The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-03-16

HOm lew mO0LnS OF DlacK 6epuDncan
misrule
The Supplemental Election Bill.
The Minmesotian and Times, Of yesterday,
contained the subjoined paragraph, designed
to cover up the meditated fraud of certain
Republican leaders of the Legislature, in
relation to this important bill: .*...+
Col, Robertson, the worthy member from this
county, has penchant for flying off the handle
once in while. Yesterday morning, in the
House. having found his supplement to the
Election bill had not been reported back by the
that it was done purposely to suppress it, and
delivered peppery philippe against the House
and committee, He said the House was ''den
Of thieves" that the majority of the members
were mean-and used other epithets and that
he would shake its dust from his feet $50
he departed in great passion. The joke Of
the thing is, that he had not been gone a min
ute, before in comes The committee with the
bill in question, along with others, which had
been just then finished. So the Colonel spent
his thunder for nothing.
The truth is, that Col. ROBERTSON applied
bis scathing philippe to those who were en-
gagged in preventing, by fraud, this bill
becoming law, the leader of whom was
SEcoMBE, the author of the original fraud.
The " member from Africa had procured
the reference of the original Election bill to
committee of which he was Oh .irman, to
insert clause in relation to the registration
of voters; and then, unknown to the other
members of the committee, inserted a pro-
vision giving the whole power of issuing
certificates of membership to the Legisla-
ture, to BAKER, the Secretary of State :
thus placing the legislative department en-
tirely in his hands. The bill was passed by
both branches of the Legislature, without
discovering this fraud. SEcoMBE next in
troduced bill making the certificates OF the
Secretary of State prima facia evidence of
membership; which led Col. R. to examine
the original Election bill, when the fraud
above referred to was announced to the
House, and, on motion of Col. R., a reso-
luton was passed, by large majority, in
structing the judiciary committee to report
supplemental bill restoring the provisions
of the original bill. SEcoMBE and his ad.
herants made an unsuccessful attempt to de-
feat this resolution, as they did also to defeat
the supplemental bill when reported by Col.
Robertson.
Resolved to place the whole legislative
power of the state 10 the hands of dis
honest and shameless Secretary Of State,
their next move was to prevent the bill
which had passed both branches of the
Legislature, from becoming law. The
enrolling committee of the House, to whom
the enrolled bill had been delivered, hid it
away in desk, and delivered the key to
SEcoMBE, and the infamous fraud upon the
rights of the people of the State would have
been consummated but for the "phillipic ;"
with which Col. r. assaulted the knaves en-
gagged in this nefarious transaction. His
denunciation smoked them out.
To put good face on this. villainy, the
MinneSOtidn and Times says:
The joke of the thing is, that he (Co'. KY
had not been gone minute before in comes
the committee with the bill in question, along
with others which had been just then finished.
Now the truth Of "the joke of the thing I"
is just this: the Republicans engaged in
this rascality had become frightened, and
they induced one of their number to make q
motion in the Senate to recall the bill, in
order to recede from mere verbal amend
ment. They then called SEcoMBE out Of
the House, and while two Republicans held
the door closed to keep him out, those inside
broke open the desk where the bill was con,
cealed, brought it forth from its hiding
place, and, by resolution, returned it to the
Senate, which body Immediately receded
from their verbal amendment, and the bill
was signed by the presiding officers of both
bodies and sent to the Governor for his sig
nature. If signed by him, an Infamous and
disgraceful fraud on legislative and popular
rights has been defeated.