The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-01-27
THE EXPULSION OF THE HON
THOMAS j. KENNY FAtONE HIS
SEATIN THE OHIO SENATE.

On last Friday afternoon one of those scenes
occurred in the Ohio Senate which may be
properly styled an expulsion from that august
body of shoddy tyrants, called out of respect
to the State Constitution Legislators of the
State" Now Re do not obj cot, of course, To
the Ohio Senate the House any other delib-
erative body properly, and with due observance
of law and right, settling the conflicting claims
| Of members for seats. 1t is their dutyas welias
their gightto do so. The Constitution gives it
to them and properly so, buttheir oaths Of Office
require that it should be done after the man
ner and forms of law, and to arrive at justice,
and for no other object. This the Ohio SEN
ate wholly failed to do, and are therefore
amenable to puplic condemnation and the Sc
verest criticism reckless Of their oaths and
of their duty. It is not enough for members,
acting as a court of justice and deliberation to
make up their otcn minds how to act, or vote,
but they are bound to furnish the people they
represent with the facts on which they act, and
be able to place in their hands also the reasons
therefor
Mr.. GAss (abolition) contested the seat of
Mr.. KENNY (democrat on the ground that all
the soldiers vote had not been counted, which
if included would give Mr.. GAss few more
than those counted by the Clerk of Ashland
county for Mr.. KENNY. The Senatorial Dis
triotgis composed of Ashland and Riohland
Elections, made up of abolitionists, on exam
lining the returns of the soldiers votes; decided
themselves that the hospital votes were illegal
even on the terms of the law, and excluded
them from the Ashland returns, as the Clerk
Of that county had done before, but admitted
others, and by this means secured some thirty
five or forty votes more for Mr.. GAss than for
| Mr.KEgNY, and in all haste proceeded to ex-
| pei the sitting member, as though they were
afraid of accidents.
In this they were SO far right for had they
examined the returns of Richland county, and
excluded the same class of votes they did for
! Ashland, Mr.. KENNY would still have had a
majority. Yet they hastened to expel him
without this examination, or before making
any report at all upon the subject by which
members, not in their secrets, could be inform
!. ed of the grounds of their. action. They re-
ported simply resolution. couched in the
| fewest possible Words and went blindfold to
work in voting for it T Having the physical
power, as wild partizans, mad with power, they
of course succeeded in their work.
In afew days, too, perhaps before this paper
goes to press, the Supreme Court may decide
on the constitutionality of the whole law au.
thorising soldiers to vote. Was not delay 9
matter of common decency and selfrespect, al
that question was before the Court and ha6
been most ably, and by all we have heart
speak OF 1t, unansWerably argued by Judg
BARTLEY in opposition to the constitutiontlit.
of the law But Mr.. KENNY was an able ant
ready debater, and a most efficient member
and thereby troublesome to the weak and inex
: fperienced brains Of the majority, and his ez
pulsion from his seat was acted upon as thougl
) it was dire necessity to getl of him. =,
!, But worse than all this; the member VIII
particularly petifogged this case through th
Senate was Col. CoNNELL. a Senator fror
Athens, Hooking and Fairfield counties, elet
ted in the same way as Mr.. ,GAss, by vote
not settled to be either constitutional or give
: with fairness under the Law; if both of whic
were decided in his favor he still has no NOR
right toa seat in the Senate than Gov. BRoUGE
[ Treasurer DORSEY, or any other State or Un
. ted States officer. The. Constitution of th
t State of Ohio reads, Article II, section A, 9
follows
!! "No person holding Office under the autho
!! ity of the United States, or any lucrative o
i flee under the authority of the State, shall
eligible to- or have a seat in the General Al
e sembly but this provision shall not extend I
township officers, Justices of the Peace, No.,
ries Public or officers of the Militia"
Colonel CoNNELL is as much an object
i expulsion from his seat, as ever man in
Legislative body can be. BE took an oath
support the Constitution Of Ohio on takin