The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-28
FROM HARRISBURG.

Against Constitutional Reform and Fair
Apportion mens-A Constitutional Convention
Assured-rhe Decline and Fail of the Win
nebago Chief.
From Oar Oen Correspondent.
HARRISBURG, Dec 26.
The election of Colonel Dechert in the First
district will make quite disturbance in the old
order of things in the Senate For twelve years
the Senate has been under Republican control
without interruption. In the fall of 1862 the
House was lost, and Democratic maj jority of
one on joint ballot secured, which sent Mr..
Buckalew to the United States Senate; but
Republican supremacy in the State Senate has
never, since the first Republican triumph of
1858, been broken until now. The Senate had
become a sort of Republican fixture, and Re-
publican clerks and other subordinates had
settled down into what seemed to be life estates
Now, however, by the general disgust of active
Republicans, four Democratic Senators wills be
sworn in on the Sd of January to represent
strong Republican constituencies. Messrs.
Petriken and Crawford have over 1900 Repub
lcan majority in their district on full poll;
Dill has quite as much; and Colonel Dechert
has about 1000 Thus have the Republicans
themselves transferred the power of the Senate
from their own party to the Democrats. 1t
was not accident or mere Indifference that pro-
duced this change. twas done by the positive
efforts of many Republicans who saw no other
way of averting the carnival of crime
that Cameron has inaugurated under the shadow
of Republcanism. In the late contest in the
First district, when every voter knew that the
control of the Senate depended upon the re-
suit, fully 5000 Republicans failed to VOTE and
that, too when they had most unexception-
able candidate. Such results have positive
meaning; and the cry of fraud, or indifference,
or perfdy or any of the other stereotyped howls
which usually come from the defeated do not
give the true explanation. The First district
was lost solely because Republicans them
selves were disguised with Republican frauds,
and seeing no hope of regenerating the party,
they gave it over to defeat.
Instead of General White filling the Speaker S
chair we shall now have Mr.. Wallace, of Clear
field, as the presiding officer He is the master
politician OF his party, and deserves all the cou-
hdence he receives from his political friends.
He is a clear-headed, prudent leader, and will
preside with dignity and fairness. Although
not so strong disputant as Buckalew, he is
much the most skilful and efficient partisan of
the two, and is the recognized leader of his
party in the Legislature. 1t is due to him to
say that he enjoys the respect of the Republi-
cans and he is ever courteous and manly foe.
Hamersly will vaeate the Clerks desk, and his
familiar face will be missed with regret by many
of both parties. A generation has passed away
since he entered the Senate as a clerk. AS early
as 1886, / believe, he became one of the subor-
dinate clerks, and in 1888 he was Chief Clerk
and recorded the memorable proceedings grow
ing out of the "Buckshot War" Since then he
has been Clerk nearly all the time when the
Democrats were not in power. few years
given to contracting made him decline the po.
sition. He has never been defeated candidate
in his party He will now give place to "UnelC
Jake Zeigler, the prince of good fellows and 4
universal fayorite. He, too has elerked in th(