unity than any
of its predecessors to avoid the evil of too much legislation.
Excessive legislation has become a great evil, and I submit to the
judgment of the General Assembly the wisdom of avoiding it.

One important question of principle as old as our State government
still remains unsettled. All are familiar with the conflicts to
which the policy of making distinctions between citizens in civil
and political rights has given rise in Ohio. The first effort of
those who opposed this policy was to secure to all citizens
equality of civil rights. The result of the struggle that ensued is
thus given by an eminent and honored citizen of our State: "The
laws which created disabilities on the part of negroes in respect
of civil rights were repealed in the year 1849, after an obstinate
contest, quite memorable in the history of the State. Their repeal
was looked upon with great disfavor by a large portion of the
people as a dangerous innovation upon a just and well-settled
policy, and a vote in that direction consigned many members of the
legislature to the repose of private life. But I am not aware that
any evil results justified these apprehensions, or that any effort
was ever made to impose the disabilities. On the contrary, the new
policy, if I may call it so, has been found so consistent with
justice to the negroes and the interests of the whites that no
one--certainly no party--in Ohio, would be willing to abandon it."

An effort to secure to all citizens equal political rights was made
in the State constitutional convention of 1851. Only thirteen out
of one hundred and eight members in that body voted in its favor;
and it is probable that less than one-tenth of the voters of the
State would then have voted to strike the word "white" out of the
constitution.

The last General Assembly submitted to the people a proposition to
amend the State constitution so as to abolish distinctions in
political rights based upon color. The proposition contained
several clauses not pertinent to its main purpose, under which, if
adopted, it was believed by many that the number of white citizens
who would be disfranchised would be much greater than the number of
colored citizens who would be allowed the right of suffrage.
Notwithstanding the proposition was