Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-03-18

lox, and The expense attending the extra
Sc ssis,n. no, less than $50 100, would have
been superseded. One hun,ired and fifty
Thousand dollars is'G'big suir 10 be paid
by psople already having cause TO COM
plain Of their public burdens, for the in>
dslgence of revolutionary tendency and
| prcjudiccs of a few public servants But
the public money thus squandered and
lost is not, by any means, the worse fes>
! turc in the case. The utter disregard Of
public Official obligations, the spirit of
| lawlessress aud crime: the reckless deter
mination of minority ~ subordinate the
highest functions of government to un>
reasoning pftlS,ice and passion ; are acts
~ the msst alarming import, and, unless
,hs people, in their wisdom end paiiot-
ism, promptly arrest and sternly retuke
such tcndsncies, consequences the most
cSlsmi,ous in their character will be the
result. Obedience to the constitute ard
tie laws made in pursuance Of them, is the
ooly hope OF free republican govern>
uqent. end when the representatives of the
pDsple Withhold that obedience, the pee
p)e themselves musfsee TO itrhai that obe-
djence shall be rendered by such rccusani
representatives or others elected in their
sksh.
That passion and prejudiccs controlled
abd directed the counsels OF these revo>
ltsionsry members there is no proof needs
q, other than the fact that they had not
The slightest assurance that il hey had re
usined in their places the constitutional
anendmeBt caujd have been ratified and
accepted by the Legislature. II even
spong probability sf lis pssssse would
hive been the slightest jus,ifcsiiun or
Sology Cor their revolutionary conduct
= the eouse of Representative it might
&d probably would have received the
nquisise nnnber Of yo,es; bu, in the Sem
q there ms no assufsnce that more than
oFeusy>ahree votes could be relied upon
= i,s favor. Every Denocrss in that body
&ould have voted IgAinst IT. There were
Dirty Rqpubiicsn Senators, enc confined
= his bed by illness. with no hope sf ev-
= aesm bsiug up; three had already de>
cared ,hsaaselves Agains the measure, and
Arse mare who would not commit ,hen>
elves to IL, either one way or the other.
but were understood to be personally op>
posed to IL.
Such Was the state Of things in which
the Republican majority OF the L6gisls
ture resolved to 60 straight forward in the
discharge of duty, which was TO gote On
tho amendment. leaving 'cSnsc4uences to
the people and the future. The Repub-
Ticsus were uncertain as 10 tic result; the
Democrats were ignorant; the former pro-
posed to follow the path OF duty; the ls''
ter determined to involve all in ruin, rath>
er than comply With their solmen obliga
tion, 80 long ~ such compliance might
conflict With them per.onal prejodicc !
This is the questionable virture and pat
ris.ism mt nourisfsd and developed, in
its power for evil, the late rebellion: it is
The political material beneath which all
free governments have heretofore been
buried. and wise and judicious people
will look well 10 II that the ssma means
shsil not be esnpioyei for oar overthrow
which are found mingled with the ruin.
of the republics of former ages. But in
cxcusably crimn.i are these men, since it's
an acknowledge doctrine Of the Democrat
ic party, that an amendment To the Con
s.itcticn, ratified by one Legislature, may
BE- repealed by succeeding one. Ohio
and New jersey acted in this way on the
fourteenth Amendment, and these Indiana
Democrats should have had like conf
dence in the continuing wisdom of their
friends IN the Ststs. But our Democrats
s-e reckless 10 war, and in peace woulu
overwhelm us with evils that we bsrely
escaped in the darkest hours of the Re-
public.
Little do they care that an unnecessary
election must be held IN half the countless
and still greaier loss to THE thousands of
people who are thus called needlessiv TO
the polls; bat they shamelessly censure
Governor Baker because be did not hx
the election for these shameless Senators
and Representatives an the day Of the
April elections. They knew that the APP
propriations heretofore made ell expire on
the LIST Of March, and that, after that PEI
Rod, the Governor wonld have to borrow
msney to meet the current expenses or
draw upon funds 10 the Treasury In viola
ton.
They profess q very great desire tc re>
fer this question to the people, when they
know, OF ought to knew, that the people,
in making and adopting the Constitution
Of the U. s., au'horizcj Congress to pros
iirr,5se amendments 10 thai instrument and
refer them TO I he State Legislature for
ratification or rejection. They know, or
ought to know, that the representatives
i of the people in Congress adopted this
amendment in strict conformity to the
/ Constitution and the mode therein pre-
] scribed, and that Il ssSi pfoperly certified
to the Governor OF the State, and oy him
faithfully submitted 10 the servants Of the
people In The General Assembly. III OF
this they know; they knew their duty and
did il not, but culminate the Hsjority in
the Legislature because they, too. would
not, In like fAithiess manner, by agree
meut With them, abandon their seat .'pf
duty and service, to engage in worse
than useless contest over an exciting
question, before the people, when the
highest authority, that OF the people
speaking through the Ionstitution, had
clothed the Legislature with the power to
dispose Of the matter.
! How will II be when this special elec>
sioa is over, and majority, perhaps, Of
Il D.. - a