The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1849-09-28
The Opponents Of Constitutional Reform.

lnO VPpVuOhtS vi OuhStltutlUhul hOiUIui'
The theory of our government is Repub-
lican-@based upon the intelligence of the
people, who are the fountain Of M power.
1t is this which distinguishes it from the
other governments of the world-it is this
that has made our nation prosperous-it is
this that has given it the proud and Just
title of the model Republic of the world
The Constitution Of the United States wise
y confines the officers elected by the peo4
pie to certain duties-the overstepping of
which would make the President liable ts
impeachment.
Since first the government was formed,
the people of the United States have shown
themselves equal to the task of. self govern
ment. Yet there are those who act as if
they denied this great fact-who doubt
mems capacity even to choose their own
officers of state. Can such men be Re-
publicans? We trow not. Though they
may call themselves Wings, Democrats,
Fresoilers or by any other party name they
may choose to adopt, yet denying, as they
do, this great and fundamental principle in
the Republican creed, they deny the very
principle which strongly marks our govern.
ment as different from that Of the govern
ments of the old world and are not attach
ed to the principles of civil liberty
The people of Ohio are deemed wise
enough to select men to represent them in
the Legislature, but are not esteemed wise
enough to select their State officers. They
choose their lawmakers, but ara not al
lowed to choose thoir law expounders.-
The people of the county of Erie or the
county of Lawrence-the county of Colum-
biana or the county of Vanwert, are not,
by our present Constitution deemed as ca
pabe of selecting three Associate Judges
for their own county, as are the seventy
two Representatives and thirty-six Seaa.
tors, who represent the Senatorial and
Representative districts in the State, ali.
though the chances are, as ten to one, that
out OF the 1O8 members of the Legislature
not one IN ten ever saw Or heard Of the
men to be elected, until day or two be-
fore the election, and then the only quesl
ton asked is, what are his politics?
The same Legislative body, elected BY
the people, are also deemed capable Of
electing the Auditor, Treasurer and Secre-
tary of State, while the people, whose busi.
ness these officers are to transact, are SUPP
posed incapable, under the Constitution Of
dging of the claims and qualifications of
the different candidates. What folly this
is? That 1O9 men elected to the Legisla-
ture shall be deemed better qualified to
select officers than the five hundred thcu-
sand freemen of the State, is the heighth of
absurdity, yet we find men who advocate
the doctrine and oppose change of Con-
stitution, because they deem the people an
unfit depository of the trust of electing an
Associate Judge or a Secretary of State!
Strange as it may appear, the men who act
thus,-who thus deny enough capacity to
the people to select their own agents, still
call themselves Republicans-still profess
to believe our government model Repub-
lie! Such professions come but from the
lip--not from the heart-they are unreal
and such professions are used, as Talley-
rand said language should be, ito conceal
thoughts
Had not the experiment of electing all
officers by the people been tried and found
to work well, these men might have sort
of an excuse for their opposition, but as
state after state has tried the experiment,
and with signal success, this last argument
is taken from them, unless they openly
avow that which i'll secret they believe!
that the people are not fit to be trusted with
more power.
Again: The people elect theft Repre-
sentatives and these Representatives pass
laws for an increase of the State debt. The
people are bound by it, and their property
taken from them in the shape oftaxes, goes
to foot the bill. The people then are be-
lieved to have sense enough opay for fool
ish legislation but are not sensible enough
to be allowed the liberty of Judging wheth-
er the interest of the state requires an in
crease of state Indebtedness or not! This
could be easily.. ..d6te, by the aid of the bal
lot box and this proposition too has worked
well and saved the credit of other states
Yet the same class of men in Ohio, who
fear to give the people the power to elect
their own state officers, deem the power OF
allowing the people to vote whether the
state debt, which they will have to pay.
shall be increased, too great to have a place
in the fundamental law of the lanl. Pre-
cious Republicans such men are, but. filter
far, for Austria or Russia, than for Ohio.
An inmate of mad house, being askei
what brought him there, e,replied: "a mere
quibble of words, sir. | said every body
was mad, and every boly said was, AMI
the majority carried it
pWish thy nsighbor as well thyscf, is