A New Mod Eof Government; Wherein the People Would Govern Themselves by Laws, Originating with Individuals, in the Form of Bills Which Bills Are to Be Presented to the Township, and by the Voice of the People, Passed Up to the Seat of Government, Thus Co (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1847 Excerpt: ... m tions could reach the Legislature but those which the people were convinced would advance the best interests of the community. Besides these checks, there would be an additional one, founded in the sense and character of the individual originating the petition, as it would be a disagreeable circumstance for a cilizen to have his petition disapproved even in the Township, and for this reason he would be careful to have it first examined by a number of others, and perhaps corrected and amended, before he ventured to present it to the superintendent, which would have a tendency to make the petitions but few. In the mode of petitioning now proposed, there is less room for improper petitions to reach the Legislature than in the common way. Now memorials are frequently presented by a small number or a party, and sometimes to promote a local interest, and opposed to the general good. But why is not the Legislature now flooded with such petitions? The reason is plain. Such memorials in general, are thrown under ths table, and therefore the motives to present them receives a check from the intelligence of that body. The checks to improper petitions, in the mode proposed, would be mors and greater, insomuch that each of the checks noticed above in the political balance wheel would be nearly equal in itself to the one now existing. Politicians advance arguments directly opposed to each other, in respect to the number of petitions. While some seem alarmed at the supposed multitude of them, some on the other hand, (who are called statesmen too, ) siippose that in this mode a petition could never reach the Legislature. Now the truth lies between these two extremes, the medium; which would permit right petitions alone to have an easy access to the seat of government. If ..