The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1842-09-15

ITO OlutH' Vut Wo pIOSPoCtS VI tH0 ueOlOT hrS
blasted Tor years, perhapS for ever. The dem
Osratic msmbprs Of the Legislature would
have prevented this sacrifice, and provided for
an appraisemenl Of the goods so levied oD, by
dIsinterestsd persons, aud that they should
not be sold for less than two lhirds Of the sp-
ptaisemeni. They did introduce such bIIk
they carried it through both branches Of the
Legislature against The combined opposition
Of the wings. But treason knows neither JUS
tice ror mercy. 1t suffers nothing by laches
or delay The whig members resigned be-.
fore the act cou'd be properly aItested, and
il never became law. The evil mupt then
continue, tho poor debtor continue to groan;
but will not those gSoans sooner or later ripen
curses which. shall fall resjstlessly upon The
heads OF The Iraitorsf .-
Bnt independent Of these immediate conse>
qtlences. what is the nature and effect of this
new doclpine of FdeEalsmi Shall this Aa-
gilious outrage stand as a precedent in the
Legislative history Of our State, so that here.
after, whenever the majority are abou,to pass
acts obnoxious. 10 lhe minority, the latter may
secede aud leave the legislature withoura quo
ruml Should the democracy fail in the COM
ing contest and the people return Wing ma
jority 10 the Legislature, what an example
would the minority have before themp And
should indeed the Democrats find themselves
under the necessity Of following whig pre-
cedenl for once (Which God forbid it would
be out Of the power Of tie majority 10 cons
summate aOy act uDpalatable 10, the minority.
This doctrine of Federalism is horrible 10 q
republican mind in every shape, and in every
view that may be taken Of it. A Republic is
simply recognition Of the power Of the ma.
jority 10 govern 1t is contradstnguished
from an aristocraCy mainly by this feature;-
that in the latter the few govern the many for
the benefit of the few alone; in the former,
the many are the sovereign power, the major
ity rule. The greatest good to the greatest
.nunbsris the motto Of Democracy. But if the
minority have the power to defeat the will Of
the majority, how far removed are we from
an an aristoeracyl But one step! Tha, step
is the assumption Of the power Of The minor
ity % act affirmaliysIy, as hhsy nave III ibis in
stance acted negatively. When the former
is conceded the latter step is soon taken. and
the same efforts would produce tame com
pliance from those who would yield in the
present instance. We cannot but look upon
the movement as reasonable and revolutionary
subversiVe Of oil law and order, and teadiog
directly to auarchyl
Ills is most pfausibly insisted in behalf
the recFeant members that there can be no
harm in the representative resignng his pows
or i0to the hands Of the people, that the dee-
gate may at all times without injury yield up
the powers delegated, TO The constituents frona
whom he received thcm But neither shall
this hypocritcal cry OF the advocates of trea-
son avail them. Give this principle practi>
cal application and We can Judge Of its merits
Shall military Commandan, after having led
the brave men under his charge to tho mouth
OF the enemy's cannon lhen resign aud leave
them to be mown down BY destructive fire,
with no one 10 order OF direct their move
mentsl He may 90 homein safety and proclaim
that he had right 10 tesienat any time But
the act is treason and be shall'be shot as a
traitor and coward. In the event Of war
with come, powerful nation, when ihe sea be-
gins to sparkle with hostile fleets, suppose
the president Of the United States and par-
ly minority Of Congress being opposed to the
war, should by concerted and simultaneous
movemen, resign, leaving no quorum in Con-
gress or any executive head to the nation, dhd
the whole country 10 a defenceless state Of
confusion and aIarmi By what bame should
We designate this act Of the president and The
minority Of Congress3 Treasen Treason!
would be the only name for the acb and death
10 the traitorAP would be the sentence pro-
nounced by an outraged public; and sem
tence they would not fail TO execute summari-
ly whenever they could lay hands upon the
Tecreants. II would be in vain for them when
the cord Of justice begins TO tighten around
their ihroats. 10 protest that i, surely could
do no harm for the representative 10 yield up
his powers 10 his constituents any time" The
penalty Of their offences would be me,ed out 10
them by the public against whom they had sin -.
ned; without the forms Of law, because their
own act had aimed at The destruction Of all
law and order.
This act of the Federal minority 10 destroy
the representative branch Of Government is
revolutionary end insufreetiondry in The high
eet degrees 7ltis the first step toward civil
and intestine war. Were an act like this to
be'perpetrated in any other country than this
where the people are pertinac iously disposed
to good order and sobrely, and TO wal, the
remedy Of time and the ballot box, i, would
have been followed by general armng Of the
citizens, and strife 10 the death would have de.
c:ded This righttO resign! But we ought 10 be
thankful that The people of this country are
moderate in the exercise Of their sovereign