Fremont weekly freeman. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1850-1853, 1852-08-21

:, members of the House of Representatives
g the words "shaH be otthe Protestant Religion
Upon this the Yeas and Nays were taken
. Yeas for Religious Liberty 33, and among
them Jeremiah Smith, Aaron Greeley, Will
lam Farmer, Caleb Stark, &C., Nays for the
2 Penal Laws and Anti-Popery, 81, and among
them Benjamin Pierce, Frankn's father, and
! Charles O'Conor's favorite antecdent. A form
of constitution was finally agreed upon, and
was ordered to be submitted to the people
!. on the first Monday in May, 1892, and the
convention adjourned till the 3Ota of the
month.
On the first day Of June, 1892, the votes of
the people were counted, and it was found
that some parts of the constitution we're &C
cepted, and some parts rejected, for want of
a two-thids vote (that Loco-Foco two-!hird
rule is an awful thingD and it further ap-
peared that some of the propositions rejected
were necessary to make sense of those ac-
cepted, so that a committee, appointed to
bring order out of that confusion, reported
that the parts accepted and approved BY the
people "weFe inconsistent with the constitu-
ton and with each other" yet. as the people
had accepted them, nobody could dare des-
pise them.
The report of the convention which | ex-
amned is a volume, partly in manuscript and
partly in print, which is preserved with great
care in the Secretary of States Office; but it
does not give the precise form in which the
clauses rejected were submitted to the people.
1t seems, however, that notwithstanding
Pieree's anti-PoPery penal votes. the term
Protestant was omitted in the qualifications
for some Offices for which, it is probable, they
were rejected. Be this as it may, a commit
tee was apptinted to recommend what new
amendments should be adopted to please the
people That committee reported pretty
much the same old dish, rehashed and ad-
ditonally peppered with Professionalism and
property, to suit the taste of the Pierce ep-
tures and was submitted again to the pco-
pie on the 9th Of August, 1892,
SUBMITTED TO THE PEOPLE.
The Convention met finally at Concord,
September S, 1892, when the votes were
counted, and it was found that the whole
number of votes cast was 3,1oo, Of which
| 2,l22 were for, and 97s against the constitu-
ton. 1t was thus carried by abont SIS votes
more than the necessary two:thirds vote,
so that if there had been only % additional
votes against this bigoted and disgracefu
constitution, it would have been defeated.
constitution. excluding Catholics from Office,
some of the towns that are now Wing voted
very decidedly against it Thus the Wing
town Exeter gave 50 votes against it and not
one for it The Wing town of Dover gave
43 votes against it and only "a for it. While
the Loco Foeo town of Gillmanton gave Al
votes for it and not one against it.
The Loco-Foco town of New Durham gave
for II nd NJ Tho
Loco-Foco town of llsborough-Benjamin
Pierce's adopted town, and of which he was
the Representative, and Franklin Pierce's ma
ted in the Legislature-gave 16 for it and
not one against it. Had it been necessary for
some Dallas to make an excuse for the adop-
lion of that constitution, he would have said
that it was owing to some mysterious COM
bination of cyphers like the above that pre-
vented the two-third units from defeating
themselves.
There's the record, as found it in care
fully preserved book in the Office of the Sec |
retary of State at Concord in New Hamp-
shire, and there's the cOmmendable "antece
dent of Franklin Pierce.
WHAT is THIS CONSTITUTION?
And thus was formed the constitution which |
is now in full force in one of the States of our
American Union, which claims that the
American people must, by two-thirds rule |
kill off Cass, Buchanan and Douglas to make
room for the son of the father who framed
that bigoted instrument, and for the leader of
the party which refuses to exert itself for its
modification.
There are two or three points in this con-
stitution to which wish to draw public at
tention. copy from the official copy printed
in 1852 by the State printers:
Bill OF Rights.-Sectien 6 authorizes the
towns, &c to make provision "for the support
and maintenance of public Protestant teach
ers of piety, religion and morality"
Form of Government.-Section l 4. every
member of the House of Representatives.
shall be of the Protestant re-
ligion, and shall cease to represent such town,
parish or place Immediately on ceasing to be
qualified as aforesaid
Section 29. provided, nevertheless that DO
person shall be capable of being elected a
Senator who is not of the Protestant religion"
Section A. "The Governor.
shall be of the Protestant religion :
Section 81. "And the qualification for
Counsellors shall be the same as for Senator"
ceC' 90. AZ suo4I Oe bh0 uutg VI VIC Oe-
lectmen and Assessors of the several towns
and places in this State, in warning the first
annual meetings for the choice Of Seniors,
after the expiration of seven years from the
adoption of this constitution, as amended, to {
insert expressly in the warrant this purpose
among the others, for the meeting to wit; to {
take the sense of the qualified voters on the I
subject of revision of the constitution: and
the meeting being warned accordingly, and {
not otherwise, the moderator shall take the {
sense of the qualified voters present as to the {
necessity of revision; and return of the {
number OF votes for and against such necessi-
ty shall be made by the Clerk, sealed up and I
directed to the General Court at their then
next session; and if it shall appear to the Gen
eral Court by such return, that the sense of
The nennla of the State has bean taken and