The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-05-22
ADDRESS
by the Wing State Central Committee.
TO THE PEOPLEO or OHIO

TO THE PEOPLE OF ONO.
On Tuesday, the l7lh Of juno. you will
be called upon 20 cast the most important
vote you have ever g:yen-ono that IF
fects not only your own interest, but the
millions who are To come after you. But
50 far there appears to be au apathy per.
vading the public mind on The subject.
which is very uniayorable To that free dis.
cussion demanded By the occasion. The
new constitution, lormed by the late Con
vention, is now before the people for their
ratification or rejection, and lis proyis.
lnns ought 10 be seriously aud imDartjaHy
examined by every individual voter be.
fore casting his ballot on the l7lh of june
Such examination should be made as far
as possible without any party bias, which,
however, II may govern in reference Ia
the passing interests of the pieseut, ought
never to be allowed by any good citizen.
to sacrifice toilself thRrights ofuthcrs aud
of posterity.
None will deny that, in some respects.
the new constitution possesses advantages
over the old. lfthe Convention had con
tented itself with carrying out those meas.
ures of wholesome reform demanded by
the masses, such as stripping the Legis
latuIe OF the power of palruuage which
they have 81 often abused, aud placing
the election Of all officers in the hands ol
The people. without attempting 10 feuer
the rights ofposteIity 10 legislaie for
themselves, there could have been nn com.
plant. 1t is claimed That the power Of
taxing equally all property, expressly de
clared in the new constitution, conlers
great beneft on the State. to which the
reply Is: that power eriSted as fully uu.
der the old constitution as it can under
the new; for, the clause, yestiug all leg.
islatiye power in the Legislature, conrers
ALL POWER, on this subject, as completely
as can be done by any subsequent Ian
.guage; for the established rule in con.
STRUNG State constitutions is, at al pow.
er is vested in the hands Of the Legisla.
turo, that is not expressly denied by the
constitution itself, or the fundamental
law OF the Uninn-a rule Of constructions
feUcrse to that applied 10 coustruing the
constitution of the United States.
The great objections to the ne W cousti.
tuition which should be canvassed by ey
cry voter in the State. a,e its provisions
in relation to INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
the State Credit aud the equal Appor
tinnmeut Of represeuta;ion-a Uital prin
ciple that lies at the very foundation OF
republican government, aud if he is sat.
lsfed that the provisions oflhe instrument
in these respects are demanded for the
future welfare Of the State, that they
mete out equaI justice 10 all, or that how
ever obaor'Om they may be in them
selves, there are other considerations %.
ycruling these objections as well as the
additional Que of the greatly increased
EXPENSE of the new government, then he
ought To vute for its ratification.
First, then, the provisions in reference
to Internal Improvements are such that
every practical mau will admit, that in
IuIure everything Of this kind will be
cnmpletely stoPped. To talk of hereaf.
ter constructing a railroad, plank road
turnpike or bridge, b; private ass,cia.
lions, if the new constitution be adopted
will be as great folly as the humJ4g
preached snme years ago, that Banks
would be established under Barlleys ia.
nous law. To expect our farmers aud
others to tai stock To- build road. which
in nine cases out of ten can yield no prof
it, but is constructed merely to improve
the country, AMI thus make themselves
label TO twice the amount of its stocl
fur its debts, and be subject at the sam,
time to have all their Fights swept ava
at any moment by an arbitrary Legisla
tive repeal is the height of absurdity. |
|. is hard to divine the reasons which gov
erned the Convention in resisting imprve
ments of this kind, which have done $
much heretofore to build up the prosperi
ty of the State.
Ifths individual liability and subjec
= ton TO Legislative REPEAL had been eS
. tended to banking corporations or 10 tllos
corporations only which pay dividends
there might be some apparent excuse, {
specially as this individua! liability chic
y y bene fits the capitalist, creditors fcon
3 panes, aud not the laborers, who mu
) look t1 their individual bargains with COZ
e tractors. But os the matter stands.
q looks as ifthere had been a delibera
: conspiracy amongst members represen
= ing the Hamilton county interest al
It those sections of the State whose intern
: improvements are complete, to depri'
those parts not yet improved of the a
. vantages they themselves enjny. Crea
s ing thus n sort of MONOPOLY in the railrOt
:, companies now in existence by des,ro
" ing all chances of competition throul
=, means OF rival routes, aud by the san
, system of monopoly drawing all Il
wealth of the State to Hamilton couu
~ by compelling the people to use the cha
l., nels of communication now open, and d
= - nying the right 10 open others. WI
will the East. the Wheat region. cons
- luting the backbone of the State. and t
, unimproved Northwest, think of such
~ ~ selfish system of mOaopoly and njustic
u u Second The attack on the credit
=, the State is still more nsidous becar
~ accomplished slyly so as To conceal
m ~ possible, from the voters of Ohio, "
~ oathe everything in the shape of repu
~, -" alton. A covert attempts to be mad'
' ,,c tax Stale aud United States bounds, un,
w :" the section in regard to stocks, as ,