Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-08-19

n
ton. Very soon after the plan was formed
to establish q State Government, the enortI
and influence OF the party advocating the
measure succeeded In producing q high de-
gree of excitement. The attention of the
people was directed TO the rights and privi-
Ieges enjoyed by the citizens. of the States
which were put in contrast with therestrio-
teons and disabilities imposed on the inhab-
itants of the Territory. The discrepancy was
palpable, but no serious injury had resulted
from it. Nevertheless the people became
convinced that their rights were unnsces.
sarily withheld for the benent Of few favor
ties of the General Government. although
there was not the least foundation In truth
for this assertion"
COLOR LINE.
The color line was one OF the points .ol
danger and embarrassment in the Oonven.
tion that gave Ohio constitution, and had
not moderation and patriotic Intention tc
keep peace 50 far as possible prevailed among
might have been created. Some two hundred
colored people were then residents of the
TERRITORY. There seems to have been little OF
no question a. TO whether Ohio should be.
come free State or not. but there was 9
great diversity of opinion as TO whether ths
free colored man should become a citizen OF
not A few Of the members were disposed 70
give him full citizenship, while others con.
tended against allowing him any other priv.
ilege than the proteetion of the laws, and
was proposed on one hand that the constitu.
ton should expressly declare that all colored
people were ineligible to any ofice, civil OF
military, and also 70 exclude them from
the State. against white people.
To prevent trouble, 1t was finally tacitly
agreed by the majority Of the convention
that ALI suggestions and proportions in CON.
nection with this subject should be allowed
to lie quietly on the table-an idea which
took form In the making of constitution
Tor the white people, and ignoring those who
were not white. "Whits male citizens" alone
became electors in the instrument that wal
finally adopted rs the fundamental law of ths
State. The irst occasion ON which Ohio as
State was compelled to take political action
on the question of slavery was in 1906 Mas
ssohusetts had proposed an amendment Il
the constitution Of the United States TO tn,
effect that representation in Congress shoult
be apportioned among the States in the ratit
of their free population. Ohio opposed thi
proposition on the ground that the constitu
tion Of the United States was the "result o
compromise, and interference with Its pro
visions by any of the States would be pro
ductivs of discord.'
THE VIRGIN LEoIsLATuR1
Net at Chiliicothe on March /, 1903. Nathan
| iel,M assie was elected Presidentof the Senate
and Michael Baldwin Speaker Of the Hous,
of Representatives.
AZ has been shown above, there was verl
little party strife during the Territorial day
and the early years Of the young Common
wealth. But the influences that controlled
elsewhere soon made themselves felt In tn,
new State, and men supported the party o.
their choice with all the interest and vshe
mencs Of later days.
HER FIRST ELECTORAL VOTE
In 1904 Mr.. Jefferson was elected President q
second time. Ohio on this occasion cast hel
nrst Electoral votes. She possessed but three
but bravely and Loyalty gave them for the
patriot and true Democrat, Thomas jefferson
The followers of Jefferson in 1S05 dropped
the name .Republican" and assumed the one
they have since made illustrtous-that OF
Democrats. an all their earlier strifes, +" says
one writer, "they had been charged by theii
opponents with desiring to run to the ex.
tremes of the democratic or mob rule, and
fears Of too general belief in the truth OF
the charge led them to denials and
rejection of q name which the father of their
party had ever shown fondness for. The
early dangers which had threatened their or
ganization, and the recollection of defeats
suffered In their attempts to establish q Gov
ernment Anti-Federal and confederate in
composition, had been greatly modified by
late successes. and with characteristic cute
ness, peculiar TO Americans, they accepted an
epithet and sought TO turn it to the best ac-
count From the Ninth Congress the Jener.
sonian Republicans called themselves Demo.
crats. and the word Republican passed into
disuse until later on In the history of our
political parties, the opponents Of the De.
mocracy accepted 1t as name which Wen
ntted the meaning of their attitude in the
politics Of the country"
Ohio was still Democratic in 1905. casting her
three Electoral votes for James Madison.
In ls12 the growing dissontsnt with the
Presidential once being 20 long given to vir.
einia, ,tcok an spsn form. and Ds with clinten,