The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-02-12
sINAroR pooIITTLEs sPEEcH.

SENATOR D0OLITTLEs sxAEcA.
Senator Wilson, after the delivery of his
nowerful speech by Senator Doolittle, said i,
was a,he most unpatriotic harangue he evei
listened to- Senator Trumbull lost his bal
ance and said the doctrines of the speech
were "abominable.r But that clear.headed
republican sheet, the Springfield Mass
Republican, thinks that the unusual agita'
ton displayed by the radical senators was
caused by the "strong case'' made by Sena-
tor Doolittle against the radicals. 1t says:
Mr. Doolittle made mince meat of the ar
gument 80 often heard in congress that the
south had the opportunity to DC restored
without negro suffrage by accepting the iour-
teenth amendment to che constitution. lie
showed that the southern people rejected
this amendment because they felt that it
would he dishonorable to assent to the dis
franchisament and exclusion from Office of
their more inselligentand influential citizens,
with whom they had been involved in com.
mon crime; and that there was really very
little objection made to the amendment be-
cause of its reduction of southern represen-
tation in congress-. He argued that BY sub
hitting this amendment to the southern leg
islatures congress acknowledged their validi-
ty, and that the republican members really
intended TO admit the states to representa-
ton in congress upon their adoption of the
amendment and that they have completely
reversed both their theory and practice on
the question by undertaking to reconstruct
the state governments. Senator Nye of Ne
vada admitted this, and went so far as to say
that if the southern governments had accept
ed the amendment they would have been
valid governments, but, having rejected it,
congress had the right to go farther, blot out
the states,and begin at the foundation. The
frank admission Of the Nevada senator added
much to the strength of Mr.. Doolitties ar
gument. Mr.. Doolittle made effective use
also Of Thad. Stevens admissions that the
reconstruction legislation is ''ontside the con-
stitution,h and that its leading purpose is ITO
insure the ascendency of the Union party
1t is not necessary to follow Mr.. Doolittle in
to the details of his argument agaiuSt the re-
construction scheme. He made a very
strong case against it, and the unusual agi-
tation caused By the speech among the more
radical senators attested its power.
The Union argues that we ought to v-te
debt of $4,000 upon the people of this
town for every new railroad scheme, be-
cause, if the road gets depot grounds here
and erects buildings, it will give us more
property to tax ! AS we'll might we vote TO
take stock in every new store, shop, mill or
house. There is just as good reason
for the one as the other. Mr.. Walsh, in an
article, last November, effectually exploded
that humbug. in a letter to the Union, which
that paper refused to publish, as follows:
Counties and townships and cities are
corporations organized for certain definite
purposes prescribed by law, and for these
purposes only are they, in the opinion of
many sound lawyers, entitled to tax the
community. For example, however much
the community governed BY one of these
corporations may need Touring mill, or a
WOODEN mill, ar a bank, or an insurance COM
pany, it has no legal or constitutional right
to take stock In its corporate capacity in
any such institutions, because these are not
any Of the objects for which any of the above
corporations were organized.
"On the same principle, since the building
of railroads and other roads, located out of
the county or township or city. is not one
of the objects for which counties and town.
ships and cities are organized. they have, in
my opinion, no legal or constitutional right
to take stock in any companies organized
for such objects. / know it has been re-
peatedly done; but that does not prove that
it is lawful or constitutional to do it. The
old Justice of the Peace in Illinois tried a
case of SANDER in his own little court, and
faed the defendant 500. But that by
no means proved that he had legal right
TO try slander-suits.
about ten or twelve years ago, there was
q strong movement made in this city to
build large hotel, and have the city, in its
corporate capacity, take $4,000 stock in
the institution. You will scarcely believe it,
but in large meeting Of our most respect
able and influential citizens, a standing vote
being ordered on the question whether or
not the city should take this stock / was the
solitary individual who stood up ON his hind
legs and voted against it. And but for my
agitating the subject in the public papers.
which compelled the city council most re-
luctantly to call a public election to vote on
the above question, | believe in my con-
science that we should at this present day
be saddled with an old tumble-dosEn build,
ing, like the now happily defunct Farnam
House. and $4,000 of hotel bonds, bearing
10 per cent. interest Of course, the people
after their eyes had been opened, voted by q
large ma ority some two or three to one il
recollect aright-against the hotel being
built out of the city's pocket
The President and Five Memhare If tho ca hi