The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-02-04
DISQUALIFICATION
An Interesting Chapter of
OHIO HISTORY
= LOUISIANA AND OHIO.

tOhAo A11o Il JAG Il .
LOUISIANA AND OHIO.
From the Columbus Journal.
In his late speech in the United
States Senate on the Louisiana en-
broglio, Senator Thurman said:
Louisiana was not the only State
in which trouble had occurred in ref
erence to the organization of the Leg
islature. In Ohio, on one occasion,
there were for two weeks or more.
Legislature of the State, but, thank
ing Board. They had not descended
to that depth of perdition. If Martin
Van Buren, who was then President.
had sent the military to interfere in
that legislative conflict, his troops
would never have left Columbus alive"
The difficulty in organizing the
lower branch of the Ohio Legislature
in 1S4S, to which, Senator Thurman
thus alludes, is part Of the political
history of Ohio, which is almost fer
gotten by those participating in it,,
while the great mass of the people are
ignorant, or but remember to forget,
that out own State, through the vio-
lence of partisan politics, and the folly
of party leaders, was brought to the
verge of civil war, which. had the
first blow been struck, would have
caused bloodshed and death.
The State at that time, as at most
other times before and since, was
nearly equally DIVIDED between the
two great parties in politics. The
Legislature then elected all the Judges
aud State officers, except the Govern
or, and those anxious to serve the dear
people looked to the General Assem-
bly, as the great fountain from which
flowed official shonors. At stated pc
RODS, by law, the State was: divided
into Senatorial, and Representative
districts, and great care was always
takenby the party in power. to SO fix
the apportiOnment as to secure ma
jority in each branch, when a United
States Senator was to be elected. The
Democracy generally carried the Leg
islature, and, even with q fair appor-
tionment, with small popular major
ity in the State against them, they
could return majority in each branch
for the reason: In the Western Re-
serve counties the Whig majorities
were heavy-the Democratic vote
light, and sometimes a group of cOun-
ties giving four or five thousand ma
jority-an immense one for these days
would only return three or four
members to the House, and but half
that number of Senators, whereas, in
Southern Ohio, where the Democratic
majorities, although very decided, the
same number of Senators and Repre-
seetatives would be elected with one
third the aggregate majority secured
by those in the Reserve countless
The Whig majorities were massed,
while those of the Democracy were
scattered so as to control more than
half the counties Of the State.
To remedy this, at the session of
1s47-4S, the Wings, then in the major
ity in both branches, conceived the
idea of dividing the county of Ham
ilton, then electing two Senators and
five Representatives, into two Legis-
lative districts, one of these districts
electing one Senator and two Repre-
sentatives, so decidedly Whig, as to
preclude the idea of elccting Demo-
Gratis. The bill passed the Senate by a
a party vote, and was sent to the
House of Representatives, where an
amendment was tackled to it. The
Democrats denounced the division of
a county for such a purpose as high
handed outrage and hagrant viela-
ton of the State Constitution. Upon
it's passage in the House, an attempt
was made to send it back to the Sem
ate, but fifteen. Democratic Senators
before. the message was received, left
their seats. thus destroying, the, Con-
stitutional quorum, Before doing
this a paper was read, signed by the
recusant Senators, stating that they
could not sit tamely by and see the
Constitution violated, and asking that
the bill be laid aside and the work of
the session finished. This was refused
While thus the Senate was ,disorgan-
lied and incapable of transaeting any
legislative business, a Whig member
of the House, whose .enunciation was
very indistinct, read d resolution,
which, he sent to the presiding officer.
declaring that the House receded from
it's amendment to the Senate bill, and,
without further reading, the Speak Ell
declared the resolution adopted. The
Democratic members then left, and
thus b.oke up the quorum of that
body. The Speaker of the Senate and
of the House signed the bill thus de-
clared to be law, and it was publish
ed as such.
The excitement throughout the
State was intense. Democrats de-
nouncing, and Wings justifying the
act. On the 10th of May following,
the Democracy held State Conven-
ton, in which the pretended law was
denounced, and resolutions were
adopted declaring that while they
would make nominations for members
of the Legislature, yet it must be on
the distinct understanding that the
members elected by them should re-
fuse to take their seats until the great
wrong was righted. ::'Committees OF
Public Safety" were appointed, and a