New-York tribune., 1873-02-06
ANOTHER SENATORIAL CONSPIRACY

ANOTHER SENATORIAL CONSPIRACY.
In Alabama, legislation is little game.
Perhaps this is true of other States; but in
Alabama it is conspicuously so. When the
| Conservatives and Republicans in the newly
elected Legislature were counted, it was found
that the former were in majority on joint
ballot. The chief end and aim of the Legis-
lature were supposed to be to reelect Mr..
Spencer to the United States Senate !;
any crumbs which the members might pick
ND after that was finished were to be con-
sidered legitimate; but Mr.. Spencers re-
election was certainly as desirable as that of
| Mr. P0merOy of Kansas or even Mr.. Harlan's
from Iowa 1t could not be reached with that
Legislature. Readers of THE TRIBUNE know
that the Republicans then organized a Legis-
ature of their own, i'll which were not men
enough who had claimed seats in the legal body
to form quorum. This revolutionary junta
was ioyfully acknowledged as legal by the
Republican Governor, Lewis An appeal to
Washington, il will be recollected, brought a
basis of compromise from the Attorney
| General, and both Legislatures proceeded to
dissolve and reOrganize new body, dcferring
all questions of contested seats until their
organization was complete.
| So far, so good. In the Senate there were
two contested seats - one from Escambia,
Conecuh, and Butler and the other fIom Ma
renge From the Escambia district Miller,
Republican, and Martin, Conservative, ap-
peared as contestants. The Marengo seat
was claimed by Dereen, Republican, and
Jones' Conservative. The basis of the COM
promise organization had been that Dereen
should be temporarily seated as Senator
from MarengO, and Martin from Es-
cambia-thus equally dividing the two seats
between the c0ntesting parties, and deferrlng
final adjudication until the Senate was organ
lied. The MarengO contest came up first, and
il was found that though Jones, the Consery-
ative. had a majority of all the votes cast,
several new names were on the duplicate list
of registered voters filed in the office
of Secretary of State. 1t is prOba-
bic that this addition to the registry
list was a forgery; but the Conservatives,
who held majority in the Senate, agreed to
accept a report which gave Dereen the seat
from Marengo County OH the hypothesis that
the addition to the returns was genuine
When the Escambia contest came up, there
were two reports one from the Republican mi
norty of the Committee, which reached the con-
clusion that Miller, Republican, was elected by
346 majority provided 453 votes, which the re-
port considered illegal, were thrown out. But no
definite conclusion was given, beyond an in
ference that Miller was legally chosen Sen
ator The majority report was conclusive as
to Martins claims, and contained resolution
to that effect After seating Dereen. the
Conservatives had a majority of one in the
Senate. Before the Miller Martin case
came up a Conservative Senator was
induced to "pair off, with a Repub-
lican rejoicing in the slippery name of
Glass: and he went to his home in distant
part of the State. The two reports in the Es-
Gambia case were laid before the Senate, and a
motion was made to substitute the minority
report for that of the majority. The roll was
called, and in the midst, the treacher-
GUS Glass was dramatically produced
from his hding-place; he voted for
the Republican report there was a
tie, and the Lieutenant-G Governor, McKinstry,
gave his casting vote in favor of the minority
report. He then ruled that the substitution of
that report gave Miller his seat, though it was
not so put in the document. An appeal was
demanded; the Lieutcnant-GOvernO grimly
refused il; one of the Conservatives who had
changed his vote for the purpose of NOV
mg a reconsideration now moved that ;
McKinstry refused to put the motion
he then appealed to the Senate; Nc
Kinstry refused to allow the appeal to be
taken. Next day other attempts at appeal
were made by the Conservatives the presiding
20 or
them to the Senate, So the t2gge was con; con;
summated the Alabama Senate was organized
by violence and treachery with a Republican
majority. 1t is fortunate and surprising that
there was no bloodshed. The Conservatives
were patient and forbeariDg.
We have given space for so much of mar
ration of this unjust proceeding, not to point
a moral for Alabama, but because il concerns
the whole country. What Durell did in Louis
lana, PomerOy in Kansas, Clayton in Arkan-
sas, and McKinstry in Alabama, may be done
in every State in the Union, if the election of
United States Senator is to carry
everywhere violence, venaity, bribery,
and usurpation. The case which we
have just cited is, unhappily, not an
isolated one, though some OF its fea-
lures are peculiar \ 1t was conspiracy against
popular rights The man who was injected
into the Senate of Alabama had no more right
there than a citizen of another State. But
the reelection of Spencer, attempted by the
illegal Legislature which had been dissolved,
must be cOmpassed, even ii a conspiracy were
necessary to accomplish it. Such intrigues az
these are becoming alarmingly common. Will
the United States Senate be eventually filled
with successful conspiratorsi
A conpromise on the Sloop- of War bill has