Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-11-07

tates it should be done. (applause.) The man,
gentlemen, who will yield to such mandate, for
the poor rewards of office, is too mean even to
have been Tory, in the days of the Revolution.
loud Cheers.) In Austria, at this moment, he
would be a servile sycOphant at the foot OF the
throne; and, wherever he may be, he is it only
to be slave. cloud applause) | trust that
Massachusetts, will come out well from this trial,
as she has from many in past years, and that the
spirit of the RevOlutiOun will rise up at the
sound of this rapping from the seat of govern
ment. (Applause.)
Gentlemen, the Council has also been made
elective and l do not understand that this
change in the Constitution is regarded by any,
otherwise than wise and beneficial | need
not allude more particularly to those propositions
which meet the general appreciation oil all par
ties of the community; at least which no
portion of the community openly venture to OPP
pose.
l come now to that subject about which much
has alreadS been said, by my friend, who opened
the discussion of this evening, and about which
you have heard and read so much. tits The great
subject of discussion, and, upon the decision of
the people on this matter, depends the question
whether the Constitution shall be adopted lost.
speak of the subject of representation. You
know very well, that certain changes were made
in the Constitution, some thirteen years ago, by
the people of this Commonwealth, by which the
representation of towns was considerably mod
fed yet the change, at the time it took place,
did not violate the right which most towns in the
Commonwealth had, of sending representative
to the General Court every year, nearly every
year.
The evils which have since been found to exist,
then comparatively slight, result from the ope-
ration of causes, unforeseen by the friends of the
constitutional change in 1910, and which have
proved to be, in various parts of the State highly
injurious and oppressive. And since that time, in
consequence of the construction of railroads, of
the increase of various branches of business, and
of the great immigration from abroad, the popu.
lation of this State has increased in far greater
ratio, than was dreamed of in 1910, when the last
amendment on the subject OF representation was
adopted. The consequence is, that, at the pres
ent day, one hundred and thirty nine towns in
this Commonwealth, or about one half of the
whole number,are deprived of the right of annual
representation. Great as this evil is, the pros
pect for the future is still more appalling Seven
years hence, when, under the provisions of the
present Constitution, another census shall be
taken, it will be found that not less than $50
towns in this Commonwealth, considerably more
than majority of the whole number, will be de-
prived of that right; and, according to the rate
ofincrease of population which has taken place
within the past ten years, this evil will go on in
creasing, until the power of the Commonwealth,
so far as the House of Representatives is con-
cerned, will be placed in the possession and keep
ing of a very few cities and large towns.
This, gentlemen, was an evil not to be borne.
The people had come to the conclusion, long
y.
They endeayOred to effect it through the legisla-
ture, by means of the constitutional provision
which made legislative amendments, when adopt
ed by the people, to be of binding force. But
majority of two-thirds of two successive legisla-
lures, i'll that case, was required, and the conse-
quence was, the defeat of every amendment. No
remedy remained, but a Convention of the people,
to new-model the Constitution, and adapt it to
their present and future wants. 1t was a matter
of great difficulty; subject upon which there
were various and conflicting views 1t was one,
therefore. upon which there must be some degree
of compromise; and the result has been such
as the Convention, after much discussion
and long elaboration, were able to arrive at
BY it, the most of the towns which had been
deprived of their right to an annual representa-
tiOn have had that privilege restored to them,
and provision is made to prevent the increase of
the evil of town representation i'll the future.
And now, gentlemen, it is for the people of the
Commonwealth to say, whether these 1879 towns
shall be deprived of their right of representation,
and not only this, but whether, in 1860, there
shall be $50 towns, thus deprived of this right, or
whether this evil which has gone on so far, shall
be allowed to go no farther; and the corrections
which the Convention have seen fit to suggest,
shall be Immediately applied to it. What are the
objections believe that none who are III favor
of town representation, have pretended that the
Convention did not parcel out the right of repre-
sentation, as carefully and as wisely as it could be
done, acting upon that principle. But, yet there
is a large party in the Commonwealth speak
not of political parties-claiming to be even
majority, who say thet they will adhere to what
they call the generated Constitution" and who
begin and end their meetings with cheers for that
same ''venerated Constitution" They say the
evils shall continue-that the remedy shall not
be applied, certainly not if you preserve
town representation, Now my friends, it
is no small thing--I appeal to you--to
deprive one half of the towns of this Common
Of nj in hoT
slature. 1t is right, which they enjoyed under
the old Constitution-the generated Constitu-
tom of 1880. 1t is a right which they acquired
before that Constitution was adopted, and one
which would seem to be essential to the citizens
of a free republic. But, the complaint is, that, if
you adopt the new Constitution, you give the
small towns in the State disproportionate repre-"
sentation in the House; that you do not give to
the large cities the number of representatives,
prOpOrtionate to the number which senGs a repre-
sentative from the small towns. Well, gentle
men, the fact is so. There is, undoubi edly, a
numerical inequality, in the plan proposed for
your adoption But, they who regard num-
ercal equality as the great object to be
attained, do not look carefully at the princi-
pies which should lie at the foundation of a gov.
eminent for the people. Numerical equality is
one clement, but it is only one, in the Consttu-
ton OF the Legislature. There other circum-
stances, growing out of the history and condition
Of State, more important to be considered, Of
tentlmes, than mere numerical equality. | hold
that the continuance of the evil, of depriving so
many towns in the Commonwealth, of the right
OF representation, is one, which cannot be iusti-
fed, that it is not question to be settled upon
principles of expediency, but to be determined by
regard to right and that, every year, in which
this oppressive state Of things is continued we
actually deprive many towns in the Common
wealth. of important and dearly cherished rights
Much of the capital. which the orators have en-
poyed and carried about the Commonwealth in
opposition to the doings of the Convention, is
made by referring to the small towns, which, by
the plan put forth by the Convention, will be en-
titled to representation They take extreme
cases. They refer, for instance to the town of
New Ashford, one of the smallest towns in the
Commonwealth, and complain that the largest
towns are not invested with power of represen-
tation, proportionate TO that which the town of
New Ashford will be permitted to exercise
Gentlemen, if this were to be determined BY
mere reference to figures, l admit the correctness
Of the conclusions to which our opponents come.
But our fathers did not reason az they do. Our
fathers, from the commencement, gave to the
small towns, well as to the large, the right of
representation in the General Court, not only
under the rpuublican form which ,vo nn,v have