The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-09-11


An article on this subject appeared in the
ossaws hspsosien two weeks ago, but being
remarkable only for the looseness Of IT, stass.
menss, We gave it the go by. An old and a.
teamed personal friend. however, though ono
Of the wheelhorses Of the radical p.rty Of hi.
county, in consideration that the article ~
probably written by Franklin Corwin, speak
er OF the present house Of representative. Of
Illinois, thinks 1t of sufficient rimnort.nc. ~
desreve an overhauling, which he nroceeds
therefore to give it in the subjoined commui
cation: = -
To the Editors Of the Free Trader: An ea;tor;.l.
supposed to have been written By The Hon'
franklin Corwin, late Speaker of the Hou,e a
Representatives Of the State Of Illinois spuearsd
In tho Ottawa Repvbiton Of the 10th Inst. u.dse
the head OF Constitutional Convention" vhich
contains statements not true in point OF fact. An
extract reads a. follows:
II the new Constitution should be unwiss In
its provisions or Crude and lily digestel. it would
be rejected BY the people, and the State would.
tor years to come, continue to exist under Con.
stitution which, if strsctly adhered 10, would
stop the wheels Of the State Government in nine
ty days. -
Fer years past. many of the provisions Of the
regarded or evaded under various pretexts"
give you, Mr.. Speaker, the benefit of the en-
tire passage, 80 that you cannot complain Of .
garbled statement OF Your views, touching the
present Constitution 1t is true, sir, tina. before
you took your seat in the House Of Reprsseuts-
tives, ON tho first Monday in July 1857, and
again in 1859, you took an oath each time to sup.
port this Constitution, just it Is and yet you
say that il that Constitution was artcsly od.
h>r1 IN az <ho w,hA ~ h. ~
Government in ninety days" Will you point
out any article, section or provision Of the Con.
stitution which, by the most rigid construction,
would or could in any wise affect the running Of
the wheels of the State Government in all future
time, without any legislation Whatever Are
you not aware, historically at least, that the Leg.
islature soon after the adoption of the present
Constitution, chartered company for the oon-
strnction Of the Central Railroad from Galens 70
Cairs, and from Chicago to Cairo, and gave to IL
princely donation of lands, upon the considers
alton that said Company should pay into the
State Treasury seven per cent. OF its gross 70.
oeipts thereafter; and do you not know that the
revenue arising from that source alone would b
sufficient, without any taxation Of the people, to
support the State Government, economically ad-
ministered, without any legislation whatever,
and also pay the interest upon the State debt 2
But, with the enormous revenue arising from
and il no Legislature should be convened the
next twenty years, our public debt would b
wiped ont, and the Treasury would be burthened
with several millions of dollars, after meeting al
the necessary expenses of the Government, even
Including the extravagant and uncalled for ap-
preparations Of the last two sessions Of the Leg.
| islsture. With such body Of men as composed
the last two sessions no amount Of revenue could
satisfy their reckless profgacy, their desire to
plumber and consume ii.
1t il not true that any necessity existed to au-
thorixe or require tho Legislature TO "diwegard
or spads any Of the provisions of the Constitus
| ton in order to run the Government It is Ii
bel upon the members Of the Convention Of 1874
| to say they made constitution that required the
Legislature, in administering the Government,
70 ploate their oaLis by evadng its provisions, or
otherwise the wheels Of Government would stop
In ninety days. IL Is not true that the present
Constitution letters or embarrasses the Legislar
turs in making all needful appropriations to car
| ~ on the Government But it is true that the
Constitution dsvs put strnight.jacket upon the
Legislature in the per diem pay Of its member.
The 34th Sec., Sd Article of the constitution
provides that 1.-THE sum of two dollars per day
for the first forty.two days in attendance, and
one dollar per day for each day in attendance
| thereafter, and ten cents for each necessary
| miles travel gong to and returning from the
seat Of government, shall DO allowed to the mem
bers OF the General Assembly, ~ . compensatioa
for their services, and no more" L. not this the
only section and article of the Constitution
which has stood in the way of the members Of
tho Legislature. which for ''years past" created
the necessity" Of evsding and disrexarding the
Constitution, which you and Others had sworn
to support 10 it not true, that the section
above quoted hes been violated
1st-In appropriating $685. for postage
| stamps, &c., and their division among the mem.
| bera a'
2d-To the Speaker of the Senate and House
Of Representative, each $50; and to each mem.
Dor t40, - extra pay for special session, April
IA, 1889, and go, partial payment of each mem.
Der Of present session.
3i-Chairmsn OF Senate and House Commit
tees on enrolled and engrossed bills, IS per day
each, for days service during the recess, pro-
vided for In the joint resolution and to the
speakers Of the Senate and House, the sum Of IS
per day each, for 8 days service during the re-
cess signing the bills passed
| 4th-Dstribution Of the reports OF State Geol.
gist to each member Of General Assembly, In.
oluding fourth volume.
In all those instances, besides others which
might be enumerated, tho Constitution has been
palpably violated BY tho Legislature for years
past, and the only apparent necessity for il IL
found in the fact, that the members wanted the
money, and they voted II ont Of the Treasury IN
violation Of tie express language of the Consti.
tuition and the osths they had taken 10 support IT,
VIII you make . clean breast Of it, and publsh
In your next issue, how many days you served
In each OF the last two sesGons Of the Lsgis
| Ieture, and how much money you drew from the
Treasury each session - Spsakerp si
The Constitution gives you % Per day dur.
ing the first forty.two days, and % per day for