Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-03-07
Columbus, Tuesday, Feb. 81

In Senate, on yesterday afternoon, dis
cussion was got up in relatien to bridge
over the Ohio river at Cincinnati, which
consumed most of the afternoon session.
When that was disposed of, Mr. Byers,
at the instance of Judge Durbin, Of the
House, moved to take the bill, which passed
the House, to change the time of holding
the courts of Common Pleas in Morgan
county, from the committee of the whole,
Mr. Goddard resisted the motion, and in the
course of the discussion Mr. Speaker Ran
dali acknowledged that the object of resist
ing the motion was to enable the whig
Judges, about to leave the bench, to make
a whig Clerk. A bill, drawn up by Judge
Nye, whig, had passed tine House some
weeks previously and Mr. Goddard had got
it referred to himself as select committee
of one, and had never reported it back. A
second bill had then passed the House, and
the effort was to get it taken from the COM
mittee of the whole and passed into law.
In the discussion Mr. Goddard acknowledge
ed, that when the bill was committed to him,
he wrote to Judge Nye that it would never
become a law, thus acknowledging that
when he got the bill recommitted to himself,
the design was to smother it, although eve
ry member Of the House, whose constituents
were at all interested in the passage Of the
bill, voted for it. He procured the bill,
under false pretences, and he defeated the
passage of the law, by an act which will
sink him in the estimation of every honora-
BILE man.
In Senate to-day, Mr. Dubbs presented
the memorial of Col w. Spencer,late mem
Der of the Board of Public Works, in rela-
ton to his accounts as a member OF the late
Board.
Although Col Spencer has been denounc-
ed by the Nash, Adams and Marsh COM
mittee as a defaulter to the State to large
amount, yet the fact is now made known
that he has been pressing the Auditor OF
State, the Board of Public Works, and the
Fund Commissioners, each for settlement
of his accounts for years, yet without avail
for each of these functionaries have decl-
ded that they had no power to make any
settlement. Thus has Col Spencer been
denounced as a defaulter, because of the
unsettled sta te of his accounts, by atravell-
ing committee of broken down federal poll
ticians, while federal officers played into
their hands by a refusal to make settle
ment, which Mr. Spencer has for years been
entreating them to make. In his memorial
Col. S. appeals to the Legislature to pass a
Joint resolution to compel the State officials
to do their duty.
The travelling committee have cost the
State large amount of travelling fees,
salary and printing expenses, for the pur-
pose of furnishing food for whig penny-a-
line scribblers to lndite ISLANDERS, and with
out any earthly good accruing therefrom,
and without a particle Of reliable informa-
ton gathered from their pretended investi-
cations. 1t is thus the money of the peo-
pie is squandered, and thus are honest men
hunted down for base political effect by
giving currency to falsehoods Of the basest
character. Infamous indeed must be the
creed of the party that is forced to rely upon
such instruments to sustain itself, and
doubly infamous the panderers to such a
party.
In the House, very interesting discus
sion arose upon the House Bill, authorizing
the people to vote for or against new Con-
stitution. The wings came out without stint
against the measure. The discussion was
continued until recess, and is still occupying
the House as our paper goes to press. More
of this tomorrow.