The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-29

honor and glory Of being the first among the great
slsterhood Of states 70 sdEpt Inns sy
governmental Its theory that will surely be cop
led By all the rest OF the Union; that will invgorate
and purify our political system, and widen and
strenrtben the base which 1t rests and render
better able to resist the ravages of time and change
and the more dangerous assaults of corruption and
u'ui p"NOA' JOSEPH MEDILL. Chairman"
Mr. Haines continued:
now submit to this house and to the
candid Judgment Of the people Of the state,
whether one of two things is not true, that
the editor in question has designedly
sought to DESTROY the usefulness Of this
general assembly by prejudicing the pub
lie mind against it, or that the late criti-
cism must be taken as confession OF his
own folly as a self-constituted statesman.
For present purposes the result is the
same IF the former is the object, the
scheme must entirely fail when the people
shall fully understand the facts as here
shown. The tone of the public press will
he respected when guided in good faith
and with honest intentions otherwise,
not. In support OF what affirm, l appeal
to the gentleman now filling the chair Mr.
Cummings who was, as we'll as myself,
also member of the constitutional conven-
ton, that this plan of minority representa-.
ton, which has shaped the character OF
the house of representatives as now exist
ling, was adopted by the convention
at the instance of this same editor
induced, from the regard III which his
opinions were held by members OF the
convention, as set forth in his convincing
: appeal in the report cited. 1t, therefore,
; lit is true that this house OF representa-
: tives is mob, and the worst that ever as
sembled in the state, as this editor In his
newspaper declares, then he alone is res
: ponsible for the calamity, including the
speaker of arbitrary rulings" of which
:, he so much complains. Laughter and ap
2 . plause.
But as I was one among the number
), who was willing to accept this new plan O.
!, electing representatives-at least as al
EXPERIMENT. am not willing, like its orr
- ginator, to forsake and condemn it at thu
+ outset. have shown that while our gen
: eral assembly under the former system
% has cost nearly seven hundred Thousand
y dollars. the present one, under the minor
= ity representation system, will not cost t.
e exceed one hundred and fifty THOUSAND
~ dollars, which leads US to concur with tn
opinions of the originator of the system Q
) expressed in his report, that the useful
D. ness Of the legislature has been increases
s by improving its membership" and l ar
re happy that it has been thus improved
n Applause Yea. hope that the mex
he convention of the kind, assembled, wi
D. complete the glorious work so well begun
e and efforts will be made to so improve tn
pc character of the public mind that we sha
ne have more reliable class of editors
IS write up the sentiments of public opinion
eFr Applause. Whilst we may concede th
0, force of the saying that wise men ofte
al change their opinions, but fools seldom d.
10 yet so sudden change of opinion on
10 grave subject like this is not the be-
al evidence of great wisdom. John Z. Ca
NJ houn, one of the last of the race of Anne
ne lean statesmen, said that change, simpl
D. is not reform. But the charge of tn
es newspaper concerning this general assen
:, bly,, is not only without foundation, but
&c malicious libel upon the good name
oe the people of the state. A recapitulatiC
al of the figures have produced, shows tn
pt the Democratic general assembly of 1856
IT. and the reform legislature of 1875, whi(
H. are characterized in such intolerant term
10 are the only ones tending towards econou
re- and usefulness within the period of Il
OF review attempted. And if, as urged, til
Oh is partisan question, then surely Il
en- DAYS of the usefulness of the Republic;
on party, so far as the peoples money ar
y. the peoples taxes are concerned
am passed away, and the existence of tn
out party in Illinois is failure
de- Continued on third page.)