The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-04-08

Ing bHuCllOnGu ny . NObO Va
one of the main arguments In lts iavol
was to amend the legislative clause OF tht
Constitution of 1902 80 as in the future
to put it out of the power OF the Legis
lature to divide counties for Legislative
purposes, and to prevent such otnei
scandals as engrafting a Hquor'sellin(
clause on bill to incorporate private
company. The Hami.ton and Rossvillt
Bridge Company was freely cited al
showing the little regard, under the
forms Of the Constitution, the Legisla'
ture paid to public decency in smuggling
sections into laws that could never have
been enacted without resort to subter'
fupe. And there it was that the Hamil'
ton and Rossville Bridge Company be-
came an important factor in giving Ohio
her present Constitution. Upon what
slender thread hangs everlasting
things" :,
Under the present Constitution all
bills introduced into the Legislature
must contain but one subject, and that
subject must be clearly expressed in the
title. The words land other purposes
are not allowed. Each bill, before its
passage, must be read three several
times on three different days, unless the
rule requiring this be suspended by a
vote of three fourths of the members
elected-a vote go large as to prevent
fraud On its passage, each and every
bill must be voted for by yeas and nays,
and. unless on a recorded vote, it re-
Ceives a majority of all the members
elected, it is lost. The apportionment OF
members among the counties and dis
tricts is made in such a manner that no
fraud or gerry ymander of districts for par
tisan purposes can be possible. Thus
did the fraud in the Hamilton and Ross
vile Bridge Company charter, and the
equal fraud in the gerrymander dividing
Hamilton county, intended for evil, and
as a cheat and a fraud, in the end turn
out for good and not for evil.
In the campaign, which resulted in
the passage of the law calling the con-
vention which enacted the present Con-
some curious things in the light
Of the present position of parties hap
oened AS, for instance: The Whig
County Convention OF Champaign Conn
.y, which met about the middle OF Au
gust, 1849, adopted as part of its plat
IoIm the following:
"ReS0lUed, That in view of the fact that
we have two parties in our State predis.
posed to barter and trade in political
we consider the present Pc
Rod inauspicious to call Convention to
adopt a new Constitution that We
would rather suffer from the inconve'
niences and nominal evils of that glo'
-ious ard hallowed instrument framed
Dy our patriot sires, than to run the risk
If having an extenSiUe gold and silrer cur.
.eaCy and an unqualified negro suffrage en-
allied upon US by the swapping propensi.
lies of tRe locotocO and balance of power
parties"
The County of Champaign then, as
now, was strongly anti Democratic. It's
voters - the majority Of them were
dead against gold and silver, and were
strongly welded to the old rotten and
corrupt system of banks. OF these they
,oor after had their fill; for all these
banks burst and left the note holders to
mourn their folly. Now they reject
yreenbaCks as Curreucy-poss bly, be-
cause they never can be worthless-and
ravor an exclusive hard money currency
The cry of Ngger,"" Niger" in Cham
Daign county at that day would excite
The dominant party leaders to frenzy.
Perhaps no county outside slave State
was more slavery. The Wing organ
lsed to publish advertisements offering
rewards for runaway slaves from their
masters in the South at one dollar per
ousre for three weeks. And because of
MS intense pro.savery feeling the
county Convention of that party charged
he Democracy of being in favor of un.
rlaljfed negro suffrage Now, the same
,arty leaders are willing to brand every
nan not in favor OF unqualified negro
uhrage in the North as a id SeCesh
Jnpperhead. They still retain their po.
ltical power in Champaign, but they do
t by negro votes. Their ConscienCes
must be of the sort an ex Governor from
hat county, in his message to the Leg
stature, wished the currency of the
ountry to be-" capable of expansion
o day, and of contraction tomorrow"
VLat changes the whirligig of Time
,rings fJrthl With such men honesty
II politics is one of the lost arts F.