The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-02-19

a0aAI amtAN0
For nine months. lhe three Smelling
'Comni.tees Of The Ohio f.egi!lsture have
been in travail. From The ikbhdef which
the people heard, most terrific storm was
expected when lh5 extra session met and
the delivery was accomplished. Gfthe roeks
were not to be rent, we certuinly were led
10 believe that the whole Democratic 'farty
;,roVla be, and its scattered fragments become
the sport Of those intellectual giants-the
!, Nsedhams and the BrOWHs, who hold coun
sells in the legislative Halls Of the State
These committees were appointed Tor the
express purpose Of arraigning, trying, and
conyicting the Democratic party. They en-
tered upon their labors with ths full deter.
minatIon to do il. By every means, fair and
foul, charges Of corruption were to be sus-
tained. Now that the work is over. and
men have time to examine for themselves,
il is found that the uDprincipled attempt to
make out case against the late Democrat
ic Office holders, has failed. most signaily
failed. Focovcr their shame aud make good
their retreat, they now propose to direct the
public mind to other objects, hoping that in
the mean time their most dtsastrous'cimpaign
of the summer un6 fall may be forgotten.
And what is the enterprise, now put in
motion by these political S9rhems-these
sacred guardians of the public welfare! vt
is nothing moreorless than u'tstuI rspuI!G
tiOn Of NE truetsef The Stcte in re
,oard'to lie PsikJic WORKS. The party which
denounced in such bitter terms what they
alleged was violation OF plighted faith, in
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
which permits and protects banking institu.
tions to 60 exempt from taxation because OF
their chur:ereG powers, noD, BY an act o.
Legislation, publicly proposes to disregard
rnd violate the agreements entered into by
the State in pursuance'of law, snt thus by a
single blow sink 'tha UreHt and'honor Of the
Commonwealth, and bring stigma upon the
peope'wlich viii notbe Grgotten for years.
h viii be remembered that three years
ago, qaw was enacted empowering the
Board to rcuse the Public Works of the
Stateto reliable and responsible bidders. In
pursuance of this authority, contracts of
lease were duly entered into, between the
State on one side, and responsible and ex
perienced men on the other. This was a
pra ctical and economical movement. By
the contract system, the sum of $93 900 an
'nually, was sived to the people. The re-
pairs on the works were carried on with the
energy ana force of individual enterprise,
and everything was moving on prosperously
and hormoniously. The Republicans, not
satisfied with this state OF things, NOW pro-
pose Reputation! 4.5
II there is one idea which the peoplemore
earnestly despise than any other, 1t 'is that
of Reputation. There is a sense of honor
in every honest mans bosom, which leads
INN to rpurn with contempt any effort Of
the kind. 1T is mean In man to repudiate
his solemn contract, und none but a villain
will ever do it. It is still more dishonora.
BILE in government. Those States of the
union which have repudiated their debts
have become by-words among the people
And yet such is the hunliatiDg position in
which the present Legislature is about to
place the citizens Of Ohio; and this, too,
without even unprecedented good to result
therefrom.