Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-03-09
ColuMpvs, Eeb. ~, 1855.

Dear Islegraph-- Nothing of special
importance has been done in the Legisla-
ture since our last-at least, no important
bills have been enacted into laws! One
measure of great promise has, however,
been passed by the House; and, strange
as it may seem, it is the special measure
of the terrible Prof. Monroe, of Oberlin,
and, stranger still, it had the unusual fa-
vor of an unanimous vote! Itis the "Re- !
form School Bill" of which we may
hereafter speak. What it's fate may be
in the Senate, we cannot tell, but hope it
may receive the same consideration. and |
favor there that it did in the House.
A perfect Calhoun, Lecompton swindle
has been introduced into the House, in the !
form of bill, from the Democratic ma
jority of the Penitentiary Committee. 1t
appoints the Governor and Chief Justice
r.. w. Bartly and w. B. Woods, Speaker
of the House, board for the appoint
ment of Directors, Wardens, and officers
of the Institution---a majority Of the
three to act! The object is freely avowed
to be the removal of the present able and
efficient officers, and the appointment Of
Democratic partisans in their place. The
present law provides for the removal Of
these officers for any sufficient cause
Every effort has been made to find even
pretext for thei: removal, but in vain.
1t is admitted by the majority that the In
stitution never had ADLER or more honest
officers; but there are a set of hungry
cormorant leeches, who have fed upon
the Treasury until they claim prescrpt-
i've right to be supported by the public,
and who threaten dire calamities to the
party if they ara not provided for; and to
make places for these, all the ordinary par
tisan pretexts are waived, and a bold,
naked. monstrous proposition introduced,
that has no parallel outside of Calhoun's
Lecompton Constitution.
1t is true, the appointments are appa-
rently given to the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court and the Speaker of the
House, Lut it is given to these officers
only so long as they are filled by T. w.
BARLEY and w. B. Woods, and as these
gentlemen are not likely to hold these
offices forever, and there is no other ap-
pointing power in the bill, one of two
things must result: either these men, when
they become private citizens, will be
clothed with absolute power over the In
s,itution, without limit as to time, and
with no provision for their removal; or
the officers appointed by them are created
permanent directors. That such a result
is contemplated, seems evident from an-
other section of the bill, for it is provided
that the Warden, and other persons so
appointed, shall hold their places until
their SUCCESSORS are chosen. But as no
authority is given to any department of
the Government to choose successors, it
follows that, should the said BARLEY and
Woods cease to hold their present Offices,
or die, their appointees are, to all intents
and purposes, an irresponsible and per-
manent oligarchy. The worst feature of
the Calhoun Dictatorship IS eclipsed by
tLeir Democratic proposition. Whether
it can be forced through remains to be
seen.
The following spunky little "let off"
we cut from the Statesman" and second
the motion, with an amendment, striking
out the word Democracy" in the fifth
line, and inserting "people" in its place:
"The quid nuncs about Washington
say the success of the Lecompton Con-
stitution in Congress is ''fxed fact"
Very well. Let it go through. II will
afford the Democracy Of the Northwest
a first rate chance to show the country
how to bring good out of evil---too good
a chance to be lost Let it GO through as
quickly as possible. The stirring up the
people of this nation, which will follow
that outrage, will be healthy. Let it
come, we repeat-we are getting impa
tient."
For the benefit of the Democracy of
little Meigs, we also cut from the Estates
man" the call for the great convention on
the 10th of March. Will the Democracy
please study, mediate upon, and duly di
gest the several "becauses" in this docu-
ment set forth, and then act accordingly?
This is not ouI funeral, and we claim no
right in the procession; but our sympa-
thies induce us to give the Obituary" a
free insertion. The call is signed by
"Governor" Payne, and as many more as
the Statesman" had room for. Well,
personally, we have no objection, but will
be glad to see the show, provided it can
be conducted without war, without hum
bug, and without a cowardly "back down."