Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1816-11-26
ANALYSIS
Of the Report Of the Committee Of the Con7en
ton on the Subject Of Separation.
coNcLupKp FROM FIRST PAGE

fhoM fAGk.
The only circumstance OF the report, which re-
mains to be considered, is whether majority oil
majori,ies can be considered as coming within the
meaning Of the act which was undelsl stood TO signify
majority Of the whole people in certain ratio
In the FIRST place, il is Uncomfortable how it could
ever have entered into any ones Imagination Ia
suppose, that the legislature should have adopted
slcI an Intricate and complicated ratio, as never
occurred 10 any human being even in dream, I'm.
al 1t become expedient avoid the plain mean
ing the act. 1t is evidentthat the words "mrjor-
- Vi five to foar" in any other sense than lhe OBJ
rious aud natural one, have no signifcation at all
| 10 make II mean the thing, that is now attempted
the act should have read instead of majority oil
i've TO four Of the votes returned" majority OF
fire TO four Of the majorties of the votes returned
reckoned according TO the respective towns In tina,
WY the ratio would have been sufficiently plain
though even in that way the iniquity and inequality
OF The principle would not have been avoidcd.-Nor
even IN that way could all doubt-tlat state of mind
at once so painful aud 70 phiosophcal--have been
entirely removed. For what. let il beasked, is d
niaioriy vi majorties? Numerically il is this. II
there are in the District Of Maiae two hundred and
twenty towns, which act upon the question, and
the votes In no town were equally divided, the
number OF maor;ties would be as the number OF
towns aud the majority efmajoriiies would be the
excess OF The number o. najor.ies on one side ovor
one bali OF the whole number Of majorties Tor
upon the proportion adopted in the act, the number
Of majorties for must be 20 those against as FIVE TO
four, OF the whole two h4ndred and twenty najo-
rites In this compound and multiiarous expires
sion however, 1t is to be noticed, that the commit
tee use the word majority in two senses, 10 sg-
niiy minority simply, aud the other to signify the
nambers,of which that majority is composed ;--and
is such mode Of expression perfectly free from
doubt II appears also that they have used the
word maJofties" 20 signify piaraitties, AS is man
hest from their Official columns, connected with the
returns, in which they make the majority in Port
land. for instance, 274 whereas there was only that
ptardtay and tie majority was but 1877. The
caiehlation Is also liable To this consequence. A
nSJority OF The maiorites, in the proper sense Of
the words, might be one way when the majority Of
The votes was the other. ny the mode adopted by
the committee aplurality Of one single vote may
determine the question. For suppose all the towns
equal! divided but nine, five of which should give
majority OF one vote each on one side, and four
give Tue same upon the other all the towns in
the district to be balanced except two or that there
we're but two towns in the whole district--oue of
them giving majority OF 1--we votes and the other
OF 'our In either case il is the majority of five 10
oar :" ''e niaJorities. This consequence is SO OBJ
rious, that il has never been disputed. Yet the
aee MAS altered from ITS original form to prevent
decision CT the question by mere majority.
Ihe question OF the separation and Indepepaence
OF Mane was referred TO the inhabitants of the dis
t1e' possessing The proper qualifications TO vote for
sshators ana therefore every individual of that
character was entitled to have voice in the oues-
ton. and his vote reckoned in the decision. II is
true, they were directed 10 vote in town meeting IN
DC held IN their respective towns, districts and
piahtst'ons nor was il possible for them TO give
'heir sunrages in any other manner. The uniform
ana established mode Of conducting all public cleo
uohs. and OF taking the sense of the people an no.
iiacas questions in this Commonwealth. hath ever
peen, by legal town meeting. To be sure the thin.
might be managed like military reviews. caucu,es
OF camp meetings by collecting the people from,
=" quarters INTO one spot or perhaps they might
meet round stump for that purpose, or assemble a,
,he court house in every county that has Que as is
done IA some OF the sou thern states But tbr inva
riaoe practice in Massachusetts, from the earliest
period OF ITS antiquity has been as stated and anv
other inede would probably be considered as expen
sise, vcxatious and oppressive. Therefore the usu
al hioue was adopted in this instance. But no
conclusion Is to be drawn from this circumstance.
any further than the legislature has expressly in
Tended. e very evident, that the arrangement
haa no particular reference to municipal principles
as lhe duaincai'ons required by this very Law To-
vote upon The question, are not those which are re-
qo'fed TO vote upon town affairs, hut 10 svote fr
SENATORS Wuh as auch or more prorriet,
therefore might they east the maiorties OF es,ntits