The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1849-02-17
TERMS oF AnvERrIsrNc
JOE PRINTING

Hamilton had four Senators in the first
General Assembly, two Senators in the
second, and never less than two since.
The Attorney General. furthermore.
sets forth the great advantage Of single
districts 10 bringing every Senator and
Representative nearer 10 his conslitu.
enls, and asserts that such was the fa-
vorite design Of our constitution. If
SO, how singular it is that the first ap-
poitlonment Of all, contained in. the last
clause of the constitution itself, gave to
Hamilton county not only FoUR Sena.
tors, as just remarked, but EIGHT Rep.
resentatlves. And how singular it 10
that we are called upon, at this late
day, to overturn the construction which
the founders OF the constitution them.
selves adopted, and which has prevailed,
without mlsgiving, so long a time!--
Bnt this doctrine Of %"local representa-.
ton" is the most infelicitous one in the
world for the present case. The con.
stltuiion land the bill Of 18Th February,
l849, does not attempt to alter it in this
respect) only requires a representative
to have resided within the limits Of the
county in which he is chosen; and a
citizen of Anderson, or Crosby, or
Symmes townships is. undeniabIy, eligi.
BILE as Representative OF the first eight
wards of Cincinnati. Instead, there.
fore, of bringing a Re preventative near
er to his constituents, the bill suffers
him to be removed one degree further;
yet we are told it is a bill TO secure 10.
cal representation. &c taE .&.F-
To ascertain, however. as well the
intention and tavorite design Of the con.
stitution, as to enforce my whole argu.
ment By authority, let me now refer to
>the case of Jordon Belts and David
Chandler, in 1845, decided by this
House.
By the addition Of two townships
from the county Of Athens. and seven
sections from the county Of Washing
ton, the political complexion Of Morgan
county was changed. Belts had a ina
jority within the old county limits, and
Chandler a minority in the county az
newly organized. The clerk Of Nor
gan county had rejected the votes of
those townships and sections. and Civ.
en- to Belts the certificate OF election,
whereby he took his seat. His parti.
sans did not pretend hat less than q
county could elect a representative,
but insisted that townships and sections,
''as 20 the right of suffrage and repre-.
sentation," must be considered (under
the seventh article, section third, of tho
constitution parts of the counties of
Athens and Washington, from which
they had been respectively taken, till
the period of the ext apporiionment.
But the friends Of Chandler, determin-
ed to base his claims upon no sandy
foundation, chose to insist that in every
possible event must IA representative be
elected by ii majority of the votes Of all
the citizens Of the county which no
protested to represent, and to which he
had oeen apporilnned.
Mr.. Phelps of Geaugn, one oil these
gentlemen reports himself Gin the Ohio
Stale Journa) 10 have said:
ut is claimed. by the counsel for MI.
Belts, that the second section, article
first of,the Constitution. prohibits the
votes of the two townships from being
cast, or counted, in Morgan county, be.
cause it would be breaking in upon the
representative districts. Representa-.
tive dlstricts-what are they? We. will
look in vain for them in. the Constitution.
They have no existence there or else
where, but in the imagination Of gen.
tleman. By giving wrong names to
things, our reasoning becomes false
There are no constitutional representa-
tive districts except counties. This
section Of the Constitution provides not
for laying of the State INTO represent
ative districts, but for q very different
thing-to apporlion representatives q.
mong the several counties"
Mr.. Cowen, of Belmont, since elect.
ed President Judge OF one Of our judi
cial circuits. expressed his opinion to
the same effect. He reports himself,
likewise in the Ohio State Journal, to
have said:
"The Representatives must be ap.
ppr,ioned among the several counties,
as counties, entire and undivided coun.
ties. A county could not form part Of
two representative districts for Repre-
sentalives." Il
The committee on Privileges and
Elections (Mr. Mason, Of Clarke, a dis
tinguished lawyer as well as politician,
at the head) made a lengthy report up
the merits of the controversy, and
put this proposition of the indivisibility