Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-09-09
The Democratic Legislature
WhitcWashed.

time. In its lifetime the people de-
spised it, and in its death they rejoiced.
So incapable was it of any good to the !
State that even Democratic papers hes ,
itated not to abuse it. Read what some
them had TO say. The Cincinnati
Enquirer said :
1t has placed a premium Oh bribery, /,
instead of fixing upon it the seal of con-
demnation. The Legislature disbands
odious Odors. Theindivibual
members have brought disgrace upon
the State.
We trust all the members of the Ohio
Legislature will reach home ia safety,
and that few of them will find their
way back to Columbus.
The GAINESVILLE Signal said:
The present Legislature is strongly
Democratic in both its hands.
1t has become stencil in the public
nOstrils.
Everybody is discusted with it.
Even the Democracy are sick of ii,
and are crying out for it to adjourn and |
go home.
1t is a sore on the body polite.
The Akron Times said:
Go home; gentlemen, your consti-
tuents want to see you, and the longer
you put it off the less pleasure you will
have in the interview.
The Toledo Democrat said
The discussion in the House of Rep
resentatives, on the Wood county bril-
berry business, was simply disgusting
and disgraceful. 1t certainly equaled
the worst exhibition Of depravity ever
given in the Legislature of South Caro-
lima.
The Lima Democrat said :
All the people should rejoice that it
is dead, and let none feel SO poor as to
do it reverence.
So odious was this General Assembly
that the Democratic leaders resolve d
that they could not defend the men
whom they had placed there. There
fore, in their State platform, they had
no word of fcommendation or sympathy
for their Democratic co-laborerS in that
body. But the PEOPLE have been think
ing this matter over. They know that
the officers to be elected are all State
an d county officers. They know that
their own interests demand that they
should sustain the party that gives
them the best officers. Therefore they
have been examining into the proceed
ings of the last Democratic Legislature
and the more they investigate the firm
er they are in the conclusion that the
maleuictiOnS of the Democratic press
were just.
The result is inevitable. They have
concluded to have nothing more to do
with Democratic General Assemblies.
| The Democratic leaders see the hand
writing on the wall. Something must
| be done. The silence in which they
hoped that all the misdeeds of the
Democratic Legislature would be for
| got ten, has been broken. At last they
have resolved to make defense. The
chosen defender is the Democratic
State Executive Committed Ali day
on Monday the Democratic printing
press es were busy in running off an
eight page document intended to make
forever glorious the General Assembly
of which the GAINESVILLE Signal ( DEM }
only a feX months ago, said, 1T has
become stencil in the public nOstrils.'
1t is weak paper, as a defense Of
such body must of necessity be, yet,
as the Democratic committee are conf
dent that it will be . good enough
Morgan until after the election, We
give it some attention.
This little document has startling
headlines. The conclusion of these
I headlines is that this poor, despised
Legislature has saved to the aX-payers
of the State 81 ,939, 9,17S,61. This is a
,nnI &c t,,rn nn6 tho nnDO OnprAt ia
papers, which last spring were frantic
ally calling upon their representatives
to come home, ought to hide their di-
minished heads.
Twenty-four thousand dollars was
saved according to this little document,
because the session was shorter by
twenty-four days than its predecessor
Our friends however forget to tell their
readers that for twelve years the aver
/ age session of Republican Legislatures
had b zen only LOG 7-12 days, while the
average length of Democratic sessions
has been 1871 days; and they forget
further to say that the last General AS
sembly ran away for fear that few
f days more of work on the part OF in
vestigating committees would fully
eXpuse their corruptions.
The little headlines of this remarka'
t bic defense also say that the Republic
| cans in 1872 and 1873 appropriated ST.,
905, ,323. II, and that the Democrats IN
1874 and 1875 appropriated s4 ,3Sl ,341 so
(and thus saved $523, .50). We mus
e conclude that the Office holders on the
: Democratic committee, through fear O
+ the loss of their bread and butter, have
' become frantic. We know that JOhr
G. Thompson and his lieutenant!
1 would not consciously tell lie. How
else then can we account for this state
f ment? An examination of session
= laws for the last four years shows tina
: the Republicans appropriated $lO,OS6,
a 670.6S, and that the Democrats approp
r rated $10,994, ,0O0.97, an excess ovel
y Republican appropriations OF 1907 $50.
: 70. Thus it will be seen that accord
: ing to Democratic logic their Legislation
t cost the State nearly million dollar
n more than the legislation of their pre-
decessOrs, and their pretense OF having
saved more than a half million is /
> falsity-a little discrepancy of millior
| and "A half of dollars.
@ Our friends in their headlines furth
r er say that the State levies of 1864 ant
8 1875 are less by the sum of 81, ,l06, 900. .Oo
u than were the levies of 1872 and 1873
. After making this statement they for
r got further to explain that of the STATE
}. debt due in January next nearly $3.50
600 will have to be dishOnOred and g
to protest because the Democratic Leg
S islature failed TO provide money will
: which to meet it. 1t would perhap
4 have been well for them to have stated
. that when they went into power the
U Republicans had left nearly a million
d dollars in the Treasury for them Il
i draw upon.
4 The last grand achievement which
fully accomplishes tho vindication o
. the late Legislature in the county fe'
d and salary law. Our friends squander
v ed good deal of printers ink owe
this law, but after all failed to state