Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-03-19
Address of the Democratic State
Senator's. a
WASHINGTON, March /, 1854.

40 "'e D6"OC'WS " eH"SYCUUHLU-
FELLOW CITIZENS AT this iuncture
in the proceedings of the Senate of Pen
nsylvania, the undersigned deem it their
right and duty TO address you.
For more than two months we have un-
itedly and determinedly withstood an ef-
fort on the part of the Republican mem.
bers of that body to subvert the organic
law, to ignore the precedents Of seventy
years of our history, and 10 trample under
foot the rights of their equals and peers.
In SO doing we have Been actuated by the
high resolve, that by no act of the rerres-
entatives of the only law wabiding political
organization in this Commonwealth should
the rights and constitutional privileges of
the people be subverted, We have relied
with unshaken faith upon that people for
our support and vindication, and to the
end that their verdict may be rendered
with full knowledge Of the facts, we beg
leave to present brief history of our pos
ition during the protracted and exciting
contest which has just closed.
The members of the Senlte assembled
in the Senate Chamber at Harrisburg on
Tuesdey, January 9Th, A. D. 1864, at
3 p. NJ. Of the twenty-five Senators
holding over, all were present save Major
White, who was prisoner in the hands of
the rebels; Of those present, twelve were
Democrats, and nine Republicans. The
Senate was called to order by the Hon. j.
p Penney, the Speaker elected at the
close of the session of 1863. The Secre-
tafy oil the Commonwealth was then in
troduced and presented the returns from
the districts which had elected Senators in
October 1868. The returns were opened
and read, by which it appeared that four
Democrats and seven hepubl cans had
been elected all of whom woro present,
thereby causing tie in the vote between
the two great political organizations of the
country as represented on that floor.
. Upon the reading of the certificates of
election, it would have been the duty of
the Senator elected Speaker at the close
of the session of 1863 to have vacated the
chair, had he been governed in his action
by the express terms Of the Constitution,
which, by section X, Article |, prescribes
that the General Assembly shall meet on
the lst Tuesday of January in every year
and by section Xl, of the same Article,
that ''each House" g.. e. when they meet
on that day. shall elect its Speaker and
other officers. 1t appears to the under
signad that the word "e0ch House shall
elect as Speaker are sufficiently certain
to determine the question that no one
elected Speaker by the Senate of 1868
could exercise the duties of that Office over
the Senate of l564-the latter being a
new and distinct body, made up of other
members who had never participated in an
election for Speaker, and as by the ex-
press terms of the Constitution, "each
House shall (when they meet on the first
Tuesday in January 10 each year, elect as
Speaker and oihtr 06icerS," it is manifest
and clear that the Senator from Allegheny
had no shadow of right to exercise the
duties of Speaker over this new Senate
which had never elected him its Speaker,
and we have never recognized him as such
But admitting, Tor the sake Of argument
that the words of the Constitution are
ambiguous and uncertain, then precedent
and usage, il they exist, must determine
their meaning, and by this test the under.
signed desire that their position may be
.ried.
During period Of seventy years, from
1894 until this day, there is but one other
instance where Speaker elected by a
former Senate attempted TO exercise the
duties of his Office over succeeding and
new Senate, and that was during the
"BUcK SHOT WAR;" when the late Char.
les B. Penrose, The Speaker holding over
entertained two motions relative to con-
tested seats; but, when these were deter
mined, even he vacated the chair, and die
not dare to resume it, until by the vote o
the nel0 Senate, he was elected Speaker
If the Republican members of the Senat
of 1864 can gather comfort from this on
SO itary exception in the unbroken line q
precedenls, they are welcome to it. Th
boldness and magnitude Of their act c
asurpation has destroyed its significance a
deed of revolution.
The Senator from Allegheny, notwil
standing the express words of the Cor
stitation, with their meaning illustrated b
the action Of all former Speakers, save OIL
for aperiod Of 20 years, after the readiu
of the certificates of election which create
new Senate, failed to vacate the chai
which he occupied by courtesy and for Il
sake of convenience. He requested tt
new Senators to come forward to be swor
This the Republican Senators did, an
alss the Democratic Senators the latte
however, under protest, in which,
brief and emphatic terms, they denied h
right 70 administer the oath of Office
them, they having been elected membe
of body of which he had never been ele
ted Speaker. II is here to be observe
that this course was necessary on the
part, for the reason that it was the evil
ent intention Of the Republicans, shoul
he Democrats refuse to take the oath,
leave their names of the roll, wheret
our opponents would have secured q clei
majority Of those voting.