Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1879 — THE WHISTLING BILL. [ARTICLE]

THE WHISTLING BILL.

Senators Blaine, Logan and Chandler, have signified their intention to bdp the Ohio republican* hi the approaching campaign. If this trio don’t make ($e fur fly from the old Boarboa Buckeyes we’ll miss oar guess.

The Lafayette Journal is authority for the statement that it was a mistake of the recording clerks of the legislature that caused the railroad whistle nuisance.— The original bill only required a whistle 80 or 90 rods from a crossing, then ringing the bell past the crossing; the clerks left the bell out.

Gov. Robinson, of New York, is entitled to the belt for being the champion of vetoes. He has prevented 124 bills passed by the legislature of bis state from becoming laws by the free exercise of the veto power. He takes the ground that the people of New York are too much governed. His example should be emulated by the executives of other suites.

Quite a flurry of excitement was created in Montieello last Tuesday, by the suspension of the First National Bank es that place. - The excitement somewhat abated, however, when it was ascertained that the resources of the bank amounted to $67,240, and the assets only >36,390/ It is stated that every depositor will be paid in full as soon as the resources can be made available.

The Monticello Herald's libel suit, in which one Joe Wilson claims that his character has been damaged >20,000 worth by the publication in the Herald •f slanderous articles against him, came up for hearing in the White county circuit court last week, but was continued on. the ground that the plaintiff refused to answer certain questions uhich the court thought ought to be answered.

From the South African war cones the news of the death of Louis Napo- -« leon, Prince Imperial of France, who, in company with other oficera, was out < reconnoitering in a mealie field, when . they were attacked by the enemy and the body of the prince assegai ed, causing his death. The terrible news has cast a gloom over France which will not soon •c lifted, and there are evil forebodings of a crisis which will witness the overthrow of Imperialism in France.

And now comes Hon. Daniel Voorhees, the “Tall Sycamore of the Wabash,” and claims to have been the soldier’s friend during the last “unpleasL autness.” In fact, he uttered Ahe same . statement in his campaign speeches last bill. Now, if Daniel pleases, there were two kinds of soldiers iff the “unpleasantness” referred to, viz.: Union soldiers who battled for their country and the rights of its cuiaens r and rebel soldiers .who fought to destroy the country and s trample those rights under their feet. Will he be kind enough to tell us which of these two he had such warm friendship for, the Union or the rebel soldier? The country will await the answer with breathless suspense: »

That notorious rebel sheet, the Okolona States, in commenting upon the speech recently made by Jeff. Davis before the Mississippi press association, {•which speech was published in these columns last week) says: “We wish to the sventh heaven that every bastard democrat in Yankeedom could have heard the speech of Jefferson Davis, have witnessed his reception, and been startled by the spontaneous cheers and huzzas that rang, and surged, and rose, and swelled' upward in his honor from that vast and brilliant assemblage. We know it would have ground them to the qjlkk, for at gave-the lie to their infamous statement that the Okolona States is not keeping step to the musifl of Mississippi.”

’ The army appropriation bill has been approved- by the President,, there being nothing in the bill to- which he could take exceptions. The provision which prohibits the use of the army “as a police force’’ at the polls is only a miserable “letiixg dowu’ of. the original democratic programme, and" is perfectly harmless in its effect. It neither adds to, nor detracts from, the power invested in the President to make use of the army at the* polls whenever and wherever the right* of the people and the free exereise off »be ballot are endanged, and to that extent in a failure upon the part of She democrats to cany out their original programme. This is only one of the many balks made by the Bourbons in tie pscsent congress-, and uot only is the chantry disgusted with their proceedings but they are becoming disgusted with ami are anxious to adjourn. The soouer they adjoarn the better for the country, for their constituents and for themselves. Their legislation has amounted to nothing* then’ worthless services have been a source of great expense to the people, and all things , considered the XLVIth congress has been the greatest bore of the nineteenth i century. „ . *■ »

Guetig is sentenced to be hung the 19th of September,, that being the anniversary of the terrible trims of which he is found guilty. When the aentence was read to him he remarked to his attorney, “that’s time enough;” and after reaching the jail he said to some of his associates: “Well, by God, boys, they stuck it to me.” Louis is a plucky fellow, but his execution will only atone for one of the blackest crimes on record. “An aye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” says divine law, and the swift punishment of the guilty ones is only fulfilling that law.

