Last year, as everybody knows, the corrupt State Legislature enacted a new police law for the city of Chicago, and had the effrontery to utterly disregard the rights of the people, by depriving it of the authority to elect the members of the police board for two, four, and six years, respectively. The secret intention of taking this unheard of despotic measure was to install the Courthouse clique in the well-paying political offices next fall-with the help of the police board. To gain this objective the State Legislature conferred upon the Governor the rights which it stole from the people. He proceeded to appoint to these positions only those persons ready to go through fire and water for the Courthouse clique. Nevertheless the people cleaned house at the Courthouse in the election last fall, and thus the primary object of the Legislature's infamous violation of the democratic principle of self-government was not attained.

The Constitutional Convention has resolved that the people of Chicago are to indicate at the next municipal election (April 2) whether or not they consider themselves able to elect their city officials, and whether they still need the guardianship of Mr. Yates and his lieutenant, Franz A. Hoffmann.

If the people declare themselves of age, then the police bill which was forced upon the people by the corrupt Legislature will be null and void. Then it will be the duty of the next Legislature to pass a new police law to be submitted to the sovereign voters of the city of Chicago for acceptance or rejection. That procedure is meet, right, and salutary.

There can be no doubt that the people of Chicago will loudly proclaim that they are of age, and that the Germans in this city will be united on the question just as surely as election day will dawn. The social freedom of the Germans was threatened when the members of the police board were shoved down the throats of the citizenry, and they will see to it that the 3police commissioners, one and all, from uncle to nephew, will be forced to relinquish their positions. For the people did not and never would have placed these ignorant leeches in such responsible offices.

John Wentworth is the sponsor of the action taken by the Constitutional Convention, and he had the wholehearted support of Mr. Muehlke.