Portland Gazette, And Maine Advertiser

Is this "equal exact justice?"

By a reference to the proceedings of the first Legislature after the adoption of the Constitution, it will be found that it was ordered and resolved! by that body, that each town should be charged with the attendance of its Representatives. and the amount of travel be defrayed in the manner of other state expenses, agreeably to the Constitution!-- This method has uniformly been pursued 'till the last year, when the democratic leaders in the legislature found that many of their party, in the house, were pledged to their constituents not to put them to the great expense which a constant attendance during the whole session, would. In order to obviate this difficulty a law was passed for paying the attendance out of the public chest ; and this was the principal cause of the pay roll amounting to the enormous sum of ninety-three thousand five hundred and forty four dollars. It also served to keep the people of each town in the dark, as to the expense of their representation, which could be known only by examining the books at the treasurer's office. The law also compels the towns, which have not polls sufficient to entitle them to a representative, to pay for a representation which they have no voice in electing :It also compels many towns to pay more than the constitution requires, and double to what their representatives receive.-- Take Portland as one-if the law for rating the members out of the public chest had not have been passed, the expense of its six representatives, both sessions, would not have exceeded $558, including travel and attendance ; but by the democratic mode of assessing the economical pay roll of last year, this town's proportion of $93,544, would be one thousand and forty-one dollars-- compelling the citizens of Portland, unjustly to pay, on account of the representation in other towns, the sum of nearly five hundred dollars. We repeat the question, is this conduct of the leaders of democracy "equal and exact justice?"