Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-12-27
WHOLE. NUMBER 1876,
Chic legislature

s w IN the House on Saturday, Dec. 9th
'Mr. Breslin, from the committee appointed, /.
On previous day mads the following report:
REPORT OF COMMITTEE. .s5e
The Committee appointed for the purpose Of
lnqa1rlng into the circumstances, which
have prevented a full aud complete or-l
ganization of the House Of Representa-
tlves, by the presence and qualification Of
a Constitutional quorum OF tie members,
and also, to inquire into the causes sof the Z
various distur Dances which have been of.
ferred to this lody, have discharged the
duty assigned to them, aid ask ieayes Is \
report.
lsas sfsst,lsiisx ssisa thrsaessst;tot;or
| OF the otate, quorum OF members eiecf, or
the House Of Representatives, assembled at
the State House at about 9 o'clock A. M.
on the first Monday of Decem ber, and were
called to order in the usual form, by one Of
their own members, another of them acting
as Clerk pro tem Upon call Of the roll.
thirty-seven members presented the regular
and usual certificates of election, and were
duly sworn into the justdsoharge of their
duties, as members of the House of Repre-
sentatives- several persons accupying seats,
understood to be members, not answering to
their call. After an interval, the roll of ul.-
represented counties was called, and being
several times repeated, five other members
appeared, and in like manner presented the
regular and usual certificates of their cleo
tion, and were legally sworn into the dis
charge Of theil duties, and thus forty-two
members of the House were regularly re-
cognized and prepared to prosecute the du- !.
ties assigned to themby the constitution ard
laws Ct the State.
After the first thirty seven members, as
aforesaid, had presented their Gel eltifcates,
and had regularly organized themselves,
great number of persons obtruded them
selves into this hall, and filled up the aisles
and every vacant space within the body Of
this House. Amid the confusion thus un-
avoidably produced, a body of men assem-
bled in one corner Of the hall, and there, in
defiance of the rights and privileges of this
body, and with great noise, attempted the
forms of separate organization, to the dis
turbance and annoyance Of this House,
Every effort in the ordinary form was made
to repress this disorder. The Chairman of
this body, though occupying the Speakers
chair, and possessing for. this purpose all
the authority of that station, was entirely
unheeded, and by. the persons concerned in
this attempt at separate organization, treat
ed with dsrespect in every effort on his
part, either to promote the proper organiza-
ton of the House of Representatives, or to
maintain the rights and privileges of a
large majority of its members.
The constitution and laws declare that
seventy-two members shall constitute the
House, and two thirds of its members shall
be necessary to form quorum for the trans
action of business The forfy-two mem-
bers composing this body, though in point
Of numbers a majority of the House, are
therefore not a quorum, and lack six Of the
number necessary to clothe the House with
all the power and authority necessary for
that branch of the Legislature. Nor can
this body be organized and become so cloth
ed until the number of members required by
the constitution shall have regularly taken
their seats and become qualified as members
of this body. 4
Your committee, have, however, TO re-
port that every effort has been made to in
duce the absentees to take seats. The roll
has repeatedly been called, and the Chair
has again and again invited every person
the regular certificate of election
to come forward and after being properly
qualified, by the oath of Office, to take his
seat as member of this body. The pre-
tended organization before alluded to, though
of but few men, and confessed
to number but thirty-one or two at most, as
your committee understand, and minori-
ty of the persons entitled to seats in the
Legislature of Ohio, have persisted. in most
offensive manner, to claim that this body
should submit to their demands. By at.
tempting to set up the form of separate
they required this body to dis
solve its own organization, and that your
forty-two members should submit themselves
to the will and orders of that irregular and
unlawful assemblage of a minority. ,-..
Conscious, however, of the character of ?
their proceedings, these men subsequently
undertook to make various informal propo-
sitiops to this House, and to dictate the terms
upon which such of them as might be enti-
tied to seats in this body, would undertake
their duty, thus recognizing by these and
numerous other acts, your present organiza-
ton. But this body standing upon, and
defended by the constitution and laws, and
sustained by the usage of the country, was
too deeply impressed with the importance
of our high duties to derogate from the
rights and privileges which the constitution
of our country have conferred upon the Rep
resentatives of free people. Whatever In
dividuals, they are fully alive to the fact
that it is of the last importance that the :
high and responsible charaster of Represent
atives of the people of this State should not
be sacrificed by any unworthy act of theirs.
The rights and privileges of the people
must be sustained, and in this aspect this
body has kindly but firmly vindicated the
rights and dignity of the peoples represen-
tatives. .s.,s
One pretext offered for the refractory
conduct of the recusant members, is, that
the Clerk of the last session was not allow
ed to oficiate in the organization of this
House. The authority Of the Clerk of the
last session terminated with the adjourn
ment of that body, and he can have no more
authority in this House than any other
person not belonging to it. There Is no
law or parliamentary rule IN our otate