WIN 1uat po"
f'i u Gay Ut al noaF thes cannot ny ~
slHttl";'at provision dcirAvc themselves
~ anu any IL" UT CONSTITUTION to the cStc
tNal II 'n'ia'rs. I'estE"hes, Restricts OF
:'tEs lhe exercise ot lAa1 power oS Inc 1e
l4t Is necessarily So1a. 1he men VI isl' III
II" authority 10 deprive themselves "f til
T'wcr duFiH. their own t1;ic, and certain
Try lad no ps'wcr 10 take it from those ri
ie'v TO come at.cs them.
.: country is not without preecdcuts
1hl~ 'tsnn- In several OF the early Sta
Constitutions there was II" provision
In ir ~ int linn fh,a3 jt,l rt H..