The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-09-12

whether as damages or otherwise, iorany
property, real or personal, taken, used,
Injured or destroyed by United States
troops, or by or through any officer, civil
or military, acting under or by authority
of the United States, or from any other
cause whatever, during the suppression
of the late rebellion against the Governs
ment ofthe United States, or for any prop.
erty taken, used, injured or destroyed
outside of the said States 80 in rebellion,
and which belonged to persons residing
in such rebellious States, unless the per-
son or persons owning the property 80
taken, used, injured or destroyed were,
during the time of such rebellion, loyal
to the Government of the United States,
and gave neither aid nor encouragement
to the enemy"
This proposed amendment left it open
for Congress to provide for the payment
of all such claims to persons who were
loyal. In fact, it is substantially pledge
80 to do. 1t even permits payment to be
made to disloyal owners, who may have
purchased such claims, provided the
property taken, or destroyed, or injured
belonged to person who was loyal
There are millions of such claims yet in
existence, many of them in the hands of
spectators and persons engaged in re-
bellion, who have purchased them for
trihe.
Every Republican member Of Congress
present voted for this amendment, and
implicitly stands pledged to the payment
of them. When the Government shall
have paid the widow and orphan OF
those who fell in its defense the full va
lue of the life of the husband and father,
it will be time enough to commence pay.
ing the Southern loyalist the class of
claims contemplated in this amendment,
am utterly opposed to the payment
of such claims, whether to loyal. or dis
loyal persons. ~
THE REDTsTRIcTINa OF FHE STATE.
If there is one act for which the Legis-
lature, more than another, deserves the
gratitude and admiration of its support
ers, it is the redistricting of the State For
years the Republican party has maintain
Its numerical ascendancy in both bran
ches of Congress by an unfair, unjust and
fraudulent use Of its power in districting
States, both for the purpose of State Leg
islatures and for Congressional purposes.
They have 30 districted the State of In
diana, that while the Democrats might
carry the State on the State ticket by
from 5000 to 10000 majority, the Legisla-
ture in both branches would still be Re.
publican, and thus secure the election Of
Republican United States Senator; and
for Congressional purposes in such way
as to secure majority in the delegation
of the Lowell House Of Congress.
In Ohio the law districting the State for
congressional purposes was passed by
Republican Legislature, at the session
next ensuing after the election in 1871,
and of course was made on tie basis of
that election. At that election the Re.
publicans cast 298, ,273, and the Democrats
2lS, ,l05 votes. The State as districted on
the basis of that election would hsvegiv-
en- Is Republican representatives, and 5
Democratic representatives. While on
that basis it would have required 43,62l
Democratic votes to have secured one
representative, it would have required
but IL, 1856 Republican votes to have elect.
ed representative. 1t is true, the results
of subsequent elections did not prove
quite 80 disastrous to the Democratic par.
ty as it was intended to do. And yet the
Republican press affect to be indignant
that Democratic Legislature sho'd have
the courage to redress such a wrong.
Their candidate for Congress in his open.
ing address at Massillon, in sounding the
keynote of the campaign, as their press
is pleased to term it, devoted nearly half
his time TO denunciation of this meas.
ure. / haye carefully examined his ar
gument against it. Divested of all sur
plusage, it seems to amount to this: He
assigns three reasons why thisaCt should
not have been passed. The first is that
however unfair and unjust the districting
act of 1872 may have been at the time of
its passage, it was not 30 productive of
fraudulent results as its authors intended
it should be, and therefore it should have
been allowed to remain. Second, that
the first Democratic Legislature elected
after its passage had omitted to repeal it,
and that this amounted practically to
condonation of the wrong. Third, that
it has remained now in force 80 long that
we are sort of barred by statute of limita.
| tions or some analogous principle from
all relief. And this is the keynote of the
campaign. 1t strikes me, gentlemen,
their tunes are written in minor key,
very minor key. What pathetic and
plaintive music must be in store for us.
I am asked, do defend this measure l
answer no. 1t needs no defense. I ad.
vocated and urged its adoption because
it was right. 1t is justified by legal and
constitutional warrant, and with the his
tory of the Presidential election of 1876
fresh on our minds, it is of the utmost
and vital importance that the lower
House of Representatives should be
henceforth, and in 1880 actually repre-.
sentative of their constituency. 1 can
admire the fortitude that patiently en-
dures the wrongs against which it is i'm.
possible to contend, but despise the
spirit that would acquiesCe in the wrong
when it had the means Of successful re-
sistance.
o'coNNoR.
It is soughtto divert attention from the
acts and policy of the Republican party
in the legislation and administration of
the Federal Government, by a denunCia-
ton of the last Democratic Legislature Of
Ohio. The acts of that Legislature are in
no way in issue in this canvass. None of
the members of that Legislature are can
didates for reelection at this time, nor
could the result Of this election in any
sense be construed as an approval
or disapproval of their action.
1t is termed an 0'Connor Legislature be.
cause man named 0'Connor was a mem.
Der of it. What withering term of re-
reproach (! l have examined some
what carefully into the history of
that man O'Connor. There are
few mems lives, even though the most
commonplace, that do not, if carefully
studied, contain some lesson of instruc.
ton, and OConnor's surely rises above
the commonplace. A few days ago he
was an honored representative in the
Legislature of the State of one of the
m