Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-01-24
Massachusetts.

The state of affairs IN this ancient Commonwealth
is somewhat peculiar. A large number of citizen
have for years been of opinion that the long and un
disputed sway of tho Wing party has tended to per
petuate old, and introduce new abuses into the ad
ministration of the domestic affairs of the State
mong the reforms demanded has been q change i:
the dlstrictng of the State. Under the present sys
tenn. Boston, Lowell and other large Cities, choose
their delegates to the State Legislature by genera
ticket instead of by representative districts. We
believe that Boston is entitled to 40 MEMBERS all
whom are thus chosen. of course depriving the mi
nority of all chance of being heard Another abuse
has been in the management of the University II
has also been the desire of very respectable portion
of the people of Massachusetts, obtain the
by their Legislature, of homestead exemption law
and other laws of similar character; and also to
substitute plurality instead of an absolute ma jori
ty as is required in all elections in Massachu-
sets.
The result of this desire for reform has been a
union coalition of all the parties and fragments OF
parties agreeing in their ideas of State policy, with
out any regard to their opinions upon national ques-
tons Viewed in this light, the coalition of the Dem
ocrats and Free Sellers was nothing more than the
formation of State Reform party, and did not
sariy imply negation of national princpesin either,
although it came near being perverted to that end
1t required all the energy and talents of the best
in the party, headed by Gen. CUSHING and the Bos-
ton Post to prevent the dsgraeeful contamination of
the election of SUMNER, the Free Soier to the Uni
ted States Senate. We are happy to see, however,
that their eloquent appeals have been successful,
and that the country and the party has been spared
this humiliation.
The laws of Massachusetts require an absolute
majority to elect. Neither candidate for Governor
received such majority of the popular VOTE conse-
quently the election devolved upon the Legislature
who chose GEORGE S. boutwell,, the Democratic
candidate. In his message to the Legislature, Mr..
Boutwell,, when abiding to the Fugitive Slave Law
the following language:
"By the peace of 1888 each of the thirteen former
colonies rose at once to the rank of free and SOW
ereign state having the right of course, SUCH to
abolish any of its old institutions, or to establish
new ones. The constitution of 1889 neither added
to, nor materially diminished these powers 1t did
not recognize any of the existing institutions of the
states, except far necessary to render the
general government perfect and harmonious sys-
tenn.
1t was absolutely necessary to determine the basis
of representation and taxation among the states
The provision for the delivery of fugtives from
vice labor in the nature of a treaty between
sovereign states, and for its fulflment the general
government was clothed with sufficient authority
II it appear from the language Of the constitution
that the manner of delivery should be left to the
decided otherwise. 1t must then be considered as
settled. that the of delivery is to be deter
mined by congress. AS this body represents all the
states and all the people, its acts binding upon
every state and each citizen, unless judicial ribu
nails shall declare them to be unconstitutional. A
law thus passed may be- in the opinion of state or
and individual unjust, inexpedient or unconsttu-
tiona yet this opinion furnishes excuse for illeg-
ally multiplying its power or resisting its execution
So after all, there is hope for the Democracy
of Massachusetts. They united with the Free Soil
for the purpose of eectng certain State reforms
but the election of Free Soil u S. Senator was not
in the bond, and will not be effected though by the
way, think it is about even match between the
Wing candidate, WINTHROP, and the Free Soiler
SUMNER the one is just about bad as the other,
and yet the Wings perfectly willing to 60 their
whole length for WINTHROP, while they seem to
think the Democrats perfect heathens, because some
of them have voted for SUMNER.
The affair is not without its moral 1t affords fresh
confirmation of the fact that pitch cannot be handled
without deflement, nor honest men enter into
citation with dishonest ones, either morally politi
cally, even for laudabe object, without deroga-
ton of character and ultimate results not calculated
upon The Democrats of Massachusetts deserve all
the trouble they have had, for having anything at
all to do with the Free Sellers. We hope it will
teach them better in future 1t is better to stay in
independent minority for ever than obtain a tri
umph by association with those whose principles
contemn. There is as yet no election of Senator
from Massachusetts,
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