Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-01

e.
and seee nteen membeFe-0f the SeHate re-
signed their seats, thus reducing the
membership in each body to less than
two-thirds of the members auth rized by
law to be elected. On the other hand,
the Republicans assumed that thstl each
House consisted of its actual membership;
that when member died or Resigned he
was no longer to be counted and thattwo-
thirds of that membership counted a
quorum. ssots e. ssEoIL. T. - ak1
THE constitution OF the United States
provides that sd, -ribratsf.
ga ma ority of each house shall con-
stitute a quorum ofdo business. od col
tssTwo, thirds of, each house is required
to constitute quorum ia the State Legis-
lature, but q majority in each house win
constitute quorumDin Congress, and the
first question under each constitution is,
what is the sShouse,o or how many mem
bers does it take to constitute the
sehouse si' And when that is ascertained
then two.thirds of that number viii con-
stitnte the quorum of the Legislature, and
majority in Congress. z..o 5,' ~
t1t has been solemnly decided that
each. house of Congress consists of its
actual membership and not of the whole
number of members authorized by law
to be elected; that when q Senator or
representative dies or resigns her is no
Longer to be counted in determining the
quorum, and that the quorum consists of
a majority of the remaining number, and
in this way varies from day to day, as
vacancies occur by death or resigna
tien or a e filled by election or appoint
ment. 7.'''o 10 -'7-" 0' 49,
'This question was raised in Congress-
after the resignation of the Senat ri aud
Representatives of the Southern St4:eF at
the beginning of the rebellion, and was
decided in accordance with common
sense and the necessity of. preserving The
government. -Ne-a u Eaz ts-J al'i 70
|'The resolution ratifying the fifteenth
amendment in the Indiana Legislature re-
ceiyed fifty.six votes in the House and
twenty-eight in the Senate, the same be-
ing a clear majority of all the members
authorized by law to be elected to either
house. ~
What must be the dispassiOrate judg-
ment of the American people, asks the
Republican, upon a party that thus re-
verses and contradicts its avOwed princi-
pies at the very moment its champions
are defending them9 What must be the
feelings of Senator Morton, when he sees
the argument which he made in Wash
ington on the 18th Of February, repudi
ated in Indianapolis on the 23d of Feb
ruary, by the very friends in behalf and
defence of whom he spoke2 What can
be the limits to the desperation of a party
that, in addition to violating all cOnstitu-
tons, all laws, all precedents, all
traditions and all accepted max
inns of Government is ready 10 vio-
late lis own creed and policy, Tebuke its
own acts, unsettle and traverse its own
decisions, convict itself of wrong, and t
refuse to accept the logical consequences
of its standardization and qualification?
The Indiana Democrats prove consistent
and faithful to their principles, eVtn to
their own detriment. They do not hold
that the remnant of the House is q quo
rum; on the contrary, as they he'd in
1869, so they hold now, that it is not a
quorum, though composed of eight more
members than the Radical remnant that
ratified or assumed TO ratify the fifteenth
amendment ia 1869. They do not shift
their position because their opponents
have shifted theirs, but steadfastly adhere
to it, and accept the result. They have
resolved to recognize the break up which
their opponents have effected, and sub
nit the whole case to the people; and we
believe that the popular judgment will
show that their course is as wise as it is
consistent.