Mr. Archer offered the following preamble and resolution: Whereas a separation of the departments of government in the exercise of powers assigned to them by fundamental law, so as to keep each within the scope of its proper duties, is essential to every free government; therefore. Resolved, That section 2d of article 1st of the constitution of this state, entitled "concerning the distribution of the powers of government," be amended as follows: No person or number of persons, being one of the departments of gov ernment of this state, shall singly or collectively exercise any power or perform any duties hereafter confided to either of the others; and section 19 of article 3 of the constitution of this state, constituting the judges of the supreme court of this state a council of revision, is hereby abolished. On motion of Mr. Archer, The preamble and resolution were laid on the table. Mr. Scates offered the following resolution: Resolved, That a special committee of fourteen be appointed by the president, whose duty shall be to apportion and distribute to the standing committees the appropriate subjects for their consideration. On motion of Mr. Knowlton, The resolution was laid on the table. Mr. McCallen offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the several standing committees of this convention be composed of members chosen, alternately, from each congressional district of the state, and that each committce shall elect its chairman by ballot. On motion of Mr. Campbell of Jo Daviess, The resolution was laid on the table. Mr. Davis of Montgomery offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be and they are hereby instructed to report an amendment to the constitution providing for the election of judges of courts in the following manner, to wit: The legal voters of the state shall elect three judges of the supreme court by general ticket, whose duties shall be to hold the supreme court of the state, and hold their office for the term of six years, and until their successors are elected; each of which judges shall receive the sum of one thousand dollars per annum, and no more. The legal voters of each judicial circuit shall elect a circuit judge, who shall perform circuit duties, and shall hold their office for the term of six years, and receive a salary of one thousand dollars per annum, and no more. That they so amend the constitution as to abolish the council of revision. That the legal voters of each county in the state shall elect a clerk of the circuit court in each county, who shall hold their offices for six years, and until their successors are elected, whose fees shall be regulated by law. That the legal voters of each judicial circuit shall elect a district attorney, who shall hold their office for six years, and until their successors are elected, and receive the sum of dollars per annum. On motion of Mr. Davis, The resolution was laid on the table. Mr. Palmer of Macoupin offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the judicial system of this state should be composed of a supreme court, circuit courts, and such inferior courts as shall be hereafter established by law. That the supreme court shall be composed of not less than three nor more than five judges, who shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate; shall hold their offices for the term of ten years, and shall receive for their services a compensation not exceeding twelve hundred dollars per annum, and shall be ineligible to any other office for and during the term for which they shall have been elected. That the state shall be divided into a convenient number of judicial circuits, and in each of such circuits, there shall be elected, by the legal voters thereof, a judge, who shall hold his office for the period of ten years; who shall receive for his services the sum of one thousand dollars per annum, and shall be ineligible to any other office for and during the term for which he shall have been elected. Each of which said judges shall appoint a clerk of said courts in each of the counties of his circuit, who shall hold his office for and during the term for which said judge shall have been elected. On motion of Mr. Geddes, The resolution was laid on the table. Mr. Evey offered the following resolution: The sen Resolved, That there shall be a general assembly of the state of Illinois, which shall consist of the senate and house of representatives. ate hereafter shall consist of twenty-five members, and the house of rep. resentatives of fifty members, whose pay shall not exceed two dollars per diem. That hereafter there shall be but one session of the general assembly of Illinois in a period of four years, unless they are called together by the governor for some specific purpose; and when they have performed the work specified by the governor for which they were called, they shall adjourn. The meeting of the general assembly shall be hereafter on the first Monday in January, and their session shall be confined to sixty days. The legislature shall be prohibited from loaning the credit of the state for the benefit of any person, body politic, or corporation whatever, except for war, to repel invasion, or to suppress insurrection, or unless it be for some specific object or work specified therein; and at the same time, they shall provide by law a tax for the payment of the interest promptly as it falls due, and for the payment of the principal in twenty years; but before said law shall be put in operation, it shall be submitted to the people for their sanction. On motion of Mr. Evey, The resolution was laid on the table. On motion, The convention adjourned until nine o'clock, to morrow morning. FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 1847. The convention assembled pursuant to adjournmet. The journal of yesterday was read. The president presented a writing purporting to be a petition or instructions on various subjects, signed by seventy-four citizens of the state of Illinois, the reading of which was begun, when, On motion of Mr. Manly, The same was laid on the table. Mr. Northcott offered the following resolution! Resolved, That the constitution be so amended as to permit the legislature to levy a pol! tax of one dollar or less on each voter, to be appropri ated to the liquidation of our state debt. On motion of Mr. Stadden, The resolution was laid on the table. Mr. Rountree offered the following resolution: Resolved, That there shall be established in each of the counties of this state, and in each county hereafter to be created, a court of record, to be composed of the justices of the peace of the respective counties. That said court shall have a clerk, who shall be ex officio recorder of deeds, and register of probate. Said justices of the peace and clerk of said court shall be elected quadrennially by the qualified voters of the respective counties. On motion of Mr. Whitney, The resolution was laid on the table. Mr. Edmonson offered the following: Whereas, retrenchment is one of the primary objects of this convention, and the financial condition of our state demands that economy should be observed in every department of this government; therefore, Resolved, That