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The Duty To-morrow.
To-morrow a duty devolves upon the voters of our state, in the exercise of the elective privilege, which rises far above the duty to be performed in ordinary elections. To the voters of Springfield we now especially appeal. You vote for or against the adoption of a law which is to be the basis of all state law. By it, if adopted, your state government is to be controlled for years to come. It has been laid before you, and, we trust, has been thoroughly considered, in all its bearings. We have, in every issue since its adoption by the convention, descanted, more or less, upon its several provisions, and given, as we conceived, fair exposition of its adaptation to the wants of our people to-day, and for the future. Its enemies have failed to show, in any particular, that it is not superior to the present constitution; and have most signally failed in demonstrating any one of their many allegations that it abounds with deformities.
Its leading excellence is that, throughout, it looks to the protection of the interests of the masses against the encroachments of the designing few. By voting the ballot which we give at our head, you vote for a new constitution which will secure your own individual rights, which sharpers, bankers and monopolists would usurp;
Which will relieve the people of one-half of their present load of taxation, by the abrogation of the "two-mill tax;"
Which will banish corrupt special legislation from your general assembly;
Which will drive rotten banks and their lying promises from your state;
Which will economise your state expenses more than one-half;
Which will hold railroad and other corporate companies to the same accountability that it does individuals;
Which secures to the state its large annual revenue from the Central Railroad's receipts;
Which will provide a self-paying, cheaper and more efficient judiciary;
Which so restricts the rules of legislation as to prevent fraud and corruption;
Which forbids the financial officers of state from drawing money from the treasury without authority of law — as they are now doing;
Which cuts off public defaulters from holding public office;
Which secures you fair and just representation in congress and in the legislature;
Which shortens the term of the state officers, rendering them more frequently accountable to their masters, the people;
Which re-models the grand jury system, so as to give it jurisdiction only in cases of crimes punishable with death or penitentiary imprisonment; thus abolishing a star-chamber institution, which has existed only to be abused;
Which secures to mechanics and laborers proper lien for the security of their hard-earned wages;
Which secures to married women their own property against the debts of worthless husbands;
Which requires the enactment of proper and efficient homestead laws;
Which forbids the immigration of negroes to the state;
Which denies negroes the right to vote; Which denies negroes the right to hold office;
Which generally ignores and repudiates negro equality.
Voters, would you secure these and many other governmental reforms, labor assiduously to get out every vote for the new constitution.
Democrats, upon you especially devolves this duty. Every man do his part; and especially every man be at the polls to-morrow, and vote "The People's Ballot," as given at the head of our paper to-day.
The abolitionists, bankers, monopolists, lobbyists, the Central Railroad, and the tax-eating cormorants are hard at work against you, but be at the polls and foil their efforts, and let us have a People's Constitution, instead of one for the especial protection of the privileged, wealthy few.