Delegates to Republican National Convention, '60, 1205 Delegates to Democratic National Convention, '60, 1205 Receipts and Expenditures of the State, 1848-90, 1206 Value of Real and Personal Property, Popular Vote of the State by Counties, 1852-90, 1208 Popular Vote of the State since 1824, Commanders during the War of the Rebellion of Illinois Regiments and Batteries, aggregate ILLINOIS, HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL, VOL. II. PERIOD VI.-UNDER THE SECOND CONSTITUTION, 1848-1870. CHAPTER XXXII The Constitutional Convention of 1847, and its WorkElections of 1848—Second Administration of Governor French-Sixteenth General Assembly-Election of Gen. Shields to the U.-S. Senate-Laws-Seventeenth General Assembly-Free-Banking Law-First Homestead - Exemption Law-Illinois - Central Railroad. LLINOIS, although in order of time the third State admitted to revise and amend its organic law. Only six years had elapsed when it was proposed to call a constitutional convention, but the project then, 1824, was voted down in consequence of the slavery issue, as has been already explained. Not only was the first constitution found to be defective in many essential features when considered as an instrument designed for the government of a growing and transitional commonwealth, but it had also come to be regarded with disfavor by the politicians of both parties when viewed from a partisan standpoint. Democrats and whigs were alike anxious for its revision-the former that they might get rid of the obnoxious supreme-court judges; the latter that they might restrict the right of suffrage to citizens and make all county officers elective by the people. After the defeat of the call in 1824, although the advocates of revision did not cease their efforts, they failed to secure the passage of a joint-resolution by the legislature submitting the question to the popular vote until the session of 1840-1, and it was again defeated at the election of 1842 by the narrow majority of 1039. |