Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1847-01-13
Instrac.ion ". Petition.

Ane CI0ven IO0t OF Ie0erAllsm Was lne
other day pro,ruded to view in the House
Of Representatives, when Mr.. Day, Of
Musca.ine, offered his resolution declar-
ing s'lhat the people have : right 10 re-
quest, instrrd or command tho General As
sembiy,' and that 'the soverrigns should
never assume the tone Of humble supple
cation.'' These arrogant .rihers with the
rights Of freemen could not subscribe TO
the republican doctrine that ''aI political
pocer i inherent in the people," This
principle is . prominent feature in our
State constitution, and the one which called
forth the most bitter opposition q. the Ell
emies Of popular rights. They had not,
however, the boldnsss then 10 ayow this
a. the ground Of their opposition, but hyp-
ocri,ically protested to be the most de-
voted champions Of popular rights. But
when they are called upon, in their legis-
lative capacity, to record th.ir votes for
or against the principle, they would rath-
or snow their hands, than permit ito for
NAL recognition by the General Assembly.
This was the leading feature Of Mr.. Days
resolution: The sovereign power resides
in the people; and therefore they ehould
assume the tone Of request or command,
instead Of supplication, in addressing their
servants. Let u hear no more Of their
hypocritioal respect for the popular will;
for here we have it in black and white,
solemnly recorded on the journals Of the
House, that the wing majority in that bo-
dy declsred-our constitution to the con-
trary observation-disclosures the sovereign
power does not reside in the people, and
that the people have not the right to com
mand, but must still continue to suppli-
cate their law makers. This is ~biggery
unmasked. Wherein does il differ from
sncisns federslisn3 Let the people read
this resolution; Git will be found among
the proceeding, on our FIRST page;) and
let them not forget that it was deliberate
" voted down BY the wings Of the House.
Mr.. Hebard, the bell-we,her from Des-
moines county, first gave the cue to his
wing associates, BY offering the following
Is IN amendment
''That the people be referred 10 the gen.
tleman from Muscatine for the form they
shall adopt in Offering their petitions to the
Legislature"
This amendment was touched somewhat
with the swapping turtle, but shows more
clearly tl;an could have been done in any
other way the deep seated hostility Of tho
iederalists to this republican principle.
For fear that this would not be suf.
fcient for the wing pha!'anx, MIR. Sells Of
Musca,ine, offered the folio wing, which he
thought, perhaps, would not Look quite SO
bad: "That it 10 unbecoming in 'he Leg
isla,ure 10 dictate to the people the TORN
which they shall use, sc. Mr.. Sells coz
stituents will teach him, should he offer
himself again for their suifrages, what Is
becoming and what unbecoming in their
Representatives., according to their views.
They will convince him that it 10 danger
Gus 10 combine the characters Of the polit-
icsl usurper and the fawning sycophant.
The resolution was then, on motion Of
MI. Constock, another wing member,
laid on the table BY a party vote. This
was equivalent to killing it.