ILLINOIS. 



393 



of woman's rights, and that those of our sex who are 



:'r suffrage should call themselves the 



. * right* " party, since they are grasping after 



rs, and privileges that naturally belong 



. stronger sex. 



Whoa tlio constitution waa in the hands of 



mmitteeon Revision, a motion was made, 



u-rii'd by a vote of thirty-throe to twenty- 



oiu'lit, that the committee he instructed "to 



out the section heretofore adopted hy 



tlii-* convention, submitting to a vote of the 



]ir|>le the question of female suffrage." 



Another proposition, which was considered 

 with the suffrage report, and finally reported, 

 was expressed as follows : 



SKCTIOS . Every person of sound mind and law- 

 ful asjo. having a residence in any election precinct 

 or district in this State, shall bo entitled to vote upon 

 any proposition submitted at any meeting or election 

 to raise money by taxation upon the property of 

 such person liable to taxation, lor any purpose what- 

 ever ; and no person shall vote upon any proposition 

 submitted to raise money by taxation at any such 

 meeting or election unless such person U the owner 

 of property that would bo subjected to a tax if tho 

 proposition HO submitted should be carried at such 

 meeting or election. 



Article eight directs tho General Assembly 

 to "provide a thorough and efficient system 

 of free schools, whereby all the children of the 

 State may receive a common-school educa- 

 tion." An ineffectual attempt was made to 

 obtain a declaration in favor of separate schools 

 for white and colored children. Among the 

 other propositions which failed to meet the 

 approbation of a majority of the delegates was 

 one prohibiting either the exclusion of the 

 Bible from the schools or the compulsion of its 

 use; one abolishing and forever prohibiting 

 corporal punishment in the schools ; and one 

 compelling parents, having children of the 

 school-age, to send them to the common 

 schools, "provided sickness does not prevent 

 or education is not elsewhere provided." 



The following is among the sections adopted : 



SECTION 3. Neither the General Assembly nor any 

 county, city, town, township, school district, or other 

 public corporation, shall ever make any appropria- 

 tion or pay from any public fund whatever, in aid of 

 any church or sectarian purpose, or to help support 

 or sustain any school, academy, seminary, college, 

 university, or other literary or scientific institution 

 controlled by any church or sectarian denomination 

 whatever ; nor snail any grant or donation of land, 

 money, or other personal property, ever be made by 

 the State or any such public corporation, to any 

 church or for any sectarian purpose. 



The old constitution was entirely silent on 

 the subject of education, and the present school 

 system was created by the Legislature in 1849 

 without any express authority, much doubt 

 being then and afterward entertained respect- 

 ing its legality, although it was always heartily 

 sustained by the people. 



Article nine covers the subject of revenue, 

 and provides for the levy and collection of 

 taxes. The Legislature is prohibited from re- 

 leasing, discharging, or commuting the taxes 

 of any county, town, or district, or the in- 



habitants thereof or property therein, and 

 county authorities are not allowed to assess 

 taxes amounting in tho aggregate to. more 

 than seventy-five cent* on one hundred dollars' 

 valuation. Counties, cities, towns, school dis- 

 tricts, and other municipal corporations,* are 

 forbidden to incur indebtedness amounting to 

 more than five per cent, on value of taxable 

 property therein. 



The tenth article relates to tho constitution 

 and government of tho counties. Besides the 

 regular county officers, each county is to have 

 a board of three commissioners, who shall 

 " hold sessions for the transaction of county 

 business as shall bo provided by law ; " and 

 Cook County is to have fifteen commissioners, 

 ten of whom are to be elected in Chicago'. The 

 county boards have power to fix within certain 

 limits the compensation of all county officers, 

 "with the amount of their necessary clerk- 

 hire, stationery, fuel, and other expenses." 

 All fees and allowances in excess of the regular 

 compensation of county officers are to be paid 

 into the Treasury, and each officer is required 

 to make a sworn statement of their amount. 



The eleventh article covers the important 

 subject of corporations, one which was very 

 inadequately provided for under the old con- 

 stitution. It forbids the creation of corpora- 

 tions by special law, and declares that all 

 charters or grants of special or exclusive privi- 

 leges, which shall not have been in operation 

 ten days before the constitution shall go into 

 effect, shall thereafter have no validity. The 

 General Assembly is directed to provide that, 

 in all elections of directors or managers, the 

 stockholders shall have the right to vote for the 

 number of shares owned by them. The cre- 

 ation of a State bank is prohibited, and no law 

 authorizing or creating corporations with 

 banking powers can go into effect until it has 

 been approved by a vote of tho people. The 

 suspension of specie payments by banking in- 

 stitutions is prohibited. The subject of rail- 

 road corporations received a large share of at- 

 tention. Several resolutions were offered, and 

 a good deal of discussion entered into touching 

 the power and wealth of these organizations, 

 and the danger of their encroaching upon tho 

 rights of the people, and invading with their 

 influence all departments of the State govern- 

 ment. One speaker declared that the people 

 " must soon provide a remedy against the en- 

 croachment of this modern despotism upon 

 public and private rights, or the time will 

 come, and that speedily, when the railways of 

 the State' and of the country will go down in 

 bloody strife before the rights and powers of 

 the people." The result of an extended con- 

 sideration of the subject was tho adoption of 

 the following sections : 



SECTION 9. Every railroad corporation organized or 

 doing business in this State, under tho laws or au- 

 thority thereof, shall have and maintain a public 

 office or place in this State for the transaction of its 

 business, where transfers of its stock shall be made, 

 and in which shall bo kept, for public inspection, 



