Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1812-02-17

formerly each has cho!en ?, and
would now, according ,othe pridci
PIE adopted ~ the committee.
Ten Senators have been allowed
10 The DiGria Of Maine, paying q
foco dolls. but 234 dolls. O. cts
! BY the true ratio. the DiItria oil
Maine could be allowed but 9.
Why are Cumberland and Oxford
united in ore dilfri6t i? The demo-
cratic majority of Oxford was want
ing to lecure Cumberland.
BerkIhire is rated at 4I dolls. 81
cts. and is allowed two Senators.
Franklin Is rated at 81 dolls. u cts.
and has but one. Hampfhire is ra-
ted at 81 dolls. 81 cts. and has two
Senators. Hampihire and Franklin
uniIed are rated at @ dolls. 70 cts.
being 3 dolls. Is cts. more than dou-
bic the rate of Berkihire. IF the
committee, who reported the bill,
or the majority in the Legislature,
which has adopted it, had been in
fluenced by any considerations of
fairnefs, iuitice, or constitutional in
functions, they would have united
Hampinirc and Franklin, and given
TO the diitrid 70 formed four Sena-
tors. Or if tbs did not iuit them,
they might have united Berkihire
and Franklin. Ihefe two counties
are rated at 70 dolls 10 cts. being
only I doll. 80 cts fhort of the full
number for three Senators. II diff
tri6t had been 70 formed, Franklin
would not have had large furplus
unreprefcoted and Berkihire would
not have been allowed degree of
weight entirely beyond its due pro-
portion. But this would not anfwer
the purpofe of cur fa6tious leaders.
The federal majority of Franklin
would have overpowercd the demo
cratic majority of Berkfhire.
In the courfe of debate on this bill
in the Senate. MIR. Sprague (of Ply
mouth,) who feemed to conhdcr the
defence of the meafures as his pecu-
liar buGnefs, itated, that the commit
tee, in apportioning the Senators,
bad acted upon this principle, to
give to every diitriet one Senator for
every IS dolls. of tax in 1860 dolls.
and if the furplus, exceeded half this
amount, II 50, to give an addition
al Senator for fach fraction.
Upon this being itated, Mr.. Sar-
gent enquired, why fix Senators had
not been allotted to the county of
Suffolk, as fraction of g dolls. 10
Cts remained, after allowing for FIVE
Senators. The aniwer was, that the
county OF Suffolk did not con(itute
diitri6t, and, the town Of Chelfea
being taken from Bottom, the frac-
ton was but II dolls. cts. Mr..
Sargent replied. that he could now
perceive the rea(on of fepafating
Cheliea from Bottom. This is one
of the mott odious features in the act.
The committee in the 6rft place a.
dept principle, which they perceive
will be favourable 10 the fmall demo-
cratic counties, and then finding
that this principle will give an addi.
tional Senator TO one federal coun-
~, they determine to difmember this
county, and to annex the town Of
Chellea 10 a diItri6 in Efex, which
was rated at one dollar more than
the amornt requiiitc to choofc the
number Of Senators allotted to it,
without the addition Of Chelfea.
. BY this apportionne nt, the county
of Efiex has five fenarors. If the
people Of this county were to be fuf-
feIed TO elect their fenators as they
has heretofore done, thefe Ave fen
a'ors would be federal but an ex-
pedient has been devifed 20 obtain
three democratic fenators from one
OF the mott decidedly federal ccun-
,ies in The fate. The county has
been divided into two diifrias, one
TO tend three fenators, expected to
be democratic he other to fend
two, beyond doubt federal. TO
conltitute the hrit diltri6t, The ingen-
ious contrivers of this fcheme have
drawn line from Salisbury to Mar
blehsad, and have included in this
!! dhtnet, the towns of Salem, Dan