Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-12-24
From the Ohio Statesman.
eecend Week sf the Session.

O<SA tuQ 3GS350u W TUE lASStsioluief uuS
passed, and The General assembly is still in
State u disorga The House Of
Representatives is alone in a state to do bu-
siness, but the Senate of the state has no.
yet elected its presiding officer, and hence
s.nnot transact business of any kind until
that officer is chosen; and TOR the SECOND
time in tbe history Of Ohio, scenes are en-
acted within the halls sacred to legislation,
which cause the friends Of popular govern
ment 70 fear for the durability IF our free
institutions. Il were worse than folly to
disguiss the fact, that blow is aimed at
Republican government, hich ii suffered
to fall anrebuked and unpunished, will end
in anarchy aud Rev lutioi,, and will make
Ohio . bye word and reproach among
the.people Of other states and other lands.
These scenes first had their origin in the
effort Of the whig leaders Of the state. thro'
theirinstrnnents In the Legislature two
years ago, to trample in the dust the Con-
stitntiaa they were swore to support ia an
attempt 70 - dist, let the state that, though
federalism was ia minority with the peo
ple-though It had been weighei in the bal.
ance and fonud wanting, that STILL in despite
Of tho popular will, as shown through the
ballot boxes, t'ey might yet retain the pow
81 uf law Makers still give special privi-
ieges 10 the few. which they denied to the
many. To so district the state, they found
it nscessary that the; county Of Hamilton,
having a voting population entiting it to
Gre Representatives and twn Senators,
should be divided into two distric s. In
vain they were warne that such division
vas against the letter of the Constitution
in vasa were they warned that it was in op
positipn 70 its spirit and in opposition to the
seit:ed usage for more than forty years,
which It had been in existence. All emon-
s,rance wss disregarded-the decree had
gone forth. and whiggery resolved it was
better % have no government at all, than
that they should not rule it. Their appor-
sionn,ent scheme was signed by the Speak
srs Of tho Senate and the House, without be-
ing passed in law-by base fraud on
tho rights of the paoFle, they attempted to
enfarceit; and to this scheme, conceived in
fraud, aid brought forth in inigui,y, is ali
the tarmoil and confusion OF the last three
winters to be attributed
Ia attempting to force the people Of the
Stats to submit, a band Of whig rioters. du-
ring the last session Of the Legislature, pre-
We ted m organization OF the House Of
Representatives from the 4thsof December
4, the 9TH day Of January l849. Day at
ter day, these men entered the hall Of the
House of Representatives, and while the
metnbefs who determined to do their duty,
were anxio sly endeayoring to get quo
rum &, JUN them in orgaa zing, BY their
cia.nor . ID disorderly conduct, did their ut
mott to bring reproach on the legislature.
sad during the entire month we have named,
Nj. Hulcolib and the thirty rioters who fol-
lowed his lead, prevented an organization.
Most sererely were they rebuked for their
s,adJct, an it was hoped that the rebuke
a1,nin.stered by the people at the last elec-
tim, would have had its effect on that party,
bat its leaders required new sacrifices. and
the plant tools rush on to their political
destruction. to oblise men who's laugh at
them for the subseryiency and while they
protit By It. they despiss in their very hearts
The Senate of the state is unfortunately
sqaaliy divided between those tho bold that
the constitution VIII eh they have sworn to
support ahf6ld be obeyed aud those who
would IRAN pc it in the dast f5r mere par;i-
san purposes. To prevent IN organization.
aad illus prevent the people from enjoying a
new constitution, which they have decided
in favar OF, and which viii settle, at once
and forever, all the vexed questions which
have sprung up uader the present defective
instrument. the whig leaders, in the face Of
the plain requirements OF the constitution,
did their utmost during fhes sifst week of the
session and the tirst half Of the second to
prevent The Senate from organizing BY the
election Of q Speaker.
The scenes Of the last winter in the House
Of Representatives were acted over again in
the S,nate during the two week past, with
this difference. Last winter Holcomb and
hir thirty rioters refused to present their
certificates on the ground that the Clerk OF
the previous session was the proper man to
call the House to order and to preside, until
. Speaker was elected, and because the old
Clerk was not selected, and because they
fsared that they nid not carry out their
fraud in the division Of Hamilton county,
they refused to take upon themselves the du-
ties Of Representatives. The VIII G Senators
deny the right OF the Clerk Of the previous
session 10 act even as Clerk of the organiza-
tion, and by q refnsal to go into an election
far- S,aakss, they hoped to prevent the body
fr0m placiag itself in situation TO do busi-
ness. Tho object last winter was the same
that ac.nates AIR. Dennison and his seven
tsen associates this winter, to prevent the
law making power Of the State from organ