Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-06-24

But ask the gentleman from Boston, Mr. Choaie,
who addressed the Committee this morning, where
his precedents for the he invites this Com
mittee to take? Is there any precedent except the
one fatal precedent Of The Constituent Assembly Of
France Of $780, which discarded all the ancient in-
stiiutions of that empires rampled under foot the
provincial lines, divided the territory into "a de-
partments, and then into subordinate districts aud
canlons. The result Of that experiment is that
there has been from that day to this no popular lib
erts in France. Ard under the operation OF this
single idea Of the equality of man, forty millions of
people have been subjected to despolism for more
than half a century. There is no precedent in this
country. There may be States whose institutions
somewhat concidenI to those proposed by the
majority Of the Committee-Ihat is, single Districts
without reference any other consideration than the
basis of Representations; but they yeiy few.
have looked at the Constitution of louisiana
where though thai this equality perhaps had been
aeted upon. And what did find? That the State
had been divided into districts, for purposes of
representation; that each district was to have
number of representatives proporionae to its rate.
able polls, but that the election was referred to the
people OF the towns and parishes, in a ratio as equal
as practicable. Is there a single instance in this
county where State has abandoned its municipal
institutions, and set up such system as is proposed
by the minority Of the Committed | take il not
one. 1t may happen, and it may well happen in the
States Of The West, where the territory is large
where The people are planters or farmers, on large
scale, and where thes are few villages, that the
State is divided into districts for the choice of mem
bers of the Legislature and that those districts have
reference to the population which they respectively
contain.
There was no other way, and all these States Of
the Union accepted the existing and necessary insti.
tutions which they found the basis OF the system
Of representation which they set up. II we follow
their example, it will not lead to division of the
State into representative districts for The election Of
members 10 the Great Court; but on the other hand
rather to accept our municipal institutions, as the
basis Of our system Of government Row let us look
at Massachusetts; and if what have said in refer
ence to the tendency to Capitalization be true or
true in any considerable degree, it must be ap.
parent TO everybody that the only anagonstic force
to that tendency is The preservation of municipal
system. Where else do we find IT? Orr counties
are broken up; they never Of that character
however, which would give any considerable re-
srant Our school districts those little democra-
ces as they were called by The gentleman from Err.
ving-are quite broken up, and are passing away
The only barrier which remains is 10 be found in our
town municipalities; and the character and repu.a-
ton of our town municipalities depend altogether
upon the preservation Of the right of representation
therein.
| think the gentleman from Boston, MIR Choate
said this morning, that there was no hostility be-
tween the town and the country. trust that there
is none, think there ought to be none. He said
that the state Is homogeneous 10 its characier-lhat
there is diversity in its nterests-tne interests of
the farmers, the mechanics, the merchants, and the
manufacturers were all and the same. Now /
ask that gentleman if he out Of the abundance
OF his generosity, grant the small towns the RIGHT of
representation which is endeared to them by the
traditions and the usages OF two centuries and which
Is important to the preservation of their character
elemental parts of The government of the State
But If there is any diversity of interest- they are
communities, having separate rights and distinct
interests from the rights and interests of the citizens
Of the large towns, say it is essential to the preser.
walton and to the progress of the whole Stale that
you should give them voice in the affairs Of the
Commonwealth And sir the right Of the small
towns to representation upon the floor of the House
of Representatives. has been discussed though the
House was the Government Ii is not so, by any
means. The House Of Representatives is but one
department, and however constituted the Executive
and Senate immediately and fully represent numbers
in the State.
Now, ask, what are Constitutions for, if not
for protection 10 minoritles? Majorities are
safe in the irresistible power which they them
selves possess; but Constitutions are established
and checks are placed upon the different depart
ments OF Government, for the protection Of mi
noritles. II there be no danger in giving to
majority of Commonwealth all this unlimited
pow er over the rights and interests of the minor
ity, is there any danger in carrying the doctrine
still further? The Judicial department of the State
is 10 represent The sovereignty Of the State; but
think the gentleman from Boston would shrink
from making the Judiciary Immediately Deepen
dent upon the people Why! Because he de-
sires check upon the exercise of their sovereign
authority in this respect 1t can be for no other
reason AS the sovereignty of the States is an
antagonIstc power, in our Federal Government,
to the tendency to Capitalization in this Union,
so is the power Of municipalities an anlagonis-
tic force to the tendency to Capitalization in the
Slate.
Sir, ii is in this State and upon this continent.
that the work OF Capitalization is gong on, and
will continue to go on, with a rapidly and pow
er unparalleled in any age of the world. The d.
vision ofEurope into separate States has had the
effect Of checking this tendency there, in great
degree; but we see that single city, like Paris,
has welded sufficient power 10 enable her tocon-
troll forty millions Of people. If gentlemen will
look at the pages ofhstory, they will see that the
Roman Emlre--extendlng from the island of
Great Britain, on the one hand, to Mesopotamia
on the other, and comprehending the unknown
provinces and states OF Germany on the North.
the holy Land, Egypt and Northern Africa upon
the Souih-was subject to the control Of a single
city in the Peninsula Of Italy. Does history
teach nothing upon this point? | venture to
assert that the government Of cites-and mean
no disrespect TO any city when say it--that the
government of cities is shown from the history Of
the world, to have been universally and uniform
ly bad; but history furnishes no instance in which
government vested IN the country, has ever
been exercised for the oppression of the CITY,
Never
Its upon this continent that-ihe work Of CEN
traIizaton is TO go on with more rapdity than it
has ever elsewhere Sir, look at the extent of our
railways; look al our great depois of commerce
and trade upon the Atlantic coast, in the valley Of
the Mississippi, and upon the Pacific ocean. The
largest cities IN the world, at this moment con
tam about thirteen millions Of inhabitants; and
taking the ratio 81 increase of our population
from 1910 to 1850, as basis, we may infer that
the largest cities upon the American continent,
will, in the year 1900, contain twenty-five mil
lions Of inhabitants. Therefore, this exraordin-
AIRY fact stands before US, thai within half CEN
fury America will have 0 cities, whose aggregate
population will exceed that Of any 9 cities in the
world; and with this population, who shall esti-
mate her commercial, civil, social, and political
a.