Municipal Aid Railroads

Though t!:e Legislature of llie State is to cotivenc in cxtraord nary eepsion on Wedneaday nest, July 27tb, to contrive uome way to mnke black whito, that is to get iround the decisión of tlio Suprema Court agiinst municipal aid to rsilroads by tlio protrcas of constitutional amcndment, very little discussion is being had in tlie journala of the State. Tbe deeieion of tlio Court seemg to bo nccepted as not only correct but tinely, and the ppcculatovs in railrdad bonds aro not 60 confidcnt of reversing it by on nppeal to tlie people. Time hap not only strengthenod tlio opinión thut the decisión WM the true expoaitioD of' the orgauic law of the State, but has also endorsed tlio vrisdon of tliose who maintain tbat the Qrgank law íhould not be so amended as to givo the majnrlty of the electora of any town or ci'y - be that ranjority ei tb ei lar ge or small - tlie power to impnee taxes upon the miuority, uot for legitímate public or locül goveromental purpoeca, but for the direct benefit of rail road or other corporations or individu a!s. Wt', thercforp, fiud the fricnds an advocatiia of municipal aid to railro-ids more mnderata in their propositiors and less boistoroua in their denuncia tinns. Fnr instanee, the Detroit Tri luns, laeking confidcnce in ooriog tbe irre?ulurities or illegalities of the pasi and prfvi(üng for tho future in n .single aiiH'iidiT.eiit, proposes ttirce amendir.cnts tho followiog being the substince : For legallzlng mnnlcipal aid bonds li tlie hands of innocent pvirchasers. Por Icgallzlng municipal bonds tfucc and in the bands ol the Btatc Treasurer. For ftuthorlzlng i'ntuiv mnnlcipal ald nol toexceed two-and a-half per cent. on tbe as sessed valuatlon, to promote the constrnc tiou of rallroads. If tbe íirst proposition ehall be so draws as to provide for tbe redc:nption of such bonds only as have been deliver ud to " innocent purchassrs," the consid eralton iherefor hating already heen re ceivd by the mum'eipalüies, we tbink the people inay ratify it. Those who op pose on principio the municipal aid pys tem will not strenuou?ly object to towns and cities paying theii1 debts, even thouah thoy had no legal rigbt to contract them. On tbe sscond proposition thero is more doubt and inore división of sentiment. It Eeemü to include - and r.o doubt is Ro intendcd - bouds to the cxtent of scveral millions of dollars issucd in aid of railroad schemea having yet only a paper exister.ee, and tho only labor yet dono on whicb is to work up the aid and get the bonds issucd and deposited with the State Treasurer, - if wo inay, perhaps, exeept now and then a preliminary and very imperfeot eurvcy. We may be peruiitted to suggust that a proposition so broad and general will be opposcd by all the opponenta of municipal aid, and can not succued. It should be bo narrowed aa to provide only for roads and towna on which and through which the actual loorlï of luilding is weü niyh done, and tho offercd bouds bo noarly eurned that tbeir loss wonld be an actual and not a prospective loss to those who havo relied on receiving them or the amount guaranteed by them in paynieut for labor, The friends of euch roiids ehould see that thoy are not made the tai] to a kit", and uaed tofly the projected roads on wliich no work has yet been done. They can carry not a single Btraw ol extra weight. The third proposición ia eoneiderabh,' of a Iet down from the 10 per cent. aid provided for by the present so-called law. ]ut we move aa an amendment the following provisión from the ncw constitution of Illinois : 'S No county, city, town, township, or other municipality, sliall ever becoine a subscribí t to tbe capital stock of any railroad ov private Corporation, or make donation to, or loan ils credit in airt ot and sucli Corporation." The artiele embedying this clausc met with strenuous opposition in the convention, and was Bubmitted separately. It was adopted by a majority of 98,126, the largest vote in its favor comingjfrom countieB tho members of which opposcd it and favored municipal oíd. There is no doubt that public opinión against the seherue oí municipal aid, by tax or loan, as strong in Michigan as in Illinois. It ia as unjust here as thcre. Il is as destructivo of individual rights, and is doomed to as overwhclming deleat. ]oth the State and national governments find too many ille'itiniato ways of spendÏDg tho money wrung from the people by taxation, and ,he eyes of tho people aro opon. "We, therefore, conclude by warning .he Legislatura tbat individuáis havo righta, inalienable rights, rights not ceded to the government, and whicli majorities can not take from them. We .!. waru tliose who wish to ba pmnit ted t [my f.ir vu-k dono tliat thoy ciu not be too careful in tlicir legisjriqp. Tuk Courier of last wek entirely - oores ilio exixtence of the leveral lonal Congressioiial candidato - Merr. Ciiiid, üoicnioK, el al - and deólaret f.ir Blaik. It üTon goes bo fr a to eay : " We kuow of 110 opposition to his noiniiintion ■ in this county, and we presuma the district wül be unanimous in tlieir action in tbe matter," a declaratiun it couM hardly muko f not a koow nothing. 