Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-02-29
Columbus Correspondence,
CoLuMBUs, Feb. 25, 1860.

votes taken show that many members are
unsettled in their opinion, and do not real
ly know what they want. Most of the
members from the South and Southwest are
extremely urgent in favor of the adjourn
ment, and they manifest q solicitude in re-
gard to it which has 4 great influence upon
those whose position is not very determined
ly taken. They say that a large portion
of their constituency are so lukewarm in
their Rcpublicanism that a refusal to grant
them the adjourned session for the purpose
of re-districting the State will probably
defeat the party in that locality. To keep
these members quiet in the party harness,
some of the most ardent Republicans of the
Reserve have yielded their convictions as to
their policy of the measure, and acted with
the Southwest. Twice the adjournment
was voted down in the Senate, but yester-
day a motion to reconsider was made, and
in spite Of every honorable opposition a
resolution was passed fixing an adjourn
ment on 18th March, to meet again Janu-
airy LIST, 1861. The vote on the resolution
was as follows:
(See Legislative Summary
My own feeling at this result has been
that of deep chagrin; but l cannot regard
the action as final. Even if the House of
Representatives concur in the resolution,
which is very doubtful, it will run many
risks of RECESSION before the present session
is ended. fit should stand, however, it
must be regarded as a measure insisted
upon by the Southern part of the State for
local reasons, and not one which Is the
choice of the Republican majority of the
assembly. 1 am well assured that all the
members from your district will resist the
final acquiesccnce in the resolution, even at
the risk of being charged with factiousness
in doing so.
You have already noticed the Senate re-
peal of the visible admixture' law, but it
viii hardly be believed that men were to
be found, nOminally in the Republican
ranks, who not only voted but strenuously
argued against the repeal of this odiOus
law which has been unanimously declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of
the State. The repeating act is now before
the House, and the same fogy clique will
do their worst to defeat it there.
The Senate have also passed the Kid
mapping Law of 1857, which was repealed
by the Legislature, and that act has also
been sent to the House. The debate on
the bill was one sided, the regular Repub-
licans declining to make speeches, and
leaving the opponents of the measure to do
all the talking. Senator Harrison of Mad
ison Co. spoke against the bill and acted
with the Democrats throughout, notwith-
standing the fact that he was confronted
with his own record, showing his vote
against the repeal of the act in the last
LEGISLATURE. Then he acted with the reg
ular Republicans in all respects; now he
manifcsts amost singular disposition to act
as regularly with our enemies.
The interest law has again been up in
the Senate, a new bill having been intro
duscd to allow a conventional rate of eight
per cent. to be contracted for. The bill
shared the same fate as the ten per cent
law, but the vote which killed it was re-
considered to allow its friends the benefit
of a fuller Senate than was present at the
time.
A bill has also passed the senate allow
ing to Justices of the Peace small fees on
money collected by them without legal pro-
cess, and permitting them to charge the
person for whom the collection is made,
twenty-five cents on sums not over twenty
five dollars, and fifty cents on larger sums
The House of Representatives has under
consideration the bill suspending the School
Library tax, which was passed by the Sen
ate sometime since, and the debate has
been earnest and prOtracted. The proba-
bility now is that the law will be repealed
rather than suspended, though the friends
of the library arc rallying to the support
with great vigor.
The House also spent nearly a week dis
cussing the Senate bill to authorize a sale
of the charter and franchises Of the Mari
eta Rail Road, under a foreclosure of their
mortgages. The bill has been opposed as
unconstitutional in that it gives new spec
ial corporate powers, contrary to the pro-
visions of the article of the constitution
which forbids the granting of any corporate
powers by special act. Your readers will
remember that a similar question was raised
when the Atlantic & Great Western Rail
road, had a bill before the last legislature, =.
to obtain an amendment to their special
charter so as to enable them to pass by ]
Warren if they chose to do so. In both g..
these cases the Companies have been sue !
cessfvl with the Legislature, but the Su-
preme Court has yet to pass upon the vexed
question.
The present Legislature has i~naugurated
one reform which has been much needed. i
1t has adopted a systematic opposition to
the creation of municipal debts. Hosts of :
bills have been introduced which were in ,
tended to allow different cities and villages 5
to Issue bonds and create debts for succeed i
ing generations to pay. Nearly every one t
of these bills has been summaIily decapi- '
tated, and the good work still goes on. +
The Convention to nominate delegates J
to Chicago, is an engrossing topic of con- s
versation. No enc seems to doubt that !
Nr. Chase is the almost unanimous choice Of
the people of Ohio, and his presidential