386 



ILLINOIS. 



the Prohibition party, which not only affirms the gov- 

 ernmental principles herein enunciated, but which is 

 ready to engage in the most important contest of the 

 day, the overthrow of the liquor-traffic. 



Whereas, The manufacture and sale of intoxicating 

 liquors as a beverage are a sin against God, and a 

 crime and a curse to man, which no human enactment 

 nor usage can make right, and that Christianity, hu- 

 manity, and patriotism demand its prohibition : there- 

 fore we favor 



1. The adoption of an amendment to the Constitu- 

 tion of the State of Illinois, prohibiting the manufac- 

 ture and sale of alcoholic beverages in the State. 



2. Whereas, The people have petitioned the Legis- 

 lature to submit an amendment to the State Constitu- 

 tion, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic 

 beverages, we are in favor of its submission ; and 



Whereas, The people have also petitioned the Legis- 

 lature to submit an amendment enfranchising women, 

 we are therefore in favor of its submission.' 



3. That while we favor all proper legislation in the 

 interest of common schools, yet we are decidedly op- 

 posed to applying funds raised from the liquor-traffic 

 for that purpose, thereby giving such traffic a degree 

 of respectability to which it is not entitled. 



The following was also adopted : 



That we require of all candidates for legislative 

 offices a pledge not to go into a caucus of either of the 

 two old parties. 



The following nominations were made : State 

 Treasurer, Judge J. J. Irwin, of Madison ; State 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, Profess- 

 or Andrews, of Galesburg, for whom another 

 candidate was afterward substituted. 



Twenty-three counties in the State grant no 

 license for the sale of spirituous liquors. 



An Anti-Monopoly State Convention met in 

 Springfield, on the 15th of March, about one 

 hundred delegates being present, and adopted 

 the following resolutions : 



1. That w_e believe in the doctrine embodied in the 

 railroad legislation of Illinois, and confirmed by the 

 highest courts of the nation, viz., that corporations 

 are subject to the control of the legislative bodies that 

 created them. 



2. We believe in the strict enforcement of the pres- 

 ent railroad laws of Illinois, and urge our Governor 

 and Railroad Commissioners to more prompt action 

 in prosecuting the almost constant violations of said 

 laws. 



3. That we condemn the giving of passes, as an in- 

 direct system of bribery ana a mode ot compelling the 

 public to contribute to the railroad corruption fund, 

 and that in the future we will not support any candi- 

 date for any office, whether legislative, executive, or 

 judicial, who will take such a bribe, and who will not 

 use his influence in favor of the enactment and en- 

 forcement of a law making the giving or taking a pass 

 bribery, and an offense which will disqualify any man 

 guilty thereof from holding office. 



4. That this convention select, as far as possible, a 

 State Committee composed of one or more from each 

 county to detect, report, and prosecute every viola- 

 tion of the laws by the railroad corporations of the 

 State. 



5. That this State Committee be recommended to 

 proceed against railroad corporations for the violation 

 of our laws, either through quo warranto or the Rail- 

 road Commissioners, and that the Attorney-General 

 be notified of the commencement of such proceedings 

 and be requested to prosecute the same. 



6. That our commission will not do its duty unless 

 it shall at once give us a passenger rate of two cents a 

 mile on the leading roads of the State, and shall also 

 reform its schedule and cut down the freight rates to 

 an amount at least equal to that now charged to the 



people of other States over our railroads in cases 

 where competition compels them to just rates ; and 

 that we emphatically condemn the failure of the com- 

 mission to make a just reduction of the rates of freight 

 on short hauls, in which the people of this State are 

 chiefly interested. 



7. That in our judgment the theory and policy of 

 our railroad laws require that the Railroad and Ware- 

 house Commission shall itself, on its own motion, and 

 without formal complaint, begin and prosecute proper 

 suits to punish abuses brought in any way to its no- 

 tice ; that the course heretofore taken by the Railroad 

 and Warehouse Commission, requiring the complaint 

 of the shipper to be filed, exhibited to the railroad, 

 and then answered and heard, unless by terrorism or 

 purchase he is silenced, is the surest way of prevent- 

 ing and suppressing complaints and defeating the en- 

 forcement of the law. 



8. That while we regard our railroad laws as the 

 most useful known and only needing proper execu- 

 tion and enforcement to fully protect our people in 

 the use of the public highways, and had a right to 

 expect from the Railroad Commissioners protection 

 from railroad extortion and unreasonable charges, these 

 expectations have thus far only resulted in failure and 

 disappointment ; that instead of guarding the inter- 

 ests of the people, as duty required, these reputed 

 servants have oftener acted as servants of the rail- 

 roads. 



ELECTION RETURNS. The election in Novem- 

 ber resulted in the choice of Smith, Republi- 

 can, for State Treasurer, by a plurality of 5,484 ; 

 and of Raab, Democrat, for State Superintend- 

 ent of Public Instruction, by a plurality of 

 2,869. The vote was as follows : 



The Legislature, to meet in January, 1883, 

 will consist of 31 Republicans and 20 Demo- 

 crats in the Senate, and 77 Republicans, 75 

 Democrats, and 1 Independent in the House. 

 The proposition to appropriate $531,712.18 for 

 the completion of the State-House was de- 

 feated, not receiving a majority of the total 

 vote cast at the election (532,583), though 231,- 

 283 votes were cast for it and only about 153,- 

 000 against it. For the act ceding the Illinois 

 and Michigan Canal, 363,855 votes were cast, 

 and against it 59,675, and it was ratified. 

 Eleven Republican and nine Democratic Con- 

 gressmen were elected, as follow : 



First District, Ransom W. Dunham, Repub- 

 lican ; Second District, John F. Finerty, Inde- 

 pendent Democrat ; Third District, George R. 

 Davis, Republican; Fourth District, George E. 

 Adams, Republican; Fifth District, Reuben 

 Ellwood, Republican; Sixth District, Robert 

 R. Hitt, Republican ; Seventh District, Thomas 

 J. Henderson, Republican ; Eighth District, 

 William Cullen, Republican; Ninth District, 

 Lewis E. Payson, Republican ; Tenth District, 

 Nicholas E. Worthington, Democrat; Eleventh 

 District, William H. Neece, Democrat ; Twelfth 

 District, James M. Riggs, Democrat ; Thirteenth 

 District, William M. Springer, Democrat ; 

 Fourteenth District, Jonathan H. Rowell, Re- 

 publican; Fifteenth District, Joseph G. Can- 



