Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-01
AN IsvENTIeN To PLAQUE ENG

- EA "a
AN INVENTION To PLAGUE THE
INVENTOR.
The New York Tribune of Feb. "a
says:
tsEhe resignation of the Republican
members of the Indiana Legislature is q
striking piece of political strategy, to
which members of both parties in that
State seem to haye grown accustomed.
us effect, in this case, win be to prevent
a premature, Teapportionmenta A
ooAnd that is all the Tribune has to say
in regard to the conduct of its party in
stopping the wheels of legislation in a
sister States 1t would not have drawn it
so mild had it been a Democratic bolt.
| The extraordinary proceeding on the part
of the Radicals to which the Tribune
thus complacently, IL not approyingly re-
| fers, shows the desperate spirit of that
party 1t was the violent and desperate
act of minority 10 cripple the msjority,
and render that majority powerless to
act. 1t appears that the Democratic
members had proposed to rediArict the
State, and thus correct an injustice that
Radical malignity had inflicted upon the
people of Indiana 1t was to defeat the
passage OF, a bill for this purpose that the
Radical members resigned. Thirty four
Radical members of the House of Repre-
sentaiyes resigned 90 on Thursday,
Feb. 5n23, 1thus breaking that branch
of the Legislature of a quorum and leav-
ing a large amount of legislation un-
finished that the interests of the people of
the State demand. The Indianapolis
Sentinel says there is vast difference
between the circumstances attending the
breaking of the quorum to prevent legis-
lation at the present session, and those
attending the break at the special session
of 1869. Then all necessary legislation
had been accomplished, and the Demo
cratic party made that the condition pre-
cedent of any legislation before mere 20
litical issues should be permitted to inter
fere. The Sentinel shows that the Radi-
cal members could have remained and
assisted in perfecting the legislation which
the interests of the people demanded, and
at the same time have fought off the ap-
portionment bill That paper says:
''The Legislative Apportionment bill
had been made the special order for nine
O'Clock in the morning. In all the pre-
liminary votes upon the bill not one had
been given 10 show that it could COM
mand the requisite fifty one to pass ii.
There was not that number of Democrats
in the House when the Radical scare had
eliminated into disgraceful and cow
ardly resignation. Be it remembered that
the Objectionable measure was House
bill. Suppose it had passed that branch
on Yesterday. What then2 With the
use of parliamentary tactics and the ad
herence to the forms of legislation pre-
scribed by the Constitution, it would have
taken at least three days to have passed
| il through, and then the well known IN
| scrupulOusness of Lieut.. Gov. Cunback,
when his party interests are at stake,
would no doubt have prolonged action
upon it beyond the time we have sug-
gested. When the bill had gone through
the Senate, then the Governor had three
| more days to consider it, when his veto
of it would have given the minority just
as good chsnce for defeating 1t by res
ignation, as they had by adopting that
course on yesterday morniDg, and then
the time that would have in,erVened
would have given the opportunity of per-
feeling the legislation devoid of mere
party character, that the general interests
of the people required and which they
demanded"
Instead of exhausting the parliamen
tary advantages to which they could re-
sort, the thirty. four Radical members in
gloriously fled. The coup d'etat seems
To have been successful in breaking up
the session; for Lieut.. Gov Cumback,
President of the Senate, and a violent
and interruptions partisan, decided that
the House hsd no quorum, and that-he,
as presiding officer of the Senate, could
not recognize its acts. Gov. Baker, also
a Radical, made the same decision. Tie
! point involved, says the st. Louis Re
publican, is simply what constitutes
quorum; is ittwo-thirds of al the mem
bers authorized to be elected, or only
two-;hirds of those who arc actually
members at any time2 This very ques-
ton was presented in 1869, when the
Radicals, who were then the majority,
proposed to ratify the fifteenth amend
ment To defeat this object, which the
people of Indiana were opposed to, forty
Democratic members of the House
resigned, believing and claiming, when
they did so, that the act destroyed the
quorum of the House. The Radical ma
joriGy, on the contrary, insisted that it
did not, and proceeded TO ratify the
amendment This ratification was held
to be valid by the Radical Supreme
| Court and all the State authorities of In-
| diana, and was accepted as valid by the
Federal Government at Washington. But
now the boot is on the other leg; it is the
Radicals who resign their seats in the
same House TO defeat a Democratic meas
ure; and the Radical State authorities,
fatty contradictiDg the principle they
avowed in 1859, maintain that it does re-
ouire two thirds of all the members
authorized to be elected to constitute
quorum, and that the quorum is broken
by the resignation of thirtyfOur mem
beIs. In other words, they who held that
ffty seven members constituted quorum
of the House in 1869, deny that stTty fire
members constitute quorum of the same
| House in 1871. The Indiana Radicals
| found no stouter defender of the validity
and sufiiciency of the ratification by
quorum of ffty-seven, two years ago, than
Senator Morton; audit is little remarkable
that only few days before they resolved