Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1856-01-24

annual 70 Diennial eeS2ionst 10 the OBVIOUS con-
iideraIion that while the sessions Of Congress
are annual. aud those Of the State Legislature
are only biennial. the regards Of The people
will be more and more absorbed By the form
er. and much less attracted BY the latter
No we'll wisher TO the 2ermanenee Of American
institutions, will desire TO augment the tenden-
ey, slready too apparent, towards the absorp-
ton Of the states in a centralized and cohsoli-
dated Federal Government.
The greater expense Of annual sessions is
sometimes argsd as an argumen. in favor Of
biennial; and every argument drawn from the
important principle of public economy. is GER
tsinly entitled to respectful consideration. Bat
| think il may well be affirmed, that. in this
instance, the argument from economy is not
valid. Without taking into the account the
cost to the State Of the mischief arising from
the delay Of needed legislation. it must be re.
membered that the accumulation, through two
years, of business demanding the attention Of
the General Assembly. will require protracted
sessions for its due consideration. The time
needed for Two annual sessions is not, necessa-
nly. greater than that required for one biennial
session. The argument from expense, there.
fore. may be readily ObViated by proper lin.
itation Of duration, and the question of prefer.
ence may be reduced to a simple choice, ire
spective Of expense. between limited annual
sessions, aud unlimited biennial with OCCASION
al extra sessions. My own judgment is so
thoroughly satisfied upon tie whole matter,
that cannot hesitate to recommend an amend.
ment OF the Constitution, providing for limited
annual sessions.
Your trst and mort earnest attention, gen.
tlemen, will doubtless be directed to the i'm
portant matters within the immediate sphere
of your legislative powers bat you cannot
forget that you represent sovereign State Of
the American Union, third Of the thirty-One,
in wealth and power. and population. and Sec
ond to none in patriotic devotion to the welfare
of the whole country. The appointment of a
Senator to represent the State in one branch Of
the American Congress devolVes upon you ,and
IN making this appointment you will necessari.
.ly be required to consider the interests of
Ohio as member of the Union.
Foremost among these interests is the pres
ervation of the Union itself. Established by
the wisdom of our Fathers for the sublinest
and noblest political ends. it tesceuds to us as
sacred trust. Under its benign influence
our country has steadily advanced from siren 9Th
to strength. and from greatness to greatness,
extending her borders. enlarging her resources,
and augmenting her power, until the name Of
American citizen has become a oblsr distinc-
lion than was the name Of Roman citizen in
the proudest days of the mightiesl republic of
antiquity. To maintain the integrity of the
Union to defend the Constitution which i:
its bond and to guard against all invasion
from whatever quarter those American Institu
lions which the Union and the Constitution Sc
cure to US. have ever been, and trust vii
ever be, acknowledged as sacred obligation,
by the people of Ohio.
Cherishing these sentiments and ever pre-
pared to give full proof Of unwavering fidelity
to them, it is not only right but our duty 10 in
sist that the interests of Ohio shall he duly
regarded in the administration of the General
Government. Fex States contribute so large
ly to the national revenues as our own. The
people of Ohio has paid 10 the Federal Govern
ment or to its grantees, for the soil which they
occupy and cultivate, more than thirty mil
lions of dollars. OF the revenue derived from
duties we contribute necessarily in proportion
to our numbers. As the population of our
State is about one-tenth of the entire popula-
lion of tue Union, we pay about one
tenth of that revenue. Its entire amount for
the last year exceeded sixty millions of fdollars.
The proportion of Ohio was of course six
millions.
While we have thus paid for the very soil
we live on, an amount which no other people
has ever paid under like circumstances, or un-
der any circumstances, and while we still con-
trib1te thus amply and freely to the annual
revenue. it is not an agreeable reflection that,
of all the States in which the General Govern.
ment has asserted a proprietary right to the
soil, Ohio has received the least in grants oil
lands for education, improvement, and other
like purposes; and that while millions are ex-
pended for the protection and benefit of com.
merce on the Ocean coasts of the Republic, the
property and lives Of our own people are ex.
posed to continual peril and enormous loss upon
our Rivers and our Lakes for the wan; of COM
paratively Insignificant appropriations for the
channels and harbors. The injustice Of unequal
grants of lands is perhaps beyond remedy
but it viii be our own fault if our Rivers anG
HGrbors continue to be thus neglected.
While in these aud many other important
details of administration the interests OF oul
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