288 THE GROUNDSWELL. 



Legislature, now in session, to rise above personal considerations of 

 pecuniary interest or convenience, and to pass a law making it a 

 misdemeanor for any Senator, or other State or county officers, to 

 accept any railroad pass, knowing, as we do, that the people look 

 upon the acceptance of these passes with decided and almost uni 

 versal disapprobation. 



******** 

 WHEREAS, The Constitution of 1848, Article X, prohibits the 

 Legislature from granting special railroad charters in the following 

 words : &quot; And corporations not possessing banking powers or privi 

 leges, may be formed under general law, but shall not be created by 

 special acts, except for municipal purposes ; and in cases where, in 

 the judgment of the General Assembly, the objects of the corpora 

 tion can not be attained under general laws,&quot; therefore, 



Resolved, That it is extremely doubtful whether any railroad 

 charter granted since April 1, 1848, by the Legislature of Illinois is 

 of any validity, and that the vested rights of railroad monopolies in 

 this State exist only by assumption of the monopolies and the suf- 

 e ranee of the people. 



******** 

 WHEREAS, The Constitution of 1870, Article XI, Section 13, pro 

 hibits any railroad company from issuing watered stock, in these 

 words: &quot;No railroad corporation shall issue any stock or bonds ex 

 cept for money, labor, or property actually received and applied 

 to the purposes for which such corporation was created ; and all 

 stock, dividends, and other fictitious increase of the capital, stock, or 

 indebtedness of any such corporation shall be void. The capital 

 stock of no railroad corporation shall be increased for any purpose, 

 except upon giving sixty days public notice in such manner as may 

 be provided by law ; &quot; and, . 



WHEREAS, This article of the Constitution has probably been 

 violated by nearly all the railroad companies in the State; therefore, 

 Resolved, That it is the duty of the Railroad Commissioners to look 

 carefully into this matter, and to commence proceedings in all clear 

 cases by quo warranto, or otherwise, against all railroad companies 

 which have disregarded this important provision of the organic law 

 of the State. * 



Resolved, That we regard the improvement of the Illinois River as 

 not sectional, but of great importance ; and we request the members 



