Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-01-31
Seventh Week of the Session.

seventh week OF tne SeSSl0u.
The close Of the seventh week since first I
he Legislature met, shows beggarly ac-
count Of business done. The wings, on
he FIRST Monday Of December sought by
fraud to gain that power which they IAN
cied they had made certain when they sign
ed and deposited as law, their infamous
apportionment scheme, during The previous
session. For weeks they refused to go in
TO On organization SO as to allow the busi-
ness Of legislation to proceed, and this they
based upon the miserable pretext, that the
Clerk of former House was the proper
person to officiate as Chairman Of the
organization. Even while they
thus asserted, their own conduct stamped
falsehood upon the declaration, for in the
which they attempted to get
up on their own hook they chose as Chair.
man member Of the House, leaving to
the former Clerk the task Of acting Us
scribe When they finally were forced
to come in, and TO go into an organization,
they abandoned even this ground, and n
member was chosen as Clerk, TO serve un-
til q Clerk was elected. Thwarted in their
mad designs, they have since endeavofed
to obstruct business, and SO far they have
succeeded.
|, In the Senate the seventh week has been
mainly consumed by speeches from Mr..
Goddard on the subject Of printing, and in
abuse Of the editor Of this paper, aided and
assisted by other members OF the same CAL
ibre, equally reckless ofthe time and mon
ey of the people, i1
When the two Houses, during the sixth
week of the session, met in Convention, to
count the votes for Governor, the startling
doctrine was broached and advocated, that
the Speaker of the Senate alone had pow.
er 10 Judge Of the returns-to reject or to
receive such as he pleased, and his word,
as to who was Governor, was claimed to
be binding The democracy,o opposed now,
as they ever have been, to taking power
from the many and giving it to the few,
opposed this assumption of power in favor
of the one man, and they refused to play
the part of automatons in the farce to be
enacted. The Speaker of the Senate
promised to appoint committee of mem
bers TO assist in footing up the abstracts s,and
to decide upon their legality. The exam
ination Of that committee showed major-
ity of the votes for Governor, as shown by
the legal abstracts, to have been cast for
Col. Weller. The Speaker of the Senate
refuses then to- recognize the action of that
committee, or to receive or entertain their
report, giving as reason therefor, that
the committee was appointed rs an act O.
comfy, Tin truth as mere farce with
out its having any power whatever.
During the week the federal party have
been forced from thar position, and a COM
mittee was appointed to do that, which ii
was claimed could not be done by a COM
mittee, but as if he det etermined' at all haz
ards TO elect Seabury Ford whether the
choice Of the people or not, they bound W
the committee by resolutions, To- travel OIL
of the legal evidence, by going to the offic'
of the Secretary of State and thus gettin,
information behind the record, but refuses
to allow them to 60 into an examination
of other evidence, which would show
different result. From the information
thus placed before them, they decided tha
Seabury Ford had majority of the votes
In making up this result, they counted th
returns from Lorain county, not certified
as the law requires by the seal Of the court
and they counted for Mr.. Ford votes cas-
for 'sSeabury." To make show of fair
ness, they counted for Ford and Weller
the votes of Defiance county, not upon ar
Abstract but upon common runaor!
A series of resolutions were introduced
by Mr.. Chase, for the purpose OF getting
direct vote upon these matters, and upor
the question fairly presented,on the returns
from Defiance, Lorain and Crawford coun
ties, 1.-THE latter the one where the votes
were given for Seahury,) every whig in
the Senate, recorded his vote against theiI
validity, although not fifteen minutes be.
fore, they had voted for resolution to de.
clare Mr.. Ford Governor, upon the very
votes they thus declared illegal. The
house has not yet acted upon the report.
The session commenced by an attempted
fraud upon the part of the whig party, and
by succession of frauds they have con
sumed time and refused to allow the legiti.
mate business of the session to 5e.,ransacted
Last winter they made bold stroke for
eternal power, and foiled by the people.
they have grown reckless beyond prece.
dent. Weekly Statesman.