American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1860-03-15
The Adjourned Session. (

Ing Vineinnaa dazet1e speAKmg OF me
adjourned session says: "GrAye reasons
OfpubliC duty mus. always be supposed 70
scLuaie wise legislalogV iO ~ thsir Official
dOings, This is particularly, the ease Ss 70
all their acts ofa very dellbetats ehasactsr.
Most excellent grounds, thetsfOte, we are
obliged to assume exist for the latest deter,
thipaliCn Of our Legislature iu,Fegsrd to ths
adjodrDsd session, That body has fully
dsliberated the question. for I. has beep
Alnos. constantly talking the matter over.
from the first day Of its ASSEMBLING. until
now. 1t has heard both sides. i has
se.llsd the question both ways. It has
stood long. too, in q state Of betweeni,y
and non committalism. The Legislature
has full opportunity, therefore, to "under.
stand herself, That wise aud digniisd
body has likewise been fully informed as
to the WILL OF TIE PEOPLE on this impor
tsnt point. And it has deliberately de.
fed the nearly or quite unanimous wish Of
the, ,soye1eigns aforesaid. Of course. all
this hao been done for the bss. Of reasons.
We ara neveFtbelsSs, almost painfully so>
licitous, for fuller jnfotmatIo4 on this point.
both on our, owp, account, and that Of the
majority Of the Legislature, whose patriotic
and self.den!ing determination to serve
the public for another session. is. greatly
liable to fail Of due appreciation. ualeSs
more clearly explained, era
We have tried to satisfy ourselves that
there are grave financial" obstacles 10 the
way Of holding bur one session in two
years. We hsve heard, as yet. no .argu.
msnt having even the appearance Of validi.
ty, other than this. Itmust be true. then,
that our present Democratic Constitution,
which the people have refused 10 amend SC
as to authorize annual sessions, is radically
defective. Probably that is So And there
are uuquestionably' & o cd Democratic
precedents for this kind of "informap
amendment by legislative assumption
Yet we must be pardoued lor not being
able to discover with perfect clearness, a
financial" emergency of the kind alleged
when our prudent and ssgacious legislator;
who have their minds specially directed
to the subject. we're in a like state OF igno
rance for. two whole months. For. il
Fpoiut Of fact, ,aflet, sitting during that pc
riod Of time. labSriodsly addressing them
selves to the discussion of'this very matter
from week.to week, our Intelligent legisla
tors positively resolved not to hold au ad
bourIed session. And we are likewise Al
q loss to discover any Other good reason
for re7assemblingi 10 January. 1861. which
was no. equally as aPp&ett to our eplight
eued Legislators when they last voted no
as when they last voted Ly.e A.
We desire the members 81. IBIS Legisla'
ture to go home--not prernaturely or, 10
uudue haste, Of coirse-with conscious
ness OF meriting a cordial welcome AND
Iindorse ment from their constituents. .Bu
we frankly own that we cannot promise
any such reception to those members, whe
have thus repudia,ed the known wishe.
Of those who elected them. unless we Gan
be furnished with some more plausible
reason, to be urged in their behalf. W.
should be sorry to have the people forced
TO conclude that the motive was purely
selfish one. or that a majority Of our legis
lators are so fodd Of wearing the honor
and exercising the func tons Of la aw-mskinl
sovereigps, that they cannot consent to re
tire into private life. at the end of thi
session. as the constitution plainly pro
yides, and lsave,i It TO tue discretion of tn
Governor to call them together again
should any real emergency. "fuancisl" o
otherwise, REQUIRE SO costly proceeding