Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-02-05
REAPING THE wHIRLWIND.
lDctroit News, Jan. PA

The revolutionary proceedings in the
Ohio State Senate, which has split that
branch OF the Legislature into two bodies.
e,ch claiming to be the legal one, grows
out of the Cincinnati election frauds OF
last fall. There was a shameful sowing Of
the seeds OF political corruption at the
ballot box, and now there is being reaped
n whirlwind OF conflict and confusion
which has brought disgrace upon the Stale
and may yet end in violent outbreak at
the capitol
As the situation stands at present the
democrats have majority, with a repub-
lican presiding officer, not of their own
choosing, of course, but by virtue of his
election as lieutenant governor. The f.
nal control OF the senate is to be determin-
ed by the Hamilton county contest. Shall
those whose seats are contested be permit
ted to vote on the question OF their own
eligibility? If, according to the ruling oi
the republican presiding officer, they can
not so vote, the republicans will have a
majority and the democrats will be ousted.
Otherwise the result will be reversed
This IL the rock on which the senate has
split, and the democratic members have
bolted, leaving the republicans and their
presiding officer to meet and adjourn with
out quorum.
There Is no judicial fairness in the meth.
cd of contest before the average legislative
body. The testimony is colored by the
partisan preiudices OF the witnesses and
the verdic. is governed by the complexion
| OF The majority so that almost invariably
the decision is a foregone conclusion.
Yet il is doubtful ii there is any remedy
| for it except la The hands of the people ; /
| the polls. In order TO avoid contests over
| the meaning OF what they say they must
express their will more emphalcally.
When an election is so evenly balanced
that such contests can arise, there il con-
ISOLATION perhaps in the thought that il can
not make great difference how the con-
test Is determined.
There is no doubt, however, but these
contests arise largely from a pecuiinri'v IN
our American parliamentary system which
conld be remedieh hy constitutional
change which would bring onr stare legis.
lalnres more into harmony with modern
political science. In the first plnce The
houses ARE too small in their memhprship,
| making The work Of npsetting n mnjrrilv
| too easy. The senates are mostly comp0s
ei OF not more than 32 members. Unless
The popular majority Ia very uniform
| throughout the state, the mnjrrity in
membership is likely to he small, and at
every slight variation may come to be no
| more than hall d'zen, when change {
three with the assistance Of the lieutenant
governor wonld change the complexion Of
the body. This might happen when tie
popular vote as whole was very large.
In Canada the provincial assemblies are
hree or ionr times the size Of our state
legislative bodies. Our system of double
houses is also an absurd anomolv, Tor
whose exsisiance there is not a single rea-
| son except the aupersiitlous spirit of imi-
taiion which led the founders Of our in
slitutions to initiate the aristocralic forms
OF England without arisiocraiic material.
III we, hnd bnt one house like the Canadian
provincial parliament, and that were com
posed OF about 300 or 400 members, there
would be little danger Of these scandalous
attempts to steal legislatures which are he
coming more common daIly, and which
may vet make n farce ont of onr so-caileI
popular government. Our whole ma
chinery seems to have been devised as n
system Of complete checks aud obstrnc-
llons between the expression OF the popu-
lar will and Its manifestation in legi-la-
'ion. 1t ia NOT sufficient in many states
that the people shall, by nn overwhelming
majority, elect an assembly to perform a
certain act. They must wait year or
Two longer to elect senate To the same
end, and possibly still another year to
elect governor who will not veto il,