The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1848-02-26
To the People of Ohio.

Ctuhtcut iCStpIOCut tSHt w uutv &c
tween the public servant and the SOW
sreign people,-the duty Of the public
servant on one side TO render an &C
count ofhis sic wardship,and the right o
the peopIe on the other TO demand it
and again the right of the representa-
tive TO address the people,and the duty
of all honest men to give him affair hear
ing.
IN pursuance OF this reciprocal righ'
and duty, the undersigned now address.
themselves to their constituency, the
people OF Ohio. We desire to place be,
fore you briefly, calmly AMI truly, the
facts which have produced the state OF
affairs now existing at the seat Of your
government, and to place before you,
without reservation, the reason for the
firm and fixed determination we have
taken 10 this crisis of democratic insti.
tutions.
When we arrived here at the seat of
Government, we were met with this
declaration in the Governors Message:
zone Of the most important duties
necessarily ~devolving upon the present
session of the General Assembly, is the
quadrennial apportionment ofthe State
and us no right is dearer TO a freeman
than that of equal representation, | rest
assured that you will meet this funda.
mental trust with all that spirit Of de-.
liberation, candor and fairness toward
allpar,ies and every district Of the State
which its delicacy and proper perform.
nnce demand"
Similar professions had been made in
almost all the public e wspapers advo-
eating the same policy as the party in
the majority in the General Assembly.
Little, to be sure, is the confidence,
which experience has justified the peo.
pie to place in wing professions. The
history of the last eight years is but a
repetition Of fair professions and bro
ken promises, and soon it will become
Il proverb applicable to the wing party,
thai the fairer the promise, tn, fouler
the deed.
But small as our confidence was in
the promises of an honest appor!ion-
ment, still we were not willing to con.
denim before hand. W. waited patient.
ly for the forthcoming apportionment
bill. After more than a months delay,
it was introduced in the Senate. Du-
ring its progress in the Committee of
the Whole, we endeavored TO amend it,
but every amendment was voted down
by strict party votes. A few days
subsequent to it, after the bill had been
reported from the Committee Of the
Whole, a few OF the very amendments
which we had proposed, were moved
on the part Of the majority and adopt
ed. This was no doubt intended 10
show US, that we might expect some.
thing from the grace Of the majority,
when they pleased to confer it. but no.
thing from their justice. We then in
the Senate again made every effort to
purge the bill of its grossest inconsisten.
cies and monstrosities, bu, in vain.-
Not one amendment offered by the mi
nority, no matter how fair, was adopt
ed. Nor did we fail to endeavor to
get out of the bill, that provision Of it,
by which Hamilton county is divided
into two representative and two Sena
torial Districts.
We pointed to the Constitution, and
the first apportionment contained in it
for Senatorial and Representative pur.
poses, as the construction Of the instru-
ment contained within the instrument
itself, and showed that the trainers of
the Constitution intended counties entire
and undivided as the constitutional Leg.
~islative districts.
We were then told that the trainers
of the Constitution only omitted to d.
vide counties, because they had not the
necessary statistics before them. This
position we again proved %antenable,b be
cause the very first General Assembly
composd as it was, OF many OF the
Of the Constitution, took no
steps whatever to get airy information
10 regard to any such object. In the
law providing for an enumeration ofthe
of Ohio, in accordance with the
Constitution, they asked for the return
bv counties. That was all they want
ed; fol among the counties, and not a.
.ong the townships or cities OF the
State, Representatives and Senators
were to be apportioned. And this we
to be the practice in every e.
since taken, and every ap.
por,ionment based upon the returns
by counties.
But to fortify ourselves still more
We presented to the majority the oP'n-
ons of some Of the first men of their
party, OF a Cowen, a Mason, and a
men of the highest legal ac-
and who had in various /,