The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-02-06
PRINTING THE GOVERNORS MESSAGE
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
The Constitution forbids it---Mr. Durham
makes Q Speech against it.

makes Speech against it.
From the Springfield correspondence of
the Chicago and St. Louis papers we no
tice that ON the 30th ult., in the House,
Mr. Hay, from the Judiciary Committee,
reported back the resolution to reseind the
resolution ordering the Governors mes
sage to be printed in German, swedish
and Norwegian, with recommendation
that it be adopted, on the constitutional
ground that printing should be In English
only.
MIR Rnuntree submitted a minority re
MORT toking the ground that the document
emopsfing from the Governor should he
in English, and when it reached the House.
the House had full control Of it, and could
print it in any or all languages. Mr..
Rountree desired 10 have 1000 copies of
both reports printed, and have them made
the special order for Thursday.
Mr., Durham did not see the propriety
Of printing. The majority had stated Il
naked conclusion, while the minority went
to work and elaborated legal opinion
which was read to the House, and that
was all Of it the House wanted. He moved
to lay the matter u print On the table
The motion prevailed. 100 to q.
Speeches were then made by several
members, on both sides, but that OF Mr.
Durham seems to have been the leading
constitutional argument The correspond
ent Of the Chicago Trijgae says; Mr..
Durham made strong argument. He
showed that where the language was clear
contemporaneous construction was of no
consequence. He denounced pandering IA
the foreign constituents Of members
The correspondent of the Chicago Times
SAYS. Mr. Durham. of Henry, spoke
with great clearness and effect against the
minority report. He stated that the argu-
ment of the report was plausible, but the
falIacy of it was in assuming that Il doubt
as to the meaning of the Constitution eX-
isted, and then undertaking to clear up
that hypothetical doubt by an appeal TO
contemporaneous construction The
Chicago Inter ocean correspondent says :
Mr. Durham held that the words of the
Constitution were to be construed as the
common people understood them, and on
that there could be no doubt The words
were TO be taken in their natural sense
He discussed the definitions of the words
publish, print, copy etc, quoted
freely from the Constitution, and contend
ed tina. no documents, messages or laws
were 70 be printed in any other than the
English language. The TImes CORES
pondent says: This debate was the most
animated and interesting of the session 50
far, and the arguments on both sides were
very strongly put, The result is that the
house, by decided majority, insisted on
a strict adherence to the letter of the Con.
stitution, and this result amply iustiieS
the use of the time spent in debate The
Radical State printers had, however, com.
pleted the unconstitutional job before the
unconstitutional resolution was rescinded
and Of course the people have to pay tol
it.
( 1t is a matter of no little pride to the
people Of this district that Mr.. Durham
has made so creditabe a mark in hi,
maiden speech and, that the House large
1 ~ by a vote Of s. 10 3& sustained him il
the constitutional ground he advocated
And it is equally matter Of regret u Mr.
Dunham's constituents that the Democrat
ic newspaper at Springfield should have
failed to take any notice whatever of hi
/ Speerh