Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1844-02-20

= into q district without a violation of ih
: constitution, they admit that ell the othe
:; counties may be disposed of in the sam
I way. 1t was known to the trainers OF tb
t constitution that the population ofthe sew
: eral counties would always be vasiy dis
> proporlionate, and the only object thel
had in view, and the only ieea expressed
, by them, was, that the number of white
males should be regarded inapportioDiBl
the representation, and not The extent o
r the teritOry-ihat mon should be repre-
sented, and not property or lands. II has
been clearly shown by the senator from
Hamilton, Mr.. Disney and has not been
cOntroVerted, that the bill under consid-
GRAFTON carries out this object Of the con-
slitution with an accuracy and precis
ion Unprecedented in apportiODiOg the
representation Of this State. Why all this
oppositipD? 1t must proceed from some
other, perhaps some secret cause. But
the Sesator from Lake has many qualms
OF conscience as to the constitullonAlity of
this bill. Let me test that gentleman
by bis vote on this very question:
hold in my hand bill emanating from
that Senator'S side Of the chamber, offered
last night by the Senator from Carroll,
(Mr. Eckley) as substitute for The bill
under consideration, and, also, the yeas
! and nays on the question of striking out
and substituting. find eight votes re.
corded in the affirmative, and The Senator
from Lake is one Of the numher. Five
wings were excused from voting, and
| three lodged.
The ratio for representative is frac-
ton over four thousand five hundred, and
to carry QUO the spirit of the constitution
we should approximate as nearly as poss
sible to that ratio. 1t is provided by the
bill for which he voted that the county Of
Preble should be entitled TO one repre- &.
sentative with only 1896 white males,
being 729 short Of the ratio. Also, that
the county Of Holmes with only 1857
white males, or about 1000 below the
ratio ,sleud have one representative
Also, that The county of Carroll, with 3G.
09 white males, or more than 900 below
tho ratio,should have one representative,
while it is provided in the same bill that
the county of Montgomery, (which 1t at.
taches to Preble for senatorial district)
with 6629 white males or about 5000 more
than PrebIe contains, shall have one rep
resentatve and one float for two out of
the four years. Ii is also provided, that
the county Of Tuscarawas with 552S
white males, should have but one repre-
sentative Thus giving Holmes as great
representation as Tuscarawas, although |
the latter contains 1901 more white males
than the former. Numerous other ex-
ampIes might be pointed out, but will
desist. Enough has been presented 10
show what force these constitutions
al arguments have on the minds of the
getlemen when they come To vote on a bill
which emanates from their own party.
Not member on the other side dares
TO take up the bill under consideration
and show by figures, that its whole rro>
visions taken together does not give to
each district, and each county,in the State
a fullrepresenlatio lnthe two branches.
Why is this not done? If injustice is
done 10 any portion of the State, these
gentlemen have the ability and the ncli-
nation to show it, Why is it not done!
Their refusal. to make the effort IS proof
positive that the bill is just That where
any county or district loses in one branch
that loss is made up IN the other: and
where county or district gains in one
branch that gain is taken from il in the
other. That is Justice, and it is the only
way you can district the State Justly with
out dividing counties.
The system of 'hoals,' as tits called,
is another cause of loud and long com
plants from these gentlemen. They set
up that objection when the bill first made
its appearance, and they have continued
it ever since What is there so remark
ably about is What is this Floating sys
tem?' Sir, it is this: You form Sen.
atoriaI District, which has not the exact
number OF whle males TO enlllle il to
one Senator and two Representatives, but
more than enough to enlitle Ito one
Senator and one Representative YOU
have two or more such districts. You
are fixing the TepI presentation for four
years, and you give one Of these districts
two Representatives this year, and but
one next-you give to the other one
Representative this year and two next
Thus in the four years taken together,
you will allow each its full share Of rep
resenta,ion, and il is all the way it can
be done without division of coun-
ties. This too, has been pronounced
Unconstitutional. If it is, great many
members of the whig party have viOla-
ted the Constitution, for it has been
shown, from the laws read by The Sena-
Tor from Hamilton, (Mr. Disney,) thai
ever since the number of Senators and
Representatives were fixed at the consii'
lutional limit, there have been floating
members. By the laws of 1924, Of 1873,
OF 1882, Of 1885, and of ls4O, il was