, 1876-04-12
the tern, Of any public officer afscs his election OF up.

This IL not n tho legislative artso!e. It rustdes
tlat general law shall bo ptFaod which shall have
tue effect to nstend this term Of oee Of nny public
otoer. Il We Intended TO meet suci, case nj lap.
1enc n 1865 sch tho Legislature extended tho .ern
ot lilo Hchoo Commissioners for two ycars boyonl thc
| tlsus for which they ware nloctod.
Volume Of Constitutional Dabstts. pags 7ii.
Thc section wns thon Immediately adopted.
| NM perfectly auato that
| Iu1ME DtcxEy+
| tho late Corporation Counsel for the City OF
Chicago, holda that 4 isw 10 op8rata must haro
boeu passed Aftos the otitcor ts eiccsod or hp-
pointed. but that construction ia in my opinion
erroneous, for IL Ia tho operation OF thoiaw and
not the tnno whom tho LAW Was lIhsaoa. which tho
Constitution prohibits. But II that vioH Is cor
! rect, tlon contond thar 30 fas ns Mayor Oolvin
ta ooncernod. tho law tn question WAS not
| pnssed until aftet ho was olectod. I do not
ruoan that the law wAs not passed. by tho acnosal
Assembly before that ti'ne, but say 80 far 40
| Msrar Co,yiu is concerned and 20 far ay II To-
atos 10 Of applies to him. that II did not 40 into
| ofroct until after iis oleotton.
I. is admitted By everybody that II the law in
question had beou passed. by the General a..
semb'y sitter Major ColEln had hoen elected, aud
his term Of ol'co had thereby boon oxtcndoa ono
Or two voarn, that tho Constitution would liavo
prohibited It, and That thc soeiion OF the Constl-
tntion which huya quoted would bo IN absolute
bar TO It.
Nov, Ia there any difference whatovor In prln-
ciplc In pasBing tho law Aftor the Mayor, for n-
btnnco h6s boen Gicctod, or It's taking effect and
going into torco after thu Mayor was otoctod 7
Admit that tho Legislature had powor to pass
the law. yot It might taye remained dead lot
ter on the BtAtuto-books for forty years, llnless
the breath OF lifn had boon breathed into it by q
voto Of the people.
Now, IL tho law In question had no Vitality and
no forco until hloptod by tho pcoplc. tiien 1t
as tho City Of Chicago aud Mayor GOWN arc
concerned. tho Law was nok In legal seuse,
passed. Or adopted until It WAS voted upon by tho
people, and II by ndopting tho law In question 1t
thsp II falls directly within tho tvcnty-cighth
section OF Art. ". Of the Constitution above
quoted.
UNTIL IT ia VOTED uroN DY TIE PEOPLE.
WAS established by tho Bupreme Coutt OF this
State rs long ago Is 1913, 10 tho caao Of Tho
People VS.. Reynolds, 3 GIL, !, which involved tho
dlviaion OF tho old County Of Ga.iaIiu. and III
numerous othcr caacs. but especially in tho case
Of the pooploc OK rel. rs. Solomon, 81 ILL.,, 81, which
involved Che validity Of the South PARK bill,
which had been voted upon and adopted by tho
people. and tho samo' principle has. been fro
1uontsy npp1lod to voting upon temperance lava
Now nobody could contonii that daltatin Couu-
ty was divided until tho law providing for It WAS
voted upon bJ tho people, and that the South
pooplo and II this 10 80, is it nos equivalent to
tho passage OF tho lar. and would nat tho
day it was Alopsed aud went into efroct
10 counted rs tho daY Of Its passage to those It
oporated upon7 In other words, contend TINT
tho day whom iaw becomes opoEntiya aud taktB
effect ia to be conaderod in such caaa as this,
and neither the Legislature itself can pass q law
which Ia to take offect upon contingency which
eau nntitfv conHtttutad provision, nor can IL
authorize any body itself to do 1t.
think TINT by tho adoption Of tho genornl
law relating to cities, Mayor Colvin cannot
legally hold over, mud that II tho effect OF TINT
Law wns to extend his torm until April. 1877,
Rn6 NV ~
1t Ia worry much TO bo regretted tint mono Of tho
Judges Of the Supreme Court Of this State hal
| moral courage enough when tho question wan
| presented to thom to give Ill opinion in regard
10 the n4ttor.
TIE TuwN ELECTION.
Thsa Is all that l doairo 10 cay upon tho sub
joct OF tho Mayoratty. Tho question which il
next In oraor. aud which ia uppermost in tho
mind. Of tho .peopfo. rolates to tho monstroua
and gigantic frauds perpetrated by tha thugs OF
this city npon tho people in tho rccont town
election for tho Town OF South Chicago. It is
case almost without 4 paIalle, and is all at
tc,npt 10 overthrow locnl Government by
fraud. It IL q now spoclos Of high treason.--n
OF nHnkind do not know words sufficient TO
define tho infamy. a coup d'osat 10 CON-
pleto,, and Gigantic has seldom occurred.
batoti, but extraordinary gulf, exquisite wcRod
ness tho high flights and poetry OF critno sctxo
| on tho imagination md lead people sometimes
to forgot tho depths OF gull. IN admiration OF
tho excellence Of tho performance or tho u,a-
oqnaled atrocity Of tho purpose" l'ut attractive
aR this epeciea Of dcprnyity Iuny DO. tho people
| OF this Slate hnvn not yet bocomo accustomed to
| It,. We arc ,sscd to fatr plaY and will have II.
In s,o worry first Consultation Which WAS over
framed for the government and probation Of
tho people OF thts Btato IL Was declared as a
| fundamental principle of government and in
nortod iu tho Dill Of Rights that "a!l oldctlons
shall DO free and equal" Thrice since 1878
/ organic law OF the land. md each and overy
t'mo mas tint doctzine boon declared. and to-lay
atnnda forth rs one OF tho dearest rights of tho
| people-ap hotrtoom which has come down to
| Hs like Magma, ,Chartn ftsolf.
1u tho Ioce1t town election th0re Mss
NO FAfRNRss WHATEVER.
Mike EyAns and hts conbpirasofa got pos.
Bosniou OF The bnllot,boxes boto1o the day OF
before the day Of election. aud In tho Second
( Ward, whero I was, brought thom to tho place
designated, placed them IN d room at o'clock In
tho morninE aud locked tue doors. Tho oit,zons
| assomhled 81 tho appointed hour, aud elocto,l
tbc'r Moderator and cierk With fairness that
never aaw surpassed but Mike and bis crowd
| paid no attention 10 ID. Whlo wo were o1ecttpR
clerk, Bo1uo OF hta creatures, Ut nnother placa
aud different from the ono leaiguatsd ia tue cali,
and up rolled : curtain, md there sat Miko'a
officers. with their ballot-hox, and they had
mover boon in tho mcetlug at all. and imrnodiato-
" commenced Receiving votea boforo they haI
Ieen even sworn. This was demonstrated against
AZ too bold and barefaced. and thoy auspondcd
until they could get somebody to swoar thsm In,
and Al hour and tifteen mfuutea elapsed boforo
that WAS accomplished and before thoy conil
got undor way. In tho meantime wo had had
tn, aud had received moro tlau 200 yotes, Wo
demonstrated iu vain against tho acts OF
thoso slllatos. They hastled us awsy from
tho polls and into the Hsteet; thoy yelled
like domons. aud acted like dosils lncarnnte.