ILLINOIS. 



369 



prevailed. The annual report of the secretary 

 showed that in the eighty counties reporting 

 there were 830 farmers' clubs with a member- 

 ship of 46,473 ; in addition to which, 549 



too 



j """ft *"w\A VKJVUMAUU Ul 



this State should be sustained and enforced until 



granges had reported. The position of this %tS$^t^ttl^^ 



latmg commerce between the States, which shall 

 deprive the people of their present controlling in-' 



organization on the public questions of the 

 day is indicated in the following platform, 

 which was adopted : 



Whereat, Through the departure from the primary 

 principles of our Government as promulgated by its 

 founders, and through the imprudent exercise of that 

 highest prerogative of the freeman, the right of 

 suffrage, we, the farmers of Illinois, in common 

 ith the wealth and food producers of these United 



- . i --, - -- present controlling in-' 



fluence through State legislation. 



Retained, That the right of the Legislature to re- 

 ulate and control the railroads of the State must So 

 vindicated, established, and maintained, as an es-' 

 sential attribute of State government, and that those 

 holding the doctrine that railroad charters are con- 

 tracts in the sense that they are not subject to legis- 

 lative supervision and control, have not a just ap- 

 era and rights of a 

 ree to no truce and 



4 ort of the complete 



and. vindication and reestablishment of the supremacy 



Whereat, This condition is clearly traceable to the ? f 'I 16 . State government in its rights, through its 

 fostering protection which has been accorded by our i ' e g' sl > ltu ''e, to supervise and control the railroads of 

 legislative bodies, both State and national, to the Y 16 hta $ e in BUCn m anner as the public interest shall 

 financial, mercantile, manufacturing, and transporta- demand - 



tion interests, enabling them to accumulate an undue tUiolned., inat we uncompromisingly condemn the 

 proportion of the national wealth, and encouraging P ractlce . , of our public officials in receiving free passes 

 them in the exercise of corrupting lobby influences from railw "y managers. 



on our legislative system ; therefore, ,. *,. That we demand a reduction of all pub- 



Setolted, That the preservation of our national life llc , 5?555TS * the e ? d that taxation may be 



petent and honest men to all offices in the gift of the 

 people. 



Retained, That the recent record of the old politi- 

 cal parties of this country is such as to forfeit the 

 confidence and respect of the people, and that we 

 are therefore absolved from all allegiance to them, 

 and should act no longer with them. 



Retailed, That we demand the unconditional re- 

 peal of the salary-grab law, the repeal to be retro- 

 active in its action, and this without a restoration of 



Retailed. That we do not recognize any necessity 



action of our 



- jr session, thereby 



practically defeating the provision of the constitu- 

 tion providing for biennial sessions. 



Retolved, That since a large number of plough- 

 manufacturers of the West have thrown down the 

 gauntlet we take it up, and recommend to the farmers 

 of this State to patronize none of said manufact- 

 urers, until they will sell to us direct at wholesale 

 rates. 



The adjournment of the Legislature took 

 place early in May, the measures passed being 

 mostly of local importance. The new jury law 



that public officers should receive extravagant sala- contains the following important provision : 

 ries, to the end that they may conform to the de- "That it shall not be a cause of challenge that a 



I t 



V 



inand of expensive and fashionable tastes, which in 

 their very nature are antagonistic to republican 

 principles, and we demand the reduction of official 

 salaries. 



Retailed, That we demand the immediate reform 

 of abuses in the civil service, through which the 

 patronage of the Government is dispensed an a re- 

 ward for partisan service, rather than with regard to 

 the public necessities. 



Retolrtl, That we are in favor of improving and 

 perfecting the navigation of our lakes and rivers, and 

 water connections, as soon as it can possibly be 

 done. 



Retnlied, That tho risht to exchange the products 

 of labor is coexistent with the right of ownership. 

 We submit to all needful taxation for the support of 

 government, but denounce all taxation levied for 

 special classes. We hold that the existing duties on 

 clothing, lumber, salt, iron, and steel, arc not only 

 unnecessary to the successful prosecution of these 

 industries, but oppressive to labor, and tend to 

 create monopolies, while at the same time they fur- 

 nish a pretext for extortionate chargea for railroad 

 transportation. 



Retained, That we deprecate all further grants of 

 public lands, or loans of the public credit, and all 

 national, State, or local subscriptions, in aid of cor- 

 porations. 



Retained, That wo favor the repeal of our national 

 banking law, and believe that the Government 

 should supply a legal-tender currency directly from 

 the Treasury, interchangeable for government bonds 

 bearing the lowest possible rate of interest. 



Bttolved, That we hold that our patent laws are 

 VOL. xm. 24 A 



juror has read in the newspapers an account 

 of the commission of the crime with which 

 the prisoner is charged, if such juror shall state 

 on oath that he believes he can render an im- 

 partial verdict according to the law and the 

 evidence ; and provided, further, that in the 

 trial of any criminal cause the fact that a per- 

 son called as a juror has formed an opinion or 

 impression, based upon rumor or upon news- 

 paper statements (about the truth of which he 

 has expressed no opinion), shall not disqualify 

 him to serve as a juror in such cause if he 

 shall, upon oath, state that he believes he can 

 fairly and impartially render a verdict therein 

 in accordance with the law and the evidence, 

 and the court shall be satisfied of the truth of 

 such statement." 



Governor Richard J..Ogle3by, who was in- 

 augurated on the 13th of January, was a few 

 days later elected to the United States Senate 

 for the full term of six years from March 4, 

 1873, succeeding Lyman Trumbull. Upon the 

 resignation of Governor Oglesby, Lieutenant- 

 Governor Beveridge succeeded to the Execu- 

 tive chair. 



The final valuations of property, real and 

 personal, ns made by the State Board of 

 Equalization, are as follows: 



