Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1812-08-24

the ballots OF all the Quallhed voters IN thc
fate, on one ticket, one of which electors at
leaf, !hould be an inhabitant Of each congrei-
lional difrict, the honorable lehatc alio nom
concurred, and requelted conference with
the houfe on the (" Ezbjed matter Of fad re-
Jofve )" upon which requeit your managers
were accordingly appointed.
In compliance with the fentirnents OF that
branch of the Legislature, your managers repre-
tented they propofcd to the managers On the
part of the honorable ferate. that they fhould
recommend to that honourable body, to recede
from their vote of non concurrence on the
hrf refolve of the houfe of representatives
which provided, for the choice OF twenty-five
electors by the people in diitricts atoreiaid.
They objected to the proPofltion, tor two rea-
ions Firit-that the diitri6fs being re10, tie
people, were unacquainted with them land lee
ond, that the diftriets formed by the lad re
folye, were, in fome inltances, compo1ed o.
towns in different counties, and that the Peo-
ple in the faid iifricts were unacqualnted with
each other. To obviatc this lait objection (;
your managers felt themfelves authorized to
renew the propoiition for the amendment Of
the reloIve in that particular, which had been
made, in anfwer to that objection, N the debate
on he paHage Of the rcfolutien, in the houle OF
REPRESENTATIVES but, were unable to make any
agreement with the managers of the honorable
lenSte on the BATS of that reiOlve
1t was then propofed TO US, that we ihould
recommend to the houle, 60 recede from their
vote of non concurrence, on the tirit reloive
OF the honorable fenate, providing for the
choice Of tqDsnty electors, by the people in the
congregational dih cts, and for the choice Of
tlD0 esSf0rs b. the peebk on general ticket as a
tovsjGia, To which proportion we could not
accede for the following reafons =
Firf-that all the objections, urged by the
| managers on the part of The honorable fenate,
10 the dihriGs formed by the hrit reiolve of
the houfc of representatives, applied with much
more force to the congregational difriGs, the
lines of which are more irregular. In iomc
inifances, they cut up counties into the mott
fanciful ihapes and figures; in others, they
take towns from one county and add them 70
another and then adding towns from differ
ent county, to complete necehary aggregate OF
theinhabitants, in the moh unnecefiary manner
In another initance, they form towns into one
diltriet, in the rear part of the county of Cum
berland, and on the Canadian frontier, of the
counies of Oxford and Somerfet, thereby
forming diftria of one hundred and eighty
miles in length, the inhabitants of which, were
never before connected together for any pub
lie purpofe neither have they any natural
mean of connection, by roads on rivers; and
therefore, mott probably have but little kaowl-
edge of each other, or of the perions of the
mott fuitable character and qualifications IN
IL. n. ~ fbexr Y1r4tf
pole in iome one Of them.
Second that thefe congregational diitri6fs,
were ALTO ne1u Diltri6ts, with which the people
were unacquainted they never having as yet
exercifed the privilege Of congregational cleo
ton in them, as required by the late law OF d
vilol.
Third that the faid refolve, provided for
the choice Of t1venty electors, BY one nr0de, ana
far the cb0ce ef t7Vo By 0n3tber, and that Il was
proper that ali the electors thould be Choien
in the fame mode, 70 that all the people fhould
have equal privileges Thefe, aud other rea-
fons. having no influence on the minds OF the
managers of the honorable fenate, we could not
agree with them on the BATS Of that rotolvc.
The managers of the honorable ienate then
propofed, thar we fhould recommend TO the
houfe to recede from their vote OF non concur
renee on the fecond refolve Of the ienate, provi-
ding for the choice of twenty electors, one BY
the people in each congregational diltrl6t, and
for the choice of two by the joint ballot OF the
two houfes Of the Legislature in convention.
TO this propofal, we could not accede' tor the
reafons itarcd as objections to the lait ProPot
ton, believing that thofe diltritfs were 70 tor
med, thar the fenfe of the people would not
be fairly expreHed, if they were confined TO
vote by thofe diltricts, and having alto aicer-
tanned, that the proportion Of the population IN
fome Of thofe diitritts was not 10 near the true
ratio as in thole formed by the hrlt reioive OF
| the hnnfe af representatives.