, 1870-07-22

Constitutional Convention, aud sen. good
men to It; and the debatest instead Of being
SERIES Of wtangles between tricky politicians,
anxious about their 81 record" and 90 excited
attention for anything, or Of oratiops from
.tlofty enthusiastic, were marked by gooa
Bepse, shreHdnese. reelection, u foresight and
= Wilderness ct Information tsuch aa hare not
been displayed in tiis country Oh any similar
occasion for many long day. Moreover. no.
body waa afraid to touch things. Abuses we're
taken up cue after another. and subjected to rad
cal treatment. There are no half measures in
tho eutire constitution. The experience not
ouly OF tho State, and of the other States. but
OF Ill other nations was turned to account,
a. i the result vas just law, which thus lar
thr importance OF one portion Of the e1peEi-
ment-tLo minority representation clause.
Should it prove on trial aucceas-that il,
should the political trfcRatars provo unable to
uee it in the prosecution Of their trickefy-;:it
is safe to say il will bring in new era IN
American poIites, and introduce into public
life class Of men who are among the most
valuable in the community, and WHO now lnd
it Impossible to get nomination.
Sow, the instrument was just such ono
as any average politician would have been sure
to tel us thai tie people would reject II WAS
full of Innovations and new-fangled notions;
it offended great msny interesta, aud ran
counter to great mauy pretudlcek, and took
from the hands Of political managers great
many dearfy-1ovel tools. In any State on the
Eastern sea- board, it would, wa venture to say.
have bten yoted down, aud it would have taken
only very anal! vote to DO it, 10 great woald
have been the apathy shout it or tbs fear 81 it.
But the people Of lsiuois Went Att. aud adopt
ed il ftolu top to buttom, minority te 1scSout1-
ton and all. by ) largo minority, and E.'w bid
dedance to all classes Of ionbers and sN5nilers
at Present in existence. Ne" ones Will doubt
less arise, but We venture to say they have
found their match in Illinois.
We think it would lie difficnlt to oTeresti-
mate the effect thus will have on the people Of
other States. It will do much to remove the
apathy ~ 10 reform which the Joiugs ef tile
New York Cou-t t.tutional Convention and Of the
Massachusetts Legislature have OF late helped
10 spread over the East- i feeling has grown
mcta1ization which our constitutions UNDER
wen: III 1siG. and the Succeeding years, w4s
Kind OF last appeal to tie people, auI this h4y-
ins fa:l:t', tlcft nothing LETT fur us but 10
rrly that there waa no use il trying to get
the peurie to set things to rights. Illinois
and shown that III democracy, as
well under n,her foru,s Of government
nss. mott +. ally than under other furtns OF
mont-thtrouSh-going reform Ii possi-
bio
I, seems, too, as if the good beef and good
bread aud good air of tLe Northwest wore
making mcn better politicians, as we'll ~ mora
energetic farmers aud railroad men and spccu-
ators. tine can hardly help noticing among
tie EaRtefu, III Compared with the Western
nen, t1crrerld love Ut Did ways aud j ki.ld Of
serslle fancy for weil-estahlished abu-c4. Even
EASTERN Radicals are either weak sud yapd
in tEeir extravaganza. or exlla1e their zeal III
si,upera,ion and bombast rather than iu ac-
ton. Let us he thankful that there il good
rich blood forming somewhere.