New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-02-02
Free Soil In Ohio-The Late Developments
in the Legtslature.

p.isn after carefully weighing and fully present
inc % onr readers ali the facts and considerations
which promoted az well against a in favor Of
sncb a step we decided, in spite OF our strong per
sonal OBJ sctions 10 the leading candidate or rather
70 the influences which made him a candidate-to
suyport the Wing National Ticket, there were
thousands all around az ready 10 echo the charge
Of recreancy to our principles and CONVICTIONS
We said little ia reply to these charges, having
work on hand Of greater urgency and Of wider I'm
portance. We quietly submitted 10 personal re-
prosch and contumely in the confident expectation
enat Time would furnish the proper vindicaton Of
our course and our motives. And that confidence
Is justified by the recent developments in Ohio.
We did not, last October, profess TO hope, we
DO not now expect, that the Administration Of
Gen. Taylor will in all things be such as We could
wish it. On questions related TO Slavery we ex
pect from it an undercurrent Of adverse influence
rather than an overt and noisy hostility 10 the
views we cherish. But even in that respect it
viii be at the worst no worse than an Adminisira-
ton beaded by Gen Cas- would have been con
strained TO be, while in many other and most i'm
portant respects we know il will be much better
That it will cherish Peace, resist the lust Of Ag
erosion and Conquest, maintain the supremacy of
Law, and do something toward fostering the Ma
tonal Industry aud ncrea sDg the facilities Of our
Internal Commerce, We cannot doubt; and oil the
good that is achieved on these points will be just
so much gain upon the results Of Cas- triumph
Wherefore we are grateful in view Of the result
OF the late Election and well satisfied with our
humble part in securing il.
And now TO the case Of Ohio as illustrating the
correctness Of our decision Ohio, the most popu-
lods and important Of the New States, is essen
italy Wing State; the eldest-born Of the Ordi
nance Of 1897, she is ardently Free Soil and OPP
posed 70 the Extension Of Slavery. She was thor
ougbly adverse to the nomination of Gen Taylor
for President. and many thousands of her Wing
citizens refused 10 support him, deeming such sup
port recreancy to the cause Of Free Soil. Thirty
five thousand lat least thirty thousand Of them
Wings as between the two great partes) support
ed Mr.. Van Buren, for President many thousands
RETAINED from voting at ALL Thus the vote
Of the State given TO Lewis Cass, with n majority
of thousands of her People against him and we
were execrated for recresncy in not aiding to pro-
duce like results in Pennsylvania, New-Jersey,
Connecticut, &c. and so in the Union. We shall
yet have good grounds for retort upon our
accuscrs.
But to return 10 Ohio 1t had been the duty
Of the last Legislature (Whig) to redpportion the
Members OF both branches Of the Legislature
among the several Counties, and that duty was
periormed-not to the satisfaction OF the adverse
party. They tried every possible means to defeat
the bill, even TO absenting themselves for days
from their seats and so preventing a quorum.
But finally the act was passed, and one OF its pro-
visions divided the great County of Hamilton Gn-
Guiding Cincinnati and having more than twice as
many inhabitants as any other County, into two
Legislative Districts, giving each Senator and
to one two and to the other three Representatives
The Loco Focos denounced the entire act as never
passed and an utter nullity, held convention and
proclaimed Provisional Government, but finally
desisted from this course when the nomination Of
Gen. Taylor and the Free Soil schism gave them
sansuine hopes of carrying the State in legiti-
mate way. Still, they held out against the divis
ION of Hamilton County, and claim to have elected
five Representatives for the whoe County in utter
defiance of the division made by the Apportion.
ment Law With these facts and the earlier pro.
ceedngs Of the Legislature consequent thereon
our readers are already acquainted.
Eight Members of the Legislature We're elect
ed as Anti-Taylor Free Sellers. though several Of
them on the regular Wing tickets, aud all repre-
sentiug decided Wing Districts. Among them
was DR.. n. s. Townshend of Lorain County, Of
English birth and not hitherto ider tilted with the
Wings No sooner had the organization Of the
Legislature begun to be effected than 1t became
evident that this man had designs of his own quite
foreign to the triumph OF Free Soil, and that he
was able to influence the vote OF another Free
Soil Member lMorse) from the still stronger Wing
County of Ashtabula. In the election OF Speaker.
the Wings aud Free Sellers were willing 10 elect
DR.. Townshend but he declined they then united
on Mr.. Randall of Cuyahogs, another Free Soiler;
and now DR.. Townshend and his man Friday
threw of the mask, voting for and eectlng John
g. Breslip, the Loco Foco candidate, who had
been a uniform and determined enemy OF the Free
Soil cause. In return FOR this, the Loco-Focos
helped Townshend elect for Clerk one Stanley
Mstthews, Loco-Foco Free Soiler who in turn
has requited this favor by taking away the Print.
ing of the House from the man to whom II had
been awarded by contrac, under the law. and
giving II 10 the Cas- Loco Foco organ
A Committee of Elections was appointed by
compromise, consisting OF TWO w hlgs, TWO Loco
Focos and DIR. Townshcnd as Chairman One
seat held by Wing from Clinton CO.. was va
Gated upon the report OF this Committee, and a
new election ordered Wing was admitted
from Portage CO.. in place of Looo-Foco re-
turned by clerical blunder. The Loco oco re-
turned from Medina County still holds though his
seat is contested by a Wing the Wing County
OF Clinton is unrePresented Judge Spencer, the
leading Wing Representative from Cincinnati. is
at home by the bedside Of e dying parent ihs
Hamilton Contestants have never been heard be.
fore the Committee on Elections in this state OF
things Dr. Townshend unites with the two Loco
Focos on the Committee in report declaring the
division of Hamilton County by the existing APP
por,ionment Law Unconstitutional, and Messrs
Pash and Pierce (Looos) therefore entitled tS
seats as the fourth and fifth Representative
from that County And this report, IN the so
sence Of Judge Spencer, with one Wing seat va
cant, and Loco oco occupying another claimed
bya Wing. is driven through the House by 8
whip and spur, Townsend and Morse uniting viii