1 1 also announcos, " by aulliority," thnt Mr MoMaWON is not a candi (hito fat tho nomination, and uodcr no circiimftniices could acoe)tonp, and tliat Judgo Ijawiïkxck is imíligiblfl, and, therefore, " only a candidate in the fertile imagiuation of oisr ncighbcr." ín naininir MoêM-s. Lawbsncb ond MoMaHON as talken ol in connection wiih a Congressional noiniiüition we drcw on our kuowlcdge and not on our " imagrnatioo," atui the Ciiurier's iguoranco of' Iheir ñames being useiJ ií only eqaled by its ignorance of poüticul movements genei1 ally. A3 to t'ia ineliiblity of Judgo Lam-kkntk, it is well knowa tliat the clinso of tbe constitución cited does noi mRke liim ineligible to a scat in Congress. Both the Senate and House have decided tliat State constitutiota can not fis and determine the qualifications of their momberd, Our ueigbbor should pos', up. Uut, perhaps " whorc igncranee is bliss 'tis folly to be wise." In tliis number of the Aiuius will be found tlie cali for a Democratie Scnte Convention, to be held at Detroit, on Wednesday, August Sist. It secras tint tho State Committee, after lookiDg over the field, has determined to put our candidates in tlie ilsld and onr platform before the people in advance of the Republicana. This departiré f rom 11 e ílmoJt universal custom of allowing the rmjority party to first nominato may be goad policy, but we confees to serious doubts. Uowever, as the cali lias been made, we may oxpress a hope thntjevcry county in the State will be lullj reproFenteJ, and that the campaign will bc iuaugurated with sucb spirit and vigor as to. inspire the Democratie masFes with courage. With a good ticket and a platform for to day - ignoiing dead issues and burying all animosities - we sliall be in positioD to deservo succcbs if not to win i'. - The County Convention will probanbly be called in our next issue. The ncw French Minister at Washington, M. Paetost Paradol - who was rccoivcd by the President only last Siiturday - committed suicido Wednesday aftornoon, shooting liim-clf with a pistol. The dfrpatóh announcing the Bimesays: ''It i.s prcsumed that ho was biboritig under a tcmporary fit of iii.-anity cansed by fatigue and the intense heat." Mr. Paiiado!, was but 41 years old, was fcnown lo the world onljr as a distinguislied scholar and momber of the Fronch Aeademy, and had never bcfore held any public position. Ho was a disciple of Gcizot and Tiimns and an "pponent of the Empire. His appointment to Washington was considered a.conoession to the Libarais. Tui: Boston Travely is not a Deruocratio Journal, and to it attaché? no taint of disloyalty. In faet, tho Travtler is a Kiidical jnurnnl, and wLcn it speaks of a Radical Congress may bo expected to utter the words oftrutli andsoberness. And bere s wbat it says : "Congress adjourned yesterrlnj', nffer a sossion o! almost sevea and a half months, dnring whlch s mnch Incapacity, Imbeclllty, Ignorance and Impudenoe was dlsp in iis (loin.us aml mlsdoiogs aod nodoiogs aa cxrv cante from i Icglslative body, whlch is saying all that can be sald 11 regard to üs Impudence, its Igaorance, lts Imbecillty and its Incapacity." Gen McCi'EM.AN lias been appointed Enginecr of tho Department of Dry Docks of Now York City, and lias aocepted tho position. The World says tiiat tbe nppointment "has, in ft meapure, silenced the olamorsof tho disaffected, as well as those of politieal opponents," and tliat, " it is recaived on all sidcs as a guarnnteo that the Department of Docks intend to be thorougli in their work and givo the city, what it has long needed, ddeks that will be nn honor instcad of a dingracc." Tim X. Y. Evening Post says of the Funding bill pisscd at the heel of the sossion : " lts principal effect as a " whole will be to coufirra the general 11 conviction that neithcr Congrcss nor " the Trasury is competent to deal wit Ii " the ques tion beforc thom." Could the veriest copperhead pheet utter a more disrespeotful and dislnyal Fentiment? A IIouso that sentences Pat W'oods to meditfito in jail for tliree moiiths, just for kicking a carpot-bagging and drunken member down in Bichtnood, ought to deul with tbat writer. Wb don't pee the House bill making It a penal offocsc, with fine and iniprisonment, for any mcmbcr of a State Legislature to propone to rcpeal resolntions ratifying oonstitutional amendrncnts, in tbo list of laws enactcd by Congresg. The Senate probably lackcd time, for it would scavccly scruple at any radical mcasure pasRcd by ttie Houso. The Prassian govetoment, in announcng tbat "mercliantmcD, even of tlie encmy, will not bo iiierferod nitb on tbc ligh seas unlefs for causen wbioli would erpose a neutral to seizure," bas struck a beavy blow for the sympatbics of tho commercial Tvorjd. A London dispatcb of tbc 20th says. 'Germany mnkcR tbc cïotbroning of ;()nai'akte ita Dltimatum." inotber dispatcb of the samo dato says : "Kumors f alliaooea are stil] rnmors only. ïhus 'ar no autlientic information of any power baving taken eidea witb eithcr comjataut bas been made public." In anotlier column will be fomid an nble article frnm a leiding New York jour nal, expounding Lts Ibeory of tbo pending war belweoii Franco nd Pruesi. Aa an evidsm'e tlifit New York Journal :;-t- are not infallible, we quote a Berün cabio di-patch of the ÍÍOth : '' Jt in sflid :' bcro t li ti t tbo fuüure of tbc Empresa " Eugenie to marry bernieoe, the Duoh" e?a of Alba, to riïnce Ieopold is tbe "real cause of the present trouble be"twecn France andPrus-ia." Tliere, if any of our readeri havu a better tbeory of the cause of tbe war tlipy can bave the floor and procced to state it. The National Dcmocratio Executue Committee gives uotioa tbat it desires the naino and post-offieo addross of eaeh cbairman of a Democratie Stato a:id County Cotumittee, throughout the Union ; rIho tho naina of all# Democratie and Conservativo cíindidates for Congreps. The address should be sent to Hoi. Samukl J. RanDALL, Washington, D. 0. Tim daily journals are filled with s;attering and contradiotory disp.it ches from the France and l'rusfian war. But ag yet no b!oodhed in reportod. A Cologne dispatcb of the 20th says tbat tho French troops passod the frontior ncir .aarbnicken tbe evening beforo, and seizad tho Custora House. If this bo .go a colusión may bo anuounceu at any moment.