The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-02-02
MACHINE REPUBLICANS vs.LAW

Says the Sparta Plaindealer OF this
week:
"rhe legislature should pass law MAX
ing the governor ineligible to election to a
federal office, and the prohibition should
be definite s. that there will be no mistake
about It, The people will not elect man
10 the Governorship hereafter, if they know
or suspect III t lie is laying pipe Tor the
United States Senate"
The Piandealer's demand for a consti
tutlonal amendment dhqualfying the gov.
ernor of the state for the United States SEN
atorshlp during his term OF office, implies
that, in the opinion of the Plaindealer
there Is now no such constitutional pro-
hlbltion. Yet the state constitution does
declare in substance that NO officer of the
st7te shall be elected TO ANY OTHER office
during the term of the office he holds,
But we venture the assertion that the
editors OF the Piaiudealer, had they been
tu the 53I general assembly, would not
nave considered themselves bound by the
Constitution to voe against G Jvernor Cul-
ION Tor senator-.hey would have voted
with the machine-ruIed majority. Now,
therefore, 1t constitutional provision pro.
bioltng the election OF ANY state off Ter to
TO ANY OTHER oti5e during his term of
Office, would not prevent the Republican
editors Of the Plain1ealer and did not
prevent the R,pub ican members of the
general assembly, from electln5 an off eel
ol the state to ANOTHER off ,e, be.
Tore the expiration Of his first office,
could we, with any show of re lson,
expect that a constitutional pro-
vision prohibiting the election of the
governor to the seDatorship duling his term
of office, would prevent the Republican
editors of the PlAindealer and the Repub-
Ilcan members of The general assembly,
from eIectlng to the senalorship the very
next governor who might aspire to that
seat and manipulate the affairs of the state
10 conserve the end in view as ably and IS
shsmeessly as Cullom did, We imagine
that the editors Of the Plaindealer would
not consider the drinking of whisky VIC.
lation of a constitutional provision forbid.
ding the use OF ALL intoxicating liquors.
simply because said provision did not par.
tcularize. The tru h is, constitutions have
long since ceased to have any power with
Republican legislators; the Republican
machine has time and again found const.
tutional provisions inconvenieut, and in
tussel with them has Invariably proved too
strong, The Republican machine elected
Oglesby 10 the senate in the face
of a plain constitutional pro.
vision, declaring that NO state offic
shall be elected to ANY OTHER office dur.
ing the term tor which he shall have been
elected; the Republican machiue elected
Cullom to the same office in the face of
the same provision and overruled the con.
scientous scruples Of ten men who declar.
ed such election violation of the oaths
of all who voted for Culom; the Repub.
can machine declared the chairman of the
state senate elected by vote of %, when
the constitution requires not less than &c.
Several other instances might be cited
from the records Of our own state, in which
plain constitutional provisions were over.
ridden in order that the interests OF Re
publican party bosses might be conserved,
but those mentioned will suffice to show
that what we want is not moro constltu.
tional amendments, but less machine pol.
itlcs; not more law, but more honesty and
respect for existing lw-the publication
OF the public service; the destruction of
the boss-gc yerned Republican party ma.
chine which respects no law but It's own
and measures all things by the rule Of
seli.in,ersst.