Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-01-29

tives for vote of "a 25I, or one for every
1909. Therefore. while under this bill i
takes 8, lis Democratic votes for one Rep
resentative, it only requires 1909 Repub
lican votes for one Representative--the Re
publican coming some 500 under the ratio
of $3.50, while the Democratic district.
are more than 72O over in each instance
Thus: 34,251 Republicans get nineteea
members in the House, while 40, 815 Dem
ocrats get only sirteeni business anc
fairness indeed What names to couple
with such bill of abominationsl Again
we find the vote for Buchanan in this STATE
to be 1869, and the entire vote of tht
opposition 116, 1862, giving the Democrats
a majority of 1,9l0, which should in jus
tice entitle us 10 half the members II
each House. But instead thereof, under
this bill, the Democracy gets but 81 or %
Senators, "A to 10 Representatives. Wha
fairness. Take ratio of 2, $50, which is
correct, and multiply it by forty five, and
we have only los, $50 Democratic votes,
while they, with So members, should have
129, $50 votes, which every one knows they
have not got.
This, Sir, gives majority of the votes
of Indiana, majority in the Legislature
a proposition unparalleled for audacity, en-
tirely opposed to the spirit and letter of our
institutions. and Unprecedented 10 the his
tory of Indiana legislation. We have been
told that as condition to the passage of
the bill raising the salary of our Governor.
this Apportionment Bill must become a
law. Sir, | have no authority vested in me
to speak the will and wish of the Democrat
ic party on this subject, but 1 can say for
the Democratic members on this side of
the Chamber, that such threats will fail to
force us into the support of this bill of in
EQUITIES. We will let the salaries of all off.
GERS stand as they now stand before we will
be co-erced into the support of any such
measure as this. They have lived upon
the present salaries and can continue to do
so. and doubt not but they are willing to
do so, rather than that the Democratic
members OF either body should vote for a
til so unjust as the one under considera-
ton | viii vote for fair and equitable
BILL We Of the South, know are gradu-
ally losing our power, while that power is
tending to the Central and the North; but
it is an outrage upon us in the South, so to
gerrymander the State as to defraud US out
of five or SIX members in the House and
six or eight in the Senate.
I have not time, sir, to expose all the
enormities Of this 'lair and JUST bill;
have only time to show few of them
When the fiimsy gauze that covers i. shall
have been entirely stripped from it. and the
whole rotten and Ubiquitous thing laid bare
to the public gaze, it will meet a fate as de-
served as will be the fate of its authors
They tell us that the present apportionment
is wrong--perhaps il is. But two years
since bill passed this body, apportion-
ing the State. 1t was sent to TIE House.
where it was allowed to sleep until So late a
day, as to exclude the Senate from action
upon its amendment. Another thing, sir
The opposition passed a bill in the House,
which provided for 101 Representatives.,
one more than the Constitution allows, and
in this bill they left the county of Dubois
out entirely Such was fusion sagacity
then But they have improved greatly
since; for they now give US bill providing
for oil the counties. but so arranging them
as to give the Republicans large majority
in the Legislature, while their party is
largelyy in minority in the State | have
but this to say to Republican Senator'S in
Conclusion: Although You have the pow
er on this floor to pass this bill. there is
in the other end of this Capitol majority
of honorable gentlemen who will place their
feet upon the monster and strangle this
bantling of Black Republicanism. Here
the Democracy are powerless. We are in
the minority. But, sir, we are not con-
qucred nor can we be. The opposition
may vote us down, and pass bills over our
heads-they may trample the customs and
usages of this body under foot-they may
insult the Governor and the President of
this Senate-in word they may do Gas
seemeth good unto them they may, and
will, pass this bill as itis-but they canrot
swerve the Democratic Senators from their
rights nor prevent them from exposing to
the public gaze the enormities of tho ma
jority.
When YOU give us time to examine this
bill, and to amend il as it should be, will
vote fori.. So will every Democratic Sen
ator upon this floor. We are threatened
for our action; yet, sir. l tell he gentlemen
of the opposition that this never can become
law. Sir, we will appeal to the people in
this matter. and they will sustain us who
hold in their hands the destinies ofthe State
and instead of having fourteen Republi.
cans elected to this body next year, we
shall have but ten--being quite differ
ence from this appointment Bill. Two
years from now predict that both branch
es Of the Legislature. and all the State off
GERS will be Democratic. Then will tie
wheels of government roll on again, unre-
tarded by revolutionary Senates, or insub-
ordinate State officials.