Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-29
MONDAY, JANUARY %, 1866.
An Irrepre.sIbIe ConaIet.

The two houses of our State Legislature
are by the ears over a question Of parlia.
mentary etiquettel Volatile Representa-.
tives on the one hand, majestic and pom
derous Senators on the other, they are en-
gagged in discussion over precedent and
courtesy, before which the Chilian war,
the Spanish revolution, the capture OF
Bagdad, and even the Kilkenny cat con-
fict must pale their Intellectual fires. The
eGusa fErbandG onnssio lay in the bill pro-
viding for the distribution of public dOcu-
ments by the Secretary of State, at the
public expense instead of by individual
legislators at their own expense. This bill
the Senate passed on Thursday, by very
small majority, and the clerk of that body
Of course sent it to the House Of Repre-
sentatives for their action thereon. But
the next day friday, the Senate repent
ed itself of its hasty action in passing the
bill, and reconsidered it, sending q mes
sage to the House requesting its return.
So far, all had gone merry as a marriage
belll But judge the horror and amazement
of our potent grave and reverend SEN
aters when a message came back from
the lower House, fatty refusing their po-
lite request, and informing the Senate lin
parliamentary and PiokwickiaH language,
of course) that they had got the bill in
their own hands, and meant to keep it
Tha 81 Id
the Gauls invaded the Roman Senate
chamber, and one rude barbarian, wond-
ering at the stately silence with which the
Conscript Fathers sat in their curule
chairs plueked Senator by the beard,
and was struck dead therefor-since that |
period, in an interval of more than twenty |
centuries, there had been no parallel to
this wsnton insult. What was. to be
donef One ardent Senator rushed, like
CurtiuA into the breach, waving in his
hand these sanguinary resolutions:
Rssolped, That the House of Representa-
tives, in refusing to acceds to the request of
the Senate, to return House bill No, 40, has
been guilty of diseourtesy to the Senate, and
NlOidIcu tue usage ana Ino
uniform custom of legislative bodies.
ResoLUed, That no message be received by
the Senate, from the House, until said bill
be returned.
Resot1ed, That q message be sent to the
House of Representatives informing the
House Of the passage of the foregoing reso-
lutions.
But this document was too graphic and
for q legislative and ponder
ously dignifed body; and the Senate, by
a slight majority, refused to declare nom
a Ia Chandler, with the lower
House. Instead thereof, another message
was sent to that body informing it sig
that the Senate had unanimously
'econsidered its vote on the passage of the
'ill. What the House will do on this no
ifcation we do not pretend to predict
Meantime, however, the excitement runs
ligh and the Senators are in ferment. 1
We confess that in this matter our SYM
'athies are with the Senate. The House
Ias. an undoubted parliamentary preroga- ,
i've of hanging on to the bill; but we un- 1
lerstand that the universal custom has :
'een to return bills at the request of the !
ranch originating them, if no essential ,
ction has been taken on them by the '
ranch to which they were sent. Wesee {
10 reason why the House of Representa- !,
ives should refuse this exercise of the
sual courtesy and reciprocity between
he two branches of the Legislature. 4