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pear to the complainants themselves, if they properly un-
derstood and would impartially consider the character and
incidents of a republican form of government.
The respondents, further answering, deny that the said
convention law and its amendments were enacted, as the
said bill falsely and scandalously charges, "by divers wick-
ed and disloyal men, wholly wanting in the duty of the al-
legiance to the Constitution of this State, (though they
had recently taken a solemn oath of office to support the
same. )" They further deny that the design of the said
legislators was, under the form of law, to sow dissension
among the people of the State and pervert their hearts
and to produce the evils and miseries and other enormities
enlarged on in the said bill with such prodigality of vi-
tuperation. These respondents are advised that such im-
putations are wholly wanton, inasmuch as the character
and purposes of the legislator have nothing to do with the
validity of legislation. Nor are these respondents called
on to vindicate the members of the General Assembly, con-
stituting two-thirds of each House, from the wholesale and
reckless charges of perjury, conspiracy, disloyalty and
treason brought against them by the complainants. The re-
spondents do not think that such charges, made by the
complainants, are of sufficient weight even to place on the
defensive the many able, honorable and patriotic citizens
from all parts of the State, who felt it their duty as leg-
islators to vote for the measures in controversy. But
these respondents are advised that it is their obligation,
as matter of pleading, to respond to the said allegations,
and they, therefore, deny the said charges utterly, and
aver that the complainants have used their said bill as a
vehicle of slander in that regard, as in others, and under
color and pretense of seeking a remedy, which they know
not to exist, for evils and wrongs which they have in-
vented, have denied the records of this honorable court
with the grossest aspersions upon the purity and integrity
of all those members of the Legislature of the State who,
differing with said respondents in political sentiments,
saw fit to act according to their own sense of right and
duty.
And as to the charge of "disloyalty, " wickedness, &c.,
&c., made by the said bill against these respondents them-
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