The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-05
THE INFAMY COMPLETED.

sion of the General Assembly expired on
Saturday at midnight, with the general APP
preparation bill still on the Speakers table
and the specific appropriation bill untouched,
This non-action upon these important mat
ters was the result of caucus agreement on
the part of the Democratic majority entered
into with the belief that the executive de-
partment could be intimidated into sending
in the metropolitan police bill at their dicta-
tion or be forced into the calling of special
session, during which their partisan malignity
could have free course. We wish the tax
payers of the State and the decent Demo-
Gratis could have witnessed the closing scenes
in the House. They would have seen an ex-
emplifcation of the fell spirit of Democracy,
which would settle the fate of that party
| forever. Under the lead of Speaker Bynum,
who has disgraced the place he occupies as
no other man in the history of the State
every disgraced it, backed by State Treasurer
Cooper whose interest in the defeat of the
bills is palpable, and the lobby of hoodlums
and disreputable bummers, seconded on the
floor by such three-inch statesmen as Moody,
of DeKalