Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1871 — The Address of the Indiana “Resigners.” [ARTICLE]

The Address of the Indiana “Resigners.”

To tho People of Indiana; The undersigned members of the House of Representatives of the Forty seventh General Assembly of the State of Indiana have resigned their seats. A proper respect for ourselves and the various constituencies which we repre. sented, demand from us an exposition of the motives which influenced our action. In explanation of our conduct, we respectfully submit the following statement of facts; ' J We have been, as a minority on the floor of the Holme, compelled to submit to novel, unjust, unprecedented and tyrannical rulings from the Speaker, made for the sole and otdy purpose of furthering party schemes and measures. We have been denied our privilege to be heard in support of right, principle and law. Our constitutional rights as a minority have not been respecied, but have been trampled under foot by the majority without the semblance of justice or decency. Brute force has been threatened from the chair to subject us to the arbitary and unconstitutional demands of the majority. What we have claimed as a privilege, and never before questioned by any deliberative body, has been denied us. Forbearing to take the step we have finally beeu compelled to take, our forbearance has been construed into abject submission to thqir behests. They demanded that wc should acquiesce in the will of the majority to enact an infamous, iniquitous and unconstitutional measure, known as House bill No. 891, to apportion the State for Senatorial and Representative purposes, denying us, by the operation of the “previous question,” the right to amend or suggest any change in the proposed law. And, by reason of the accidental majority of the Democratic party upon the floor of the House, all debate and all amendments were not only cut off, but the bill referred to was placed out of its regular order, and given precedence over all other important legislation then pending; and, having been passed to engrossment under the arbitrary rulings of the Speaker, in direct violation of law, to complete the infamy the bill was, by sheer force of Democratic power, made the special order for the next day at 9 o’clock a. in., thereby declaring that all legislation, of whatsoever character or importance, should be postponed until the unlawful and unconstitutional behests of the majority should be subserved. The enormity and infamous character of this measure will' be seen when it is considered that, should this bill become a law, the Republican party might carry the State by 15,000 majority, and yet, under its previsions, the Democracy would still control both branches of the General Assembly, thus giving to a minority, in express viola tion of tke wishes of a majority of the people of the United States Senators and all the officers to be chosen by tho General Assembly. ’ Indeed, it was the open and avowed purpose of the majority, in the language of the Representative from Monroe County (Mr. Mitchell), to so re-district the State that the Republicans should never again have a majority in the Genend Assembly, This bill was offered by the Democrats as an amendment to the present apportionment law, when it was in fact an entire new and djstinct law to take the place of the present law, which was passed by the Legislature in 1867. ’ The enuriferation upon which this law was passed was made in 1800; the law passed in 1867. Our constitution, article 4, sections 4 and 5, are as follows, to-wit: Site. 4. The General Assembly shall, at Its second session after the adoption of this constitution, and every six years thereafter, cause uu enumeration to be made of all the white male Inhabitants over the age of 21 years. SBC. 5. The number of Senators and Representatives shall, at the session next following each period of making such enumeration, bo fixed by law, and apportioned among the several counties according to the white male Inhabitants above 21 years of age tn each: Provided, That the first and second elections of members of tho General Assembly, under this constitution, shall be according to the apportionment last made hv the General Assembly before the adoption of this constitution. It will be seen that, by the express terms of the constitution above quoted, every six years only can an apportionment be made for legislative purposes, and that this must be done at the session next after the succea-’ give enumerations are made. Not, then, till after tho enumeration now being taken is complete, could such a measure be constitutionally passed—that is, not until the . session of 1873. Yet the Democracy, because of their power, proposed to override the constitution, and place upon our statute books this act, thus showing that the Democracy in the present Legislature are wholly regardless of law and constitution, and are as revolutionary in character now as they were ten years ago. We earnestly appealed to the Demoqraey to postpone the consideration of this bill till a later day in the session, s > that the manyltnpqrtant measures pending might be finally acted upon, and all non-polilical

questions in 'which the people are interested settled; but our appeals were treated with contempt. • Having taken an oath to support the dopstitufion of the'State when we took our seats, wc could not sit silently by and suffer the final accomplishment by the Democracy of thounjml, unconstitutional and revolutionary measure, willtout feeling that we would be chargeable as accessories to the crime; and to psi vent it we resigned our seats as members of the Legislature. We confidently appeal to the intelligent law-abiding people of Indiana to sustain our action. William 8. Ballinger, George W. Frleilley, R. T. St. John, ridding Beeler, liiiam S. Edward King, W. W.‘Butterworth, James It. Huddcll, Edward Calkins, Oliver M. Wilson, Wm. H. Calkins. W. W. Conner, Anthonv E. (Jordon, William Heilman, BcnjaAin F. Hill, Robert I*. Hooker, A. M. Kennedy, T. M. Kirkpatrick, John 8. Kniglit, t T. 8. Liiiet*, John R. .Millikan, * ♦tai Myer-, George A. Netherton, W. Ruwb h, William P. Rhodes, S. I). Sabin, David Sayere, Junies P. Snodgrass, Amabel Stone, William T. Strickland, Henry A. White, Benjamin F. Williams, Martin Wood, John E. Woodard.