Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1859-03-17
SPEECH of Hon. HENRY s. LANE,

SPEECH of Hon. HENRY s. LANE,
Delirered in tie Capitoi Of Indiana, on the
epening Of The 9th Of February.
FELLOW CITIZENS - After having
been for the last six weeks associating
with the peoples servants at Wash
ington City-and many of them poor
anil Improbable servants at that-it
is truly refreshing now to meet their
masters, the people themselves. My
first duty and my highest privilege to-
night is to return You my unfeigned
thanks for your kindly greeting and
cordial welcome, anu Tor your conf
dencc and support in times past. /
have no suitable words III which to
express my gratitude myself, but in
my heart of hearts | feel 1t.
1t Is refreshing to leave the corrupt
and oppressive atmosphere of Wash
ington for the free clear air and glad
sunshine of this beautiful metropolis
this gem which blazes upon the queen
" coronct OF our noble young COM
monwealth-and l am glad to make
my appeal to you in favor of the
right-a God d-given and eternal right,
stamped by the finger of Providence
upon the constitution of human nature;
the right of popular sovereignty, which
was born when Adam first became Il
living soul.
Your presence this night. fellow
citizens, esteem highly as a compli-
ment personal to my colleague and
myself; but its highest significance is
in another and nobler sense; you show
just and proper appreciation of the
monstrous outrage and wrong which
has been perpcirated by the Senate OF
the United States upon the sovereignty
of the State of Indiana, q wrong and
outrage without parallel in the history
of constitutional governments. | shall
not consume your time tonight by en-
tcring into an argument in reference
to the constitutionality of your late
Senatorial election. You are, per-
haps, more familiar with that than /
am; but believing. as did, that | was
constitutionally elected. proudly bore
vour commission to the L 5. Senate.
Now, a Lecompton press Of this city
Las said. that Col. McCarty and my
self look crest-fallen and sorrowiul,
but as far as | am concerned. you see
it is false, for l am here in all my
beautiful proportions, and although
/ Colonel McCarty does not look quite
as he might. still he looks his best,
and | see no evidence of his being
chop-fallen. Ii these gentlemen are
satisfied with the part they have play
cd in this matter, | am satisfied with
mine-perlectly satisfied.
To begin. then. at the beginning OF
this matter When the memorial OF
your Legislature was first presented at
Washington, a Republican Senator Of
New \ ork moved our admission to the
floor of the Senate during the penden-
cv of the contcst-a motion of course
a naked matter of courtesy, and which
had never. prior to that time. been de
MED. That request, so reasonall
was refused, and we were repuIsed
from the doors of the Senate. If
had then consulted simply my own
sense of self-respect. | should not have
gone back to the Senate Chamber upon
their invitation repeated thousand
times But for the sake of the inter
est entrusted to my hands by the Leg
islature of the State, the motion was
again renewed, and we were again re-
pulsed in manner most insulting to
our State, from the United States Sen
ate, place where If any decent man
Is willing to go, upon any terms as
the Senate Is now constituted. | say in
Gods name they ought to let him in.
Your claims were rejected, and why.
You are told this case was previously
adludicated. n former Judgment was
plead III bar, anil the strict rules ap-
plicable to courts of Justice were ap-
piled to the exercise of political power
But suppose we apply the strict rules
applicable in court of Justice, how
do you make former judgment bar
la the first place. the court must hav,
had jurisdiction, and in the seeone
place, there must have been the proper
parties in court. and the same partie,
must have been before the court il
both trials. Twelve months ago iher,
were NO parties sent there from ou
Lcgislature-no gentlemen were ther,
claiming To occupy the seats as Sena
tors from the State of lndiana-ve
you are told that the State was pre-
eluded twelve months before she as
serted her right TO be represented
Now. how would YOU make a bar o
such case a. this? How eoala th,
Senate decide our right to seat twelv'
months before our election At tn
last session, Toombs of Ca, and Ben
jamin of La. took this ground: Why
said they. there is no party here claim
ing seats from the State of Indiana
and she has not demonstrated agains