Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-03-08

would be democratic; but if they refused
the amendment, as they did, and LETT the
two districts with disparity of 1893 votes,
the Lucas and Henry districts would be
Whig.
Again: Pickaway and Ross with lO248
voter. has one Senator and two Representa-
,iyes to be elected in common, while Bel
mont and Monroe, with l0, ,924 votes, has
ono Senator and three Representatives;
Monroe electiag one Representative and
Belmont two separately. What political
reason induced them to annex Pickaway
and Ross, and to separate Belmont and
Monroe? If Pickaway was separated from
Ross she might elect Democrat; there
fore she must be annexed. If Belmont was
annexed to Monroe, she would elect dem.
eegats; therefore, she must be separated.
Again. We demonstrated by facts and
figures that under this bill, tie wings might
be in minority Of nineteen Thousand in
the State. and yet have both branches Of
the Legislature And as under this bill
they would have the majority at the end Of
four years, and thus have the distrc,ing a.
gain, tSe minority of the people Of Ohio
could continually govern and make laws
for the majority, thus giving death blow
to one ofthe fundamental principles upon
which our government is founded: the prin-
cipls that the majority shall govern.
We also demonstrated by the election re-
turns ofthe last fall, that the democracy
had popular majority of 1883 votes in
she State; and consequently, if popular
reasons were to be regarded, they were en-
titled 10 at least an equal representation in
each branch of the Legislature.
Notwithstanding all this, the bill was so
framed as to give the wings eighteen ma
:iority in the House, and six in the Senate.
We also illustrated by figures. that mas
much as 1t required 9776 votes for one
Senator, they should, in order to entltie
them to six majority in the Senate, upon
every principle Of political honesty, have
majority of 1856 votes in the State; and
rs it required 1855 votes to each Represen'
tatiye. they should, in order TO entitle them
10 eighteen majority in the House, have
mai'rity Of 1885 upon the popular vote
In the State.
The democratic members Of the joint Sc
1ect committee on the subject of the quad
reaniaI apportionment Of the State, in or.
der TO demonstrate the political dishonesty
Of the bill, and to convince the honest { =
portion of the whig members of the Legis.
lature that the trainers Of the bill regarded
it as political one, charged in debate
wha, was true in fact, that when the COM
mi,tee ordered the bill TO be printed, the
wings who had drafted it, had placed in
separate columns the democratic and the
wbg districts, showing six whig majority
In the Senate, and eighteen in the House,
according to their own calculation, and
that these separate columns in the statisti- !
cal bill were omiied by the printer, without I
the knowledge Of the democratic portion
of tho committee.
During the progress of this bill through |
the two houses. every amendment offered
by Democratic Senator or Representa-
tive was voted down by the wings, though
through erery shame, :hey were in some
instances afterwards compelled to offer the
very same amendments.
Neither argument, nor pursuasion, nor
the nositive commands of the constitution,
had the lenst weight with the majority
The iin,pan had decreed that this budget Of
abo,nination should be passed, and the
willing slaves Of this invisible tribunal,
welded their oaths, their consciences, hon.
or. integrity, self-respect, oil ALL, to Go
the bidding of this midnight cnbal.
In the Senate some few amendments
had been made to the bill rs it had passed
the ,in.pan. But in the House such amend
ments were again mnde to the bill, as re-
stored ali its features to their original tin.
par beauty.
The Senate, through shame, had disa-
greed to those House amendments, except
ing the one relating to the new county of
Auglaize And some, even of the mern-
bers of the House became ashamed them.
selves Of this bill, and moved reconsider
a,;on nf the vote by which they had passed
Il. Then came a question Of order lm-
portant TO be remembered. Could the
House reconsider lis vote upon the passage
Of the bill. while the bill was in the possess
ion ofthe Sennte. The House by n large
whig vote decided that the House could
take no action upon the bill ,chile 1t ,uas out
oCfkeir possession. Therefore they sent
a messnge to the Senate requesting the re-
turn OF he bill? The Senate decided that
thew could not return it without reconsider
ing their vote upon disagreeing to the
House amendments. The democratic
Senators wero unwilling to reconsider the
vote upon disagreeing, for fear that the
Senate might afterwards agree to the
House amendments, and thus restore the
bill to its original tin-par features. A
portion OF the wing Senutors, through Mr..
Gorwin, pledged their HoNoRs (tl that
their only object was to enable the House
10 SO amend the bill as to make the whole
of Hamilton county an electoral district
The democratic Senators under this pledge,
and in order 10 get I'd of one OF the con,
s,itutional objections to the bill, permitted
she reconsideration, and the bill was re-
lurne1 to the House This, Jet it be re-
aenb.red, was on Saturday evening"
During the Sabbath the tin-pan having had
time TO act; a change took place in The
minds of whig representatives who had
previously desires. 10 reconsider their,Tote
>..pon The passage Of the bill; and don Mon
day the t,.s.ian 10 reersnsIder "es "ithorawn.
The House receeded from one or two OF its
important amendments. and insisted upon
~ rnfurnau the bill