The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-01-26
A New Democratic Compromise.

Hon. Daniel Z. sickles, of New York, Hon
Thomas b. Florence, of Pennsylvania, and other
Democratic worthless Of the present House, who
are to be members no more forever, seeing that
the Union 10 TO receive no succor in the present
House by any AFFECT compromise, have invented
a new panacea, which certainly has no merccnary
motives in it, inasmuch as it is no less than
proposition for the present House to leave their
comfortable seats on the 2lst of February, for
new Congress TO be elected Between now and
that time. IL these men were in majority the
proposition would show much nagnanmity,-a
disposition to consult the popular will, highly
prsiseworlhy but when we consider that it is
a minority which proposes to resign, we begin
to be O LITTLE incredulous 1t would be very
nice arrangement st every election when party
finds itself beaten, to propose to the majority to
try the contest over again, but we appretend
that the victorious party would demur.
We propose to extend the proposition. All
the reasons why the House should resign apply
to the Senate also. So let the House resign.-
Let Mr.. Bigler resign TO the Legislature which
has just elseted Mr. Gowan, or Mr. Douglas to
that which has Just reelected Mr.. TrunSuil'
How would the Little Giants like that? And
let Mr. Buchanan resign and give US an oppor-
tunity to pat in better man. The whole scheme
cmits strong odor of humbug
But if the thing j. really a serious proposal
we see many objections. The result is not worth
the strife. There are few men who are aEie or
willing to go through an excited canvass for the
poor boon OF fortnight in Congress 1t tie
present members should wisl to be reelected
thev must necessarily be absent among their con
-tituents and leave their present duties, espe-
cially those from the Northwest And is all this
trouble and neglect Of the public business eors'
pensated by short Congress which could hardly
be organized before it expired, and whose laws
might be in uoment repealed by its successor.
But to prevent delay the plan is to keep the
present officers in their positions But Suppose
Speaker Pennington should fail of reelection,
as is probable, what them He could not De
Speaker without being member. And then
South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi
and Florida would not vote, being as they say,
no longer parts OF the Union
Thus thousand objections might be Offered
which it would be hard to answer. But greater
than all others Is the fact that the House of
Representatives, under the present ratio of sp
portionment, does not express the will OF the
people tits regulated under the census of 1850
which ten years bas made to be an unfair basis.
Under it Florida with her less than one hundred
thousand inhabit,nts, free and slave, would have
half the power of the great State of Iowa with
nearly seven hundred thousand freemsn. We
submit, of course, to this inequality, because it
is lawful and Constitutional and perhaps neces
sary, as the North Arrays submits, without amur'
mur, but when any innovations are proposed we
should insist an equal and equitable arrange
ment Until some such disposition is shown on
both sides such tricks as this upon which we are
commenting, will only excite our contempt.