The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-09-12

this State are being treated Dy lhe
Democratic press, to daily disserta-
tions on the solemn duty of obeying
the Constitution. These ieremiads
have an ancient and fish-like smell,
and from time immemorial have
been resorted to by the Democrats
when a monstrous wrong had to be
justified or defended. Thus, when
slavery was to be extended, or that
sum of all villainies needed defense,
the Democratic leaders Immediately
fell to quoting the Constitution.
When Democratic rebels took up
arms against the Government, Dem
ocratic politicians, from jeff Davis
down to the meanest copperhead OF
the dav, invoked the Constitution to
prove that there existed no power or
right to coerce a State, or prevent its
secession from the Union. After the
war. these same Democratic leaders
appealed to the Constitution to show
that the Union could only be re-
stored as the rebels wanted it.
Again, when it was proposed to
make suffrage universal, and guar
antee equal rights before the law, to
all men, regardless of color or of
condition, a second Democratic re-
bellion was threatened in defense of
the constitutional right of white
men to exclusive use of the ballot,
and the power to make and admin
lister the laws.
Again, and again, and again, has
this parrot-like cry of violating the
Constitution been uttered by the
Democratic leaders against Republi-
can action and measures, until one
wonders that its vain repetition
does not pail upon the tongue of the
utterers. But still again, we are
having from the same source, the
charge that the Republicans in the
Legislature are violating the Consti-
tuition by refusing" to apportiOn
the State into Congressional and
Legislative districts according to its
mandates, and again we are called
upon to refute this last refuge of
Democratic villainy. The Constitu-
ton says the Legislature shall ap-
portion the State into districts of
compact and contiguous territory,
as nearly equal in population as
may be" and this injunction of the
Constitution the Republicans have
complied with by framing and pre-
senting a bill as nearly conformable
with its mandates as possible. On
the other hand, the Democrats have
framed several bills, not based upon
the population Of the districts as the
Constitution requires, but upon the
best vote that party has been able to
poll, and on this unconstitutional
basis they persistently demand that
the State shall be apportioned.
Failing to secure the assent of the
Republicans at the regular session
to this unconstitutional method of
apportioning the State, they induced
the Governor to call an extra session,
and now for nearly one hundred
days they have persistently wasted
many thousands of the peoples
money in the attempt to coerce the
Republicans into yielding their con-
victions of their constitutional duty,
and permit the State to be appor-
toned upon the basis of a partisan
vote, instead of population. But,
waiving this glaring attempt on part
of the Democrats TO set aside the
constitutional mandate, and assum-
ing that both parties are honest and
sincere, why is it that the Republi-
cans are violating the Constitution,
and the Democrats are not. because
a bill cannot be agreed upon? Ism t
it the merest fudge TO say so? And
now, after two sessions. extending
over nearly two hundred and fifty
days, having made it perfectly mani
fest that an agreement cannot be ar
rived at, is it not criminal waste
of the peoples money on the part of
the Democrats to reject the repeated
propositions of the Republicans TO
adjourn?
/ The truth must be apparent to the
least discerning mind, that the Dem
ocrats have blundered, most eyre
giously blundered, first, in adopting
an unconstitutional basis for appor-
tionment, and secondly, in resorting
to an extra session with the hope OF
coercing the Republicans into yield
ing their demands. And now, hav-
ing failed, miserably failed, in their
object, they are trying to distract
attention from their colossal crime
and their woful waste of the peo-
pies money, by raising against the
Republicans their old-time yell of
violating the Constitution.