the general assembly of this state shall not consist of more than one hundred and twenty members, eighty in the house and forty in the senate. Resolved, That the sessions of the general assembly of this state shall not exceed sixty days, and the members of the same shall receive a compensation for their services of two dollars per day. Resolved, That the general assembly of this state shall be convened on the 1st Monday in January, 1848, and thereafter there shall be biennial sessions of the legislature of this state, commencing jalways on the first Monday in January. On motion of Mr. Geddes, The preamble and resolutions were laid on the table. Mr. Jenkins offered the following preamble and resolutions: Whereas government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people, and the offices created for their benefit; all officers, then, whether executive, legislative, or judicial, are the trustees and servants of the people, and at all times accountable to them. In order to prevent those who are vested with au thority from becoming oppressors, the people have a right, in such manner as they may in a legal way prescribe, to cause their public officers to return to private life, and to fill up vacant places, by certain and regular elections; and whereas this convention has been called in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of this state, for the purpose of altering or amending the same; and whereas it is the opinion of this convention that the present constitution of this state ought to be altered in some respects, and so amended as to embrace within it the principles contained in the following provisions, to wit: 1. The council of revision should be abolished. 2. That there be established a supreme court composed of three judges, to be elected by the qualified voters of this state, to hold their office for eight years. 3. That there be circuit courts established, separate from the supreme court; the judges of circuit courts to be elected quadrennially by the qualified voters of the state in their respective circuits. 4. That there be elected quadrennially by the qualified voters of the state, a secretary of state, an auditor of public accounts, a state treasurer, and an attorney general for the state. 5. That there be a circuit attorney elected biennially, by the qualified voters in each judicial circuit. 6. That the judges of the supreme court receive an annual salary of $1,000, the judges of the circuit courts an annual salary of $800 each, the secretary of state an annual salary of $600, the auditor of public ac counts an annual salary of $1,000, the state treasurer an annual salary of $600, the attorney general an annual salary of $450, and the circuit attorneys an annual salary of $200 each. 7. That there be elected biennially, by the qualified voters in cach county in this state, a sheriff, coroner, clerk of the circuit court, of the county court, recorder, judge of probate, county surveyor, assessor, collector, and as many justices of the peace as may be necessary for the county. The justices of the peace to be elected in districts as the legis lature may direct. 8. That the county commissioners' court be abolished, and the justices of the peace in each county compose a court to perform the duties now performed by the county commissioners' court. 9. That the legislature of the state consist of one hundred and thirtysix members, the senate of thirty-six, and the house of one hundred members. The senators to be elected quadrennially, and the representatives biennially, by the qualfied voters of the counties or districts from which they are sent; to sit biennially. To be paid $2 50 per day while in session, and $2 for every twenty miles travel going to and returning from the seat of government. The legislature to be restrained from borrowing money on the faith of the state, unless the amount to be borrowed, and the object to which it is to be applied, be first submitted to the people to be voted upon; if sanctioned by them, it may be borrowed, but not otherwise. 10. That the legislature be prohibited from granting to any individual, company, or incorporation, the privilege of issuing or putting in circu lation any bill or notes, of any kind, to be circulated or used as money or in lieu of money. 11. That the legislature be prohibited from granting charters, or incorporating companies to concentrate capital, to carry on any kind of business, except for the encouragement of schools, colleges, or seminaries of learning, unless the stockholders are made liable out of their individual estates, for all the debts created by such incorporated company in their corporate capacity. 12. That at all elections, all white male inhabitants, natives of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, having resided in the state six months next preceding the election, shall enjoy the right of electors. Every foreigner who comes to settle in this state, and resides here six months, and will take an oath to support the constitution of the United States, and of this State, shall be entitled to the right of an elector. 13. That taxes and representation shall be equal. 14. That private property be not taken for public use, unless by the consent of the owner, or by the decision of a jury to be called to decide as well whether the public good requires the property to be taken, as to assess the amount of damages to be paid for it; therefore, Resolved, That the 1st, 2d, and 8th of the fore, oing propositions be referred to the committee on the Judiciary Department; that the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 12th, be referred to the committee on Elections and Right of Suffrage; that the 6th proposition be referred to the committee on Finance; that the 9th, 10th, and 14th propositions be referred to the committee on the Legislative Department; that the 11th proposition be referred to the committee on Incorporations; and that the 13th proposition be referred to the committee on Revenue. Which, On motion of Mr. Jenkins, Were laid on the table. Mr. Scates offered the following: Resolved, That in organizing the executive department, the committee on that department inquire into the expediency of modifying so far only as, 1. To take away from that department all power of appointment. 2. To invest the executive with a qualified veto, for constitutional objections only. 3. To modify the power of pardoning. 4. To limit the power of convening the legislature to such causes only as are rendered extraordinary by the public interests. 5. Fix the executive salary at $ per annum. 6. The election of a secretary of state by the electors throughout the state, for a term of years, and at a salary of $ per annum. 7. The election of an auditor of public accounts in like mauner, for years, and at a salary of $ a term of per annum. 8. The election of a state treasurer in like manner for a term of years, and at a salary of $ per annum. 9. The election of a public printer in like manner, whose duties and compensation shall be fixed and regulated by law, and whose term of 10. The election in like manner of an attorney general, whose term of office shall be years, and salary of $ per annum. |