The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-03-08
ADDRESS
or The Whig Members OF the General Assembly

OF the Wing Members Of the General Assembly.
Fellow CITIZENS: The undersigned,
Wing members ot the Second General As
sembly, as the session is about to close, aud
they IL separate, deem il u lit occasion aud
. duty they owe to you, ~ give brief
statement Of their conduct, as we'll as to
refer 10 the action OF the majority in both
branches. This they esteem 10 be more
necessary, since at no time has it been
more important that the character nnd con-
duct Of public servants should he carefully
scrutinized by an enlightened constituent
cy, the meritorious receiving their need Of
praise, and the taithless aud proiligate meet
ing their just condemnation. This arises
to mention no other reason, from the tact,
that We have but just commenced our ca
Yeer a. State, and il hasty and profiigatc
Legislation is avoided now, our commence
ment must be the sure iorcshadowing Of
our future greatness and prosperity.
il 10 we'll known, that in the present
General Assembly, we have been in an
almost hopeless minority, having but eley-
en- members out Of thirty -nnc in the House,
and eight Of the nineteen Senators. Thus
0utnumbercd wo entered upon the dis
charge Of our duties, determined to be found
ut all times trying t. discharge our whole
duty; conscious, however. that we could
offer but a feeble resistance to the will and
determination of such IN overwhelming
minority. aud equally fearful that We could
succeed in nothing ihst came in conflict
with the slightest designs oi the majority.
To some Of the more prominent measures
we propose 10 invite your attention, as
well for the purpose Of presenting the
course Of the two parties thereon, rs also
for the purpose Of awakening public a,ten-
iian tho more certainly To the dangerous
tendency Of the action Of the dominant
party in this State.
The course Of our demoe ratio friends nj,
the First Session Of the General Assembly,
with regard to the election of United States
Senators, is we'll know. Al that time j, is
known, that il was at leas, doubtful wheth-
er those who had fattened upon public spoil,
and lived without lnbor or yet telling, could
have been Installed into those high places.
FoS fear Of this, and from their firm ndhe-
renee to the doctrine OF "rulc or ruin, they
continually refused to GO into an election.
A. the present time il has been far differ
cnt. So soon as decent haste would per.
INIT, the elections were gone into, and the
result you have before YOU. Permit US to
say here, that to us il is little strange,
that the Senatorial robes should have been
thrown over the two individuals selected, in
preference TO oil other prominent demo-
Gratis Of the State. As 10 ability, VIC will
say nothing more than to remark, that GER
tainly they have many superiors in their
own ranks. So far as claims were con-
cerned, they certainly possessed no advan.
tagcs, unless, indeed, the holding Of Offices
with princely salaries can be said TO emit
tie men to still further political favors. II
is well known that one Of these gentlemen
came to our State with commission in his
pocket-has ever since enjoyed Office ut
the hands Of the Government, and never
one from the hands of The people, whose
Senator he now ". The propensity Of the
other for Office is we'll known. That he
has been fed from the public crib, aid has
fasiened on the spoi!s Of office, is equally
self-evidens. No person. bc he ever SO
strong democratic partisan, hut mus. have
asked himself the qucs,ion--By what right
or tenure does this man lay claim to and
hold all the lucrative Offices that are to be
disposed Of? What has he asked but he
has received? And what has he done
What more than any other could he have
done, if az much? Whv must all give
way il he expresses single wish? We
say these questions arc natural, aud must,
and do suggest themselves to tho most zeal
Gus democrats Of the State. For our part,
we say il is lille strange that these things
should 90 be. Bat our wonder, To some cx-
sent, ceases when We think Of the scores Of
office.holders ihroughous the State who
have lived bur by his will aud who have
moved al his nod. With their combined in
fuence, always brought to bear. ms il invn-
viably II, Il ceascs to DO a wonder that Off
co.. appear 10 DO made Tor his enjoyment.
But the election Of these two individuals
over others Of their own party, is 10 ms
matter or surprise for another end much