Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-04-23
THE RUTLAND HER AID
FRIDAY. APRIL Il, lsGS,
rne richisan Election.

The MICHIGAN Election,
The question: is frequently a'kel, wha
Va, the i,suo aud cau,e ii the defeat il
tho recent election ia Michigan onl
yesterday thu. question wa> submitted I,
MS, and finding 'herr i. some Nant 90
knowledge Of ,hr subject, AMI especially
Of the position Of tn Republican part!
a. the recent election, it may not he un
interesting a. present few ct the lead
ing fact, in connection with this sub
iect Tho people ui Michigan have dur
Ing the past year held e Constitutions
Convention which submitted 70 the pcopl,
for their approval or rejection, hya d.
rect vote, new constitution, II related
u the internal aHtir, ~ that State, bu,
Of course few of the subjects presented
had national bearing, which had d Po-
litical aspect, Several Of the PROPOSE,
tions were new and q character that
led many 10 oppose them, both from Pc,
iitieai aud personal Feasaas, and IL dc,
feat before the people had been antici-
patcd for several weeks before the election
by its warnest friends, The opposition
70 il was of the most Heterogeneous char,
seter II embraced the most opposing
interests and hostile factions
II was voted against by the several
classes which we will cnumcrrtc so far a,
our observation and reading gives us an
opportunity TO judge II was opposed by
all the Conservatives and Democrats, be-
cause il made all the frecmen of the State
voters, and by several hundred Rcpubli-
cans for the same cause
II was also voted against by large
body of persons claiming 10 be a religious
denomination. because their was re-
quirement that the legislature shall be
opened with prayer" and the preamble
says something about "a reliance on
God"
BY another class of voters. because the
Constitution provided that no appeal
should be taken from the Board of Super
visors Of a county in relation To accounts
against the county for services
1t met also with a spirited opposition
from large and respectable class Of all
parties, because the constitution allowed
towns TO vote aid to railroad projects
The last Legislature was flooded with
bills legislating these town subscriptions
for building railroads, Gov Grape We
toed all these bills, and all the thousands
in the State who agreed with him voted
against the constitution This question
has divided the population Of every town
ship in the State, being one of direc, tax
alton.
II met opposition also from the great
majority of the prohibition party because
the present constitution authorizes the
prohibitory legislation, which the new
constitution will not permit, unless Sc
parate clause to that effect, which was
separately submitted to the people, was
adopted.
Another clause which doubled the |
salaries of nearly all the State officers, in.
duced many persons 10 vote against it.
From this statement il viii lie seen that
the defeat Of the new Constitution OF I
Michigan is hailed by the enemies Of
equal suffrage as grand triumph Of their
principles, or more properly their lack of
principles. That State, like Michigan.
which has fought in the front rank of the
army of freedom, should give majority /
of twenty-siN thousand against the en-
reimbursement of the few colorcd men
that compose portion Of its population,
was hardly to be believed, We feel con-
fdent, however, it depended upon the
local issues which entered into the con-
test, and which, OF course among the
people of that State assumed prominent
position and attracted but little attention
at ouI distance from the locality, and
hence their influence upon the contest
which has been ignored by those whose
interest it has been to keep il out of sight,
and is not sufficiently appreciated by us.
From this view Of the subject, it viii be
seen that local, rather than political
causes operated in the defeat Of the new
Constitution, which consequently carried
with it the national question Of equal suf-
frage,