The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-01-15
Mr.. Eldridge has "Spoke, /"

Mr.. EIorldSe mas ~ POKE
in the proceedings of the Constitutional
Convention of Wednesday Mr.. Eldridge, OF
this county, figures as the proposer OF pro-
ject TO settle forever the yeXed question OF
county divisions and county seats in this state
The proposed settlement is as ingenious and
about as likely to prove effective as was the
plan adopted by the heather deity that set
tied famous dispute some years ago by pitch
ing golden apple among the contestants.
No county, proposes Mr. Eldridge, with less
population than $4,000, shall hereafter be di-
yided bnt as fast as any county gets popu-
lation of $4,000 it is subject to division until
all the counties in the state are cut down to
the vast territorial dimensions Of about five
and half townships! There are in Illinois,
about 5000 congressional townships; so that,
on Mr.. Eldridge's plan, this state is capable of
being ultimately divided into nearly 500 coun-
ties. This is a hopeful project truly for the
Punishment from our town and county delibe-
rations ofthe exciting questions and swindiing
land shark projects et county seat removals
ana county divisions
Very true, Mr.. Eldridge proposes that no
county shall be divided without the consent
of a majority Of its legal voters. But Mr..
Eldridge is no fool, and the ingenuity of his
proposition, in the matter of over coming this
difficulty, is worthy of a first class craftsman.
The vote on the question of dividing the
county is always to be taken before either the
exact limits, or the county seat of the new
county are fixed. Every little village there
fore, in the county to be divided, has an open
chance to become county seat, and will ma
turally pitch in with all its might TO carry the
vote for n division while if the location of
the new county seat was fixed, all but the one
city or village chosen would probably oppose
the division. For instance, in the proposed di-
vision of this county on the west side, would
Earlville, Mendoza, or even La Sale earnestly
support such division, if Peru were desgna-
ted as the county seat; or would Peru, &C.,
support it il Earlvile were designated
Mr.. Eldridge proposes to insert in the Con-
stitution, as general law for the whole state
an article trantcd4 exactly to hit case in his
own locality. Is the convention crazy enough
to adopt such quixotic scheme?
New York has more territory than Illinois,
with double our population, yet has but half
as many counties. The same is true of Penn
sylvania; and in all the eastern states, there
are no counties with as small territory as is
found in the counties in Illinois. Yet New
York and the eastern states generally have
found it necessary to put q check upon the
rascality and greed of land spectators by
placing in their Constitutions wholesome re-
strictons upon the legislative power in the
matter Of unsettling county seats and the
boundaries of counties. We look confidently
to the convention now in session at Spring
field for the adoption OF sensible provision
on the same subject in this state, certainly
something very different from the absurd pro-
ject Of Mr.. Eldrdge.