North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1864-03-23


Of compromise adopted in 1855, when the
Democrats having an actual majority (al-
though not presen,) were given the Speaker,
the Know Nothngs Of that day (at present
Republican, the clerk, and SO alternately to
the end of tie list. But this proposition the
Republican Senators Of 1864 refused to ac-
cept They had entered upon usurpat ION,
and they determined 20 adhere t. il with oil
it's consequences.
During the protracted struggle which fol
loved, this ofrr VI C mpromise was renewd
> from time to time it was always rejected,
aud not one prop)sl tending to q solution
Of The difficulty ever came from the Rrpubl-
can side, save the absnrd suggestion OF the
Senator from Erie, Mr. Lowry, that he would
vote Tor the Democratic candida for Speak
er prorided either he or some one of the un-
dersigned uroutd agree nerer to rote on a y
purity or test question.
Ii Is thus a matter of history that the Re-
publican Senators refused fair and just
rolosition which, ha it been accepted,
would have organized The Senate ON the sec
ond day # its meeting. They attemp' t"jus-
tify iLer Conduct On Two grounds. First,
that the Senate ia ever organized, the Speak
er Of former Ser.a,e being the Speaker Of
the subsequent one and Second that Mag r
White, # present, would have gwen them a
majority.
| H.. h.. k,.F- 81, H.. xC
the first position by reference to the words Of
the Co1sfiiu'i"n, and to the unbroken prece'
dents Of seventy years. In addition, We will
! present test which will SO clearly expose
the unwarrantahe and unconsit1 tional
nature Of the claim, that no one, however
| pr,iudiced, may mistake, or misunderstood
| it.
By the XIII section, Article lst, Of the
Constitution Of this State, i! is provided that
all bills passed by the Legislature and pre-
scnted to the Governor fpr his signature,
within ten days Of the adjournment, shall
become laws pithom his signature, unless
returned (wIth his objection>) lrHhin three
days after the nert meeting.
In 1855 the Legislature met on the second
day Of January. The contest for Speaker
was prolonged until the fifth. when the Hon.
VIM. II. Hester, of Berks county was elect
ed. Upon the sixth, the fourth day after
their meeting, the Governor Of the Common
wealth returned, with his objections, several
of the most important bills passed by the
I 4 IL, g IL.
Republican Senators If 1864 is correct, viz:
that the Senate is always orgon zed, and that
the Speaker Of the former Senate is the Spra-
keI Of the new Senaie then those bills of
1854, vetoed by Governcr Bigler on the
fourth day of the session Of 1855, are laws
nOtwIt thstandinc his vetoes. That this is not
80 or at least that none Of TIE eminent law
yers and statesmen who composed that Sen
ate (amcng whom were Price, Buckalew,
| Hester and DarsIt) 50 Ghought, is evinccd
by tie fact that they all voted upon those
ve:oes as required. by the C"ns'it"'inn, winch
they surely would not have done hal they
been Of opinion they had peen sent in too
late. The Senator'S of 1855 did not even
claim TO have met until they had elected a
Sp aksr, much less that they 1reTe Organized
Our view Of the question Is t.rhcr strength
ened by the act Of 1904, which obviously
contcDpiates the el ction If a Speaker of
each House at the beginning If each Session,
and requires him first TO be sworn before he
can administer the oaths to the newly elect
II h,Sh l.,ft far h
lican Senator'S Of 1864 to more the Con>,i-
tuition, to defy precedent, and to attempt to
destroy the very foundations Of law and or.
der
f This disposes of their first ground # de
( fence. We will now probe the second reason
assigned for their revolutionary conduct.
Who is accou Itable for the absence oc Ma
jor White, or rather, who is to blame that
his scat was not filed on tn, first day We
E me,?"
It is alleged that Major White resigned
bis seat IN this Senate, that resignation lav
ing been received by his ia her, Julie White
about the middle of November, 1863. II is
to be assumed (!he undersigned reservne
their individual opinions thereon) ttat the
resignation was genuine, since in furtherance
. and IN support of the u>urpation inauSurated
in january, an election was orde-ed thereon
by the Speaker de facto Of the Senate, AMI a
new member elected and sworn. Assuming
il to be genuine, whose fault is il that ar
election was not ordered Immediately on il.
reception, which would have given ample
time Ia hare put his successor in his place
on the first Tuesday of January? Surely
her that Of the undersigned. nor of any
Democrat in the State; the blame must res
, where 1t rightfully belongs, upon the Repub
licans of the Senate and upon their abbettors
The excuse offered is that the resignation