Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1887 — THE SITUATION. [ARTICLE]

THE SITUATION.

Indianapolis Sentinel, Feb. 25th: Indiana, has been disgraced. The occurrences in the Senate yesterday were without parallel in the legislative history of the State. It is time for conference and and counsel, for a review of the events which have led to the deplore ble ultimate, and an endeavor to bring order out of the chaos into which affairs have fallen. When the Senate of the United States refused to confirm the Presdent’s nomination for a certain Indiana revenue collectorship the name of General M. D. Manson, at that time Lieutenant-Governor of Indiana was subs’ituted General Manson was accorded the place.— This came on the eve ‘of a political campaign. It was then charged that the appointment of General Manson was the frrit of a political intrigue, the object of w r hich w r as to prevent the election of Governor Gray to the United States Senate. The beneficiary of this intr gue was to be Mr. McDonald, in whose interest it was planned by Mr. Voorhees. Governor Gray asked an opinion of Attorney-General Hord,

then in office, upon the question whether or not an election for Lieutenant-Governor should be held. The Attorney-General, in i response, held that tin election ! should be held. This was a blow ' to the enemies of Governor Gra . Shortly after the opinion was given, the Democratic State convention was held. No one had given the question of vacancy any tho’t and took the soundness of the At-torney-General's opinion for granted. But Attorney-Generals have more than once had their opinions overruled by the courts. That Mr. Hord’s opinion should have been disputed subsequently reflects in no way upon his honesty lhe Democratic convention ] laced a candidate m the field. The Republican convention, convening a Uw days later, did the same. — Meantime one man in the State concluded to investigate the question of vacancy in the office of Lieutenant-Governor. That man was Senator A. G. Smith, of Jennings county, who had been elected the presiding officer of the Senat . Mr. Smith, himself an able lawver, decided that he had succeeded to the office, and he aim unced, as can be proven, that whether Mr. Nelson, the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant-Governor, or Mr. Robertson, the Republican candidate, should be elected he would contest his right to the office and would in every way possible assert his claim. The election was held, Mr. Robertson receiving a majority of the votes. Mr. Smith was prompt to take action. He began proceedings in the Marion county Circuit Court, his object being to obtain from the Supreme Court of the State an adjudication of his claim.

Meantime what else had happened? The Democrats had elected a majority of the members cf tjie Legislature—a majority of two. The Republican managers, led by the Indianapolis Journal, declared and repeated the declaration, day in and day out, that Senator Harrison would be re-elected to the United States Senate. They did not state in public print how this would be done, but it was an open secret that the proposed to throw out of the House, by the a d of the Republican majority of that body, a suTcient number of Democrats, putting Republicans in their stead, to conve’ 4 the Democratic majority of two on joint i allot into a safe Republican majority. As an essential to the success of this conspire ‘y it was n cessary that Mr. Robt . sson should hold the Presidency of the Senate to prevent retaliatory measures on the part of the Democratic majority of that body. Such was the plan.

But before the General Assembly had opened, Mr. Smith had pushed his case before the courts. In prosecuting it his sole and declared purpose was to obtain a Supreme Court decision on the question of vacancy, ia order that the Legislature should not be disturbed in its work by a controversy between himself and Mr. Robertson. His proceeding was that of a faithful legislator and good citizen. Upon a technical plea setup by the counsel of Mr. Robertson the lower court decided it had no jurisdiction. Mr. Smith appealed to the higher court, and that body, in a most cowardly fashion, utterly oblivious of precedent and the anxious pleading of the people, refused to consider or to make the slightest significant utterance upon main question, and left Mr. Smit l, without chart or guide. The case was without precedent in the political annals of the state. Mr. Smith was left to shift so, himself. He laid his claim before the senate of which he was a member, and that bo’iy decided in his favor. He assumed the Presidency of the senate. Three days after, the, time came for opening the , ejection returns in joint convention. The senate deliberately adjourned beyond the date for such action fixed by the constitution, thereby refusng to become a party to the proeeding, and thereby deciding that

! so far as its authority might go A. ; G. Smith and not It. S. Robertson | was entitled to the office of I’resii dent of the senate. One result of : this was to check the. Repul ieans of the house in their scheme to eject Democratic members of that bod •. But the returns were opened, nevertheless, in the presence of the house and nineteen R ( publican senators, who violated their privileges as senators in ignoring the action of their own body. Not an officer ot the senate was present. By virtue of the declaration of the speaker ihat Mr. Robertson was elected Lieutenant-Governor, that gentleman attempted to assume the functions of the presiding officer of the senate. Mr. Smith again went to the Marion .county Circuit Court. That court at once decided that Mr. Smith was entitled to the office, as there had been no valid election. This time Mr. Robertson appealed, and stood upon the plea that the proceedings should not have been brought in Marion county, but in Alien. The Supreme Court, after several weeks delay and the session n aring its end, finally responded. It sustained Mr. Robertson in his plea that the action should have been brought in Allen county, a consideration which he refused to waive, not daring to consent that the court should overlook this inconsequential technicality. The n embers of the Court t his time concluded contrary to their previously expressed views, that they had the privilege of making some r. marks, though agreeing that the tower court had no jurisdiction. Two of tin- members took up the main question, as the people yearned so ’the court to do, and declared that the election of Mr. Robertson was invalid J The other three, in long opinions, expressed convictions upon a dozen features of the case, but ran away from the main question. What, then, are the people, in the face of yesterday’s deplorable scenes to conclude?

There is no escape from the conclusion that the immediate responsibility for the disorder, the mob, and Ihe present chaos lies at the door of the Supreme Court. The people are bittc Jy disappointed. Justices Niblack and Zollars, two of the three who refused to respond to the demands of the people, now receive their scorn, and will receive their rebuke if ev.r again they o-iTer themsel es as candidates in Indiana. Therefor 3, in reviewing he situation we find: 1. - hat the present trouble originated in a political intrigue; 2. That it was complicated by a Republican scheme to steal a Senatorship, in which Senator Harrison’s managers and the Indianapolis Journal were the chief elements; and 3. That he Supreme Court in refusing to give the relief the people demanded caused the deplorable conflict of yesterday, for no matter what might have been the influence of the first two causes, the trouble would have been prevented if the court had doue its duty. Examine quality and ascertain prices of overcoats at Elsner’s. You will buy. The “Old Reliable” is under the management of Norm. Warner & Sons. They keep constantly on hand an extensive stock of stoves, in great variety, hardware, agricultural implements, etc. They know when, where and how to buy, and put their goods on the market at bottom prices.