THE DEMOCRATIC BACK-DOWN. The appropriation bills are now all in the hands of the President, and a glance at their condition will show the extent to which the democrats in congress have backed down from their original programme. That programme was the unconditional repeal of the law authorizing the. use of troops by the President to preserve peace at the polls and of the United States supervisor and election law, or, as an alternative to such repeal, the withholding of supplies and starving of the government. This was the democratic programme agreed upon iu caucus some months ago and announced with a great flourish of trumpets. The public cannot have forgotten the great number of violent speeches made in support of this programme and the threats of dire vengeance on the President, the administration and the republican party if it was not permitted to be carried out. The subsequent course of eveuts is equally fresh in the public memory—how the democrats attached their political riders to the appropriation bills, how the President vetoed them once and again, how they caucused and caucused day after day and night-after night, still pledging themselves to die in the last ditch, and seemingly only anxious to discover the true way of getting into that position. At last, however, it began to dawn on them that the President i was master of the situation, that they conld not eoerce him into signing a bill which his judgment and conscience did not approve, and that he would not sign any measure repealing the laws against which their rage was directed. Then they began to hunt about for a way to back down and a hole to get out at. The last six weeks have been spent in this search, and the result appears in the action <5/ congress. ** First, the starvation policy has been utterly abandoned long since. From having started out with the bold assertion that they would not vote a dollar in support of the army or civil departments of the government if their de«ires were not complied with, the democrats are now exceedingly anxious to have it understood that they nover serhuislyentertained any such idea. Every American knows better, knows that this was their original plan, and that they were forced to abandon it by the firmness of the President and the unmistakable expression of public opinion. This was back-down number one. V Second, they have passed the legislative appropriation bill without any political proviso whatever, This is back-down number two.

Third, they have passed the army bill, not witlua j-ider repealing the President’s authority to use troops to preserve the peace at the polls, but with a proviso that the army shall not be stationed and used “as a police force,” at the polls. As it never has been sb used, and as no law authorizes it to be so used, the proviso amounts t<J nothing. It still leaves the President free under the constitution and laws to use the army, if necessary, to enforce the election laws or any other United States statutes against local resistance or nullification. In other words, the clause does hot repeal the present law, nor tie the hands of the President in any manner. It is simply a dodge on the part of the democrats to create the appearance of enacting a law to prohibit the President from using troops to preserve peace at the polls, when in reality they are doing nothing of the kind. The enactment repeals nothing, means nothing, and accomplishes nothing. This is back-down number three. Finally, the democrats have passed the judicial expenses bill without making any appropriation for the payment of United States marshals or deputy marshals to be used at elections, and forbidding any officer ,or department of the government to make any contract for their payment, hoping by this means to nullify the election law by rendering the President powerless to enforce it. This is an entire departure from the original programme, and to that extent is a further back-down. Thus it will be seen that the democrats have been forced to completely abandon theis original programme and adopt a series of paltry expedient* to cover their retreat. The probability i» that the president will promptly sign the legislative bill and the army bill, since the former contains no political legislation at all and that in the latter amounts to nothing, and that he will veto the judicial expenses bill. This will drive the democrats to- caucusing again,, and doubtless end iff a further backing down. —[lndianapolis Journal.

Below is the vote on. the ridiculous “Whistling” bill which recently passed the legislature. Senate? For, Messrs. BurrelT, Cstfwalader, Coffee, Comstock, pice, Dooham, Fowler, Garrigus, Grubbs, Harris, Heilman, Kent, Kramer, Langdon, Leeper, Menzies, Meroer, Moore, Olds, Peterson, Poindexter, Ragan, Riley r Sarnigbausen, Fbirk, Tarlton, Trusler, Traylor, Ur ms ton,. Viehe, Weir, Wood, Wilson and W-interbotham—34. Against, none. House: For, Messrs.;Alden, Allen, Arnold •f Wabash, Barker, Baker, Bearss, Blockley, Briggs, Brown of Jasper, Brown of Steuben, Caldweß, Campbell, Carey, Confer, Conner, Copeland, Cunningham,.Daily, Davidsen, Davis, Donnefll, Drover, English, Feather,. Fleming, Golden, Handy, Hart, Herod, Hopkins, Hosmer, Huthsleiner, Johnston, Kelly, Kesten, Lehman, Lindley, Major, March, Mitchell; l&avo, Owen. Reichel-

derfer, , Rodman, Rooker, Schweitzer, Shanks, Shauck, Shields, Shutt, Skinner, Sleeth, Snoddy, Stevens, Stacker, Taylor of Warrick, Thayer, Thornblfrg, Tally. Vawter, Watson, Wimer, Works and Mr. Speaker—--64. Against, Meesrs. Bryant, Drake, Fa wkner, Measick, Perry Rabinson, Scholl, Van Valxab and Willard—9. ,