The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1857-03-19
The Late Session.
Attest, JcHN II. Pc p,
J. NJ. STARR.

In Lana has never known two months 50
psrniciously aba seI As those through which
the session OF the lie si,l,ture asst expired ex-
tended. Little was done thai should have
been done. and Very much was done that
should hav b zen Jeff un1ola. II was some
thing worse than A useless SESSION. brlet
glance At It's ealin, fe t.urss vii show who
made it 50.
Months before the session b, gan, the Dem
ocrats declared thu. they inten led To disre gard
the u>a res of the L ngi,Ia,ure well as the
law, ol the S a.e The fr>t development of
their domestic policy was an avowsl that the
constitutional rights of Republicans should
have no consideration at their hands. Ev-
ervbody Will racoIiect this threat, and TO what
i was directed. Republican contested
Senators, though hoE!lng regular certificates,
thew said should never be allowed TO take
their seats; that Willard wSuli refuse to rec
ognizs the n, AMI aimil their opponents The
session opened under the menance OK Demo-
cratic usurpa.ion. They did not carry 1t out,
simrty because the Republicans by trm re
sistance in the organization Of the Senate. pre-
vented it, Tha, it woulI have been done, If
no struggle ha been made, nobody doubts:
Leading Dem pcrats boosted the very night be
fore the session opened that 1t was all arran-
ged and IN the usual can Tor OF drunkenness,
msde the boastto Republicans Byproceed
ing with an organic ,tion. justified no less by
the Constitution than by the threats OF their
enemies, the Republicans Dictated this Dem
ocratic IA re This beginning was siShih-
cant OF the result.
The object of this Democratic demonstra-
tioa was. of course. the securing sufficient
siren 9Th to elect two United States Senators.
Il ii rad been successful, il would have obvi
ated the necessity for the second and most re-
noaned OF all, Bat failing. aud driven wild
with fears Of office Starvation, they devised,
with the proverbial ingenuity OF insanity, an
other revolutionary proceeding. IN winch force
WAS supplanted BY fraud. Oar seaders all re
member Its origin, progress, ana results
Thou n no join, convention could exist With
out the assent OF the Senate, the Democrats OF
that BODY with the President at their head
before the time at which the Senate had been
invited 10 ioin the House. and before 1t had
decided whether it wouli JOIN the House OF
not. lett their sea. went into the douse,
and in a mere Democratic caucus conducted
the ceremony of counting the votes tor 10Y
ernor, which the Constitution requires to De
done before bot. Houses" but nowhere says
IN joint contention" This meeting, with
out any motion, aud without any authority
was adjourned to subsequent day. Thus
adjournment. After one or two similar al
ioarnments. esch invalid even il the meeting
mad been valid two men, mean enough tC
pocket pay they had No right 10, and oas'
enough 10 abet a fraud 70 get the chance. wer'
delegated TO 20 to Washington as the Repre-
f seatatives, not OF the Safe, but OF Demo
cratic caucus. The "eonven;ioa" that sen
them was Illegally commenced, illegally sd
iourneei made It's selection illegally. BY les
than two thirds OF either house, and IN Ia
;, absolute absence OF one House, and uasiI
admitted is illeSalitv BIZ admitting that i Ia
no power To elect State officers ha> thres
to Gi>franchise three Republican Senators va
followed up by revolutionary effort to d..
: franchise the whole Senate, These. every
. body viii remember. were the very first &C
OF the session before any business had bee
done. or attempted An suspicious con
menoement Of legislation was II Eot7 ii
! Republicans defeated on and protested again
! The other, and they hal no other connects
with either.
The session though broken st the very OF