Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-21
THE SAGE OF UTICA SPEAKS.
From the Washington Post.

In his recent address in New York
city, Governor Seymour took up and
efiectually disposed of the ingenious
sophistries which Mr.. Conkling has
woven together in his campaign
speeches. The work is thoroughly
done.
The burden of Conkling's complaint
is that, as the North is richer than the
South, she is more wronged than that
section by the alleged undue promi-
nence of the latter in Congress, and
that the North will be still further OPP
pressed if the poorer section shall gain
that influence in the General Govern
ment which would, in Mr.. Conkling's
opinion, be the legitimate result of
Democratic victory in the pending
contest.
Mr.. Seymour admits that inequality
of representation, whenever and where
ever it exists i'll our system, if not
controlled by the Constitutional limi.
tations, is dangerous, and tends toward
usurpaton. He shows that the whole
course of Republican administration
has been TO expand the power and in
huence Of the Senate, the body which
is constituted without reference to pop
ulation, and in which the smallest
State possesses the same voting strength
as the largest.
With all the limitations, provided
by the Constitution, this inequality
might not be source of injustice or
danger. But the Republican party
has disregarded those limitations, and
has steadily carried forward the work
of concentrating in the Senate the
powers and duties which the trainers
of our Government located elsewhere.
Governor Seymour calls on the bus
iness men who are disturbed by Mr..
Conkling's remarks on the alleged
undue influence of the South, to re-
member that, while according to the
census of 1870, the population of the
State of New York was over four
millions, there were thirteen States,
with less population, that had twenty
six members in the United States
Senate, while New York had but two.
Of those States, nine are Northern
and four arc Southern. But even this
does not show the unequal power ex-
ercised by different States over the
action of our Government. More than
half of our people live in nine States
it is in these that the great interests,
capital, commerce, manufactures and
agricultural production, are displayed
in the grandest proportions. Yet this
majority of American citizens have
only eighteen Senators out of seventy
siX-less than one-quarter of the num-
Der. On the other hand, there are
nineteen States whose population is
less than one-fifth that of our country,
who have one-half of the members of
the controlling department of our
Government. This small minority,
through their Senator'S, can prevent
the passage of laws for the interest of
the majority, or the repeal of those
laws which are hurtful.
The Republican party has not only
persisted in its settled purpose TO con-
centrate power in the Senate, but has
made the danger greater by adding to
the number of States such small COM
munties on the frontiers as seemed
tolerably certain to elect Republican
Senators. With these, and with North
ern men blleted on Southern States
by bayonet rule, the Senate defed the
people for four years. And more than
this-a fact which has not been men,
toned by Governor Seymour, or any
of the statesmen who have discussed
this question: was this packing of
the Senate that made the fraud of
1876 and 1877 possible. Usurpation
in the Senate led up tC usurpation of