Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-01-19
TERMs:--s2.Oo per Year in Advance.
Editorial Notes from the State Capital.

The tone and temper OF the political
manifestation in the Legislative move
ments of the past week, have visibly
cheered and encouraged the Republi.
cans here, and indicate, that while
there may be a few lingering
clouds of doubt in the armament o.
our hopes, there is a reasonable pros,
pect of success in regard to the passage
of the 18th Amendment and the re.
peal of the obnoxious partizan meas,
ures which we were forced to swallow
during the last preceding sessions
The Senate let in a glorious streak Of
daylight, the past week, by passing 8
bill TO repeal the visible admixture
law and by also adopting the joint
resolution for the ratification of the
XVIII Amendment. The Hamilton
county Republican Senators have
proved true to the faith, and may be
depended upon to cordially cooperate
with the Republicans on political
questions. On Wednesday and Thurs
day, in the House, four of the five
members elected on the Hamilton
fusion ticket, as Republicans, voted
with US on every question involving
a political consequence. And at this
writing the Republicans of the House
are feeling in a more hopeful mood
than We have seen them in for two
years, while on the other hand the
Democrats are looking as blue as al
indigo bag, and by their conduct show
that they are conscious the sceptre of
dominion which they swayed imperi-
ously over our heads for two long win
tiers, in these halls, has been wrested
from them, and that the Republicans
are now the proud masters of the sit
uation. With the evidences of fealty
exhibited by the Hamilton Republi-
can Representatives, We SEE no reason
to seriously question the fate of the
XVIII Amendment, which we conf
IDENTIFY expect will be formally ratified
by the Legislature of Ohio within one
week from this date. To-day friday
the Senate adopted the 18th Amend
ment by the close vote of 19 yeas and
Is nays. The coming week it will be
brought before the House, and of
course the Democrats will strain them
selves to their utmost to delay, worry,
and if possible defeat its passage. We
think we have n majority for the
Amendment in the House. All day
to-day the House has been in a fer
ment over a report from the Standing
Committee on Privileges and Elec-
tons. The Democrats were dissatis-
fed with and labored to have it sent
back to the committee with instrue-
tions to amend it so as to exclude the
member from Williams county from
the right to vote on any question
arising in the House. The Republic
cans seeing in this body IN attempt to
embarrass the chances of the adoption
of the Amendment, resisted the prop
Osition, and such a day of pop-gun
oratory, motions and resolutions, and
general disorder 1 have seldom seen
in a legislative body. About three
O'Clock the business of the House got
into a bewildering state of confusion
and in~extricable tangle, and there was
a dozen different opinions as to what
was in order, or whether any thing in
particular was. At this juncture a
resolution to adjourn every three
weeks from Friday till Tuesday was
offered and carried. Then a motion to
adjourn this evening until next Mon
day at 2, P. M, was carried, and a
truce was obtained until that date,
when the Geological entertainment
will reopen and possibly continue
during the week. There will be no
peace or business done in the House
until the Williams county case and
the Amendment are settled.
THE WILLIAMS COUNTY CASE.
Probably many of our readers would
like to know some of the particular
points in this case. We give it sub
stantially as follows: The counties of
Williams, Paulding and Defiance con-
stitute under the apportionment one
Representative District. The pOpula-
ton of the counties at the last census
was respectively as follows: Williams
1888. Defiance l1,S86. Paulding
4,94. These facts were presented to
Attorney General West, and his opin-
ion desired IS to whether or not the
county of Williams was not entitled
under the State Constitution, to a
separate representative. From his
opinion we quote the following:
By Section l, Article XI of the Consti-
tuition, the decennial superintendent for
REPRESENTATIVES is fixed by dividing the
whole population of the State by 100.
The quotfent arising therefrom consti-
tutes the ratio of Representation. The
ratio of Representation fog he present
House of Representatives was therefore,
1886.
BY Section 2 Of the same article it is
provided az follows
Every county having a population
GQudl 10 Ouc-ldl Vi SdA4 AdllOs nAdL "
entitled to one Representative"
The half of 1896 is l., 69S. It is quite
clear, therefore, that the county of Will
liams was and is entitledt 10 n full Rep
resentative.
1t is also equally clear that the county
Of Defiance was also entitled 70 one full
Representative, its population being H.
886, or more than half of inc ratio.
BY Section 10 of the Schedule the eoun-
ties of Paulding, Defiance and Williams
constituted one Representative District.
By Section 4, Article Ii, it is provided
that "any county forming with another
county or counties a Representative Dis
frict, during one decennial period, If il
have acquired sufficient population at
the next decenaial period shall be entitled
90 a separate representation, If there shall
be left, in the District from which Il shall
have been separated, a population sufii-
Gent for q Representative"
Williams county bad acquired at the
end of the first deeennial period, sufi-
Gent population for u full Representa-
tive. The reE4aining counties of the
District. to wit: Pauiding and Defiance,
had also sufficient population for one
full Representative, viz: 1854 inhabi-
tants.
williams county, therefore, was then
ana Is now entitled, IS a separate and in
dependent District, to elect n Repre-
sentative.
The same would also be true of Def
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