Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-05-01

That is what the people want to know
and intend to know. Fortunately there is
time enough between this and the election
for them to examine the question, and they
viii examine it In the heat Of a political
canvass, falsehood may be so repeated as to
deceive honest mon, but whom eighteen
months are to elapse, we have no fears that
honest men will remain deceived. Dishon-
est ones may continue to repeat the false
hood, and urge it as pretext for sustaining
corrupt party, but the masses will the
more surely detect tho fraud
We shall certainly keepit before the peo-
Pile that the reason why important lcgisla-
ton failed, ar the late session, was because
the Governors party broke the quorum, and
kept il broken until the legislature adjourn
ed, to prevent a vote on the contested cleo
ton. As we have said elsewhere, the very
FIRST duty of a branch Of the Legislature
should be to purge il ofineligible members
Common sense would dictate this And
we are not alone in this opinion. During
the discussion IN Congress, on the Bright
and Petit case, Mr.. Butler Of South Caro-
lima thus spoke, in urging immediate ac-
ton:
81 say that committee on privileges and
elections ought to be raised TO take cogni-
zancc Of disputed elections at the first day
Of the session, and to purge the body. No
body ON earth ought TO allow any foreign
man to participate in its proceedings.
1Contested-elcction cases are privileged
questions, and when they are sent TO judi
ciary committee, assure the Senate they
exclude the consideration of all other mat
tiers, and they are questions that we all
know are OF great interest
Mr. Stuart of Michigan, another old liner,
thus referred to the Importance Of immedi-
ately disposing Of this question
1T is important to dispose of this point,
agreeably 70 the rules. II seems to me that
the rules of the Senate contemplate this !:
the question now before us is not privil-
eyed question, but it is a question of privil-
eye; it is a question Of the first and high
est order. 1t involves the right of mem
Der to his seat, and takes precedence Of ere
~ Other question, unless a majority Of the
Senate lay il aside.
Can the managers of that party be so
stultiGed as to suppose that honest people
viii be made to believe that the members
who insisted on first 'purging the body"
arc responsible for the failurea Never
The course Of the old line party in this
matter demonstrate that they will first Gre
ate anarchy and then try to lie themselves
out Of their guilt
81 . But, say the Governor and his friends,
"ths Republicans might have waived that
question when they saw that the Democrats
would not let them vote on it," So they
might, but had they done it. they would have
shown themselves unworthy to represent a
free people Henry and Adams and Frank
lin and Jefferson might have waived their
objections TO the tyranny Of the mother
country, and thus saved the blood that was
split in our revolution, especially as the obi
GUS tax law had been repealed, and only
''thc right to tax America retained. But
they preferred to go into the war in defense
Of their rights, rather than to cowardly
submit to oppression. A more high-handed
assumption has not boon made since the
days Of King George than that now made
by the tyrants who claim the right to die
tate to majority Of the Senate what they
shall do. OF course there will be called
session, aud Of course the Republicans viii
maintain their right to purge the Senate til
their term Of Office expires, even if it re
quircs fifty extra sessions to pass the appro
priation bills At least we hope they viii