The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1848-02-25
TO THE I,MoPEE OF QUO.

lWtEtt tHf phuitOt St'hHt ai'I s4 ~ eVs "
agn people - tIeAduty, lie public sei
want on one side TO render an account
his stewardship, and The right u lhe pes
pie onvtle other to demand II, and agai,
the right ~ the represen,aliye % addres
the people, and tire duty of;all lhoneslme
10 give him a fair hearing.
Inpursuancc of this reciprocal rigl,
and duty, tho unaefaigned now addres
themselves 70 tleir great constituency
the people Of Ohio. We desire 70 plao
before you briefly, calmly and truly, TN
facts winch have produced the state Of af
fairs now existing at the seat Of your gov
ernment, and to place before yon, with
out reservation, the reasons for the firm
and fixed determination we have tskenlr
this crisis Of our democratic Institutions.
When we arrived here at the seat o
Government, we were met with the fol
loving declarationin the Governors Mes
sage:
'One Of the most important duties ne
cessarily devolying npon the present ses
sion OF the General Assembly is The quad
rennial superintendent Of the State, anc
IS no right 10 dearerlo freeman thar
that Of equal presentation, l.rest assur.
ed that you Will meet this fund amenta
trnsi with all that spiri, Of delbcra,ion
candor and fairness toward all parties and
every district Of the State, which its deli
cacy and proper performance demand
Similar professions had been made 10
almost all tie public newspapers advoca>
ting the same policy as the party 10 the
mojority in the General Assembly.
Little, TO be sure, is the confidence
WHICH experience has justified the people
to place in wlig professions. The history
of the last eight years is but repetition
CT fair professions and broken promises,
aud soon il will becomea proverb applca.
BILE to the whlg party, that the fairer the
promise, the foulertLe deed.
But small as our confidence was in the
promises Of an honest apportionment, still
we were not willing to condemn before
hand. We waited patiently for the forth.
coming apportionment bill. After moie
than months delay, ii was introduced IN
the Senate. During its progress in Cum.
mittee of the Whole, we endeayored TO
amend 1t, but every amendment wasvoted
down, by strict party votes. A few days
subsequent to il, after the bill Lad been
reported from the Committee of the
Whole, a few of the very amendments
winch we had proposed, were moved on
the part Of the majority and adopted.
This was no doubt intended TO show Us !,
that we might expect something from the
grace OF the majority whom they pleased
10 conferit, but nothing from their JUS
tice. We then in the Senate again made
every effort TO purge the bill OF its gross
est Inconsistencies and monstroslties, but
in vain. Not one amendment offered b,
the minority, no matter how fair, was
adopted. Nor did we fail TO endeayor 10
get ou, of the bill, that provision oft, BY |
which Hamilton county is divided into
two representative and MO Senatorial
Districts. .z#
We pointed TO the Constitution, and the
hrst apportionment contained iu il for
Senatorial and Representative purposes,
as the cunsiruotion of the instrument con
tanned within the instrument irself. ana
showed that the trainers Of the Gousti,u
tion intended counties entire aud undlyi
ded as the constitutional Legislative dis.
tricts.
We were then told that the trainers ofI
the constitution only omitted to divide
counties, because they had not the Deces. |
sary statistics before them. This position
we again proved untenable, because the
very first General Assembly, composed as
At whs, Of fmans Of the trainers of the Con.
sutution, took no steps whatever TO gel
any Information inregard TO any such Oh
ject. In the law providing for an enumer.
alton ofthe people Of Ohio, in accordance
with the Constitution, they asked for he
return By counties. eThat was all the,
wanted; tor ampng the couailes, ard uot
among The tosenshlps or cities ofthe State
Representatives, and Senators were TO be
apportioned, And this we showed TO be
the practice in every enumeration since
taken, and every apporiienment based
upon the returns thereof By counties.
Butto tortify ourselves still more, we
presented TO the majority the opinions OF
some Of the irst men OF their party, Of
Cowen, Mason, and Phelps, mea.of the
highest legal requirements, and who had
an various ways been intimately connect
ed with the history OF our State and The
operations of our government. These
opinions were expressed in the Morgan
county contested election case, and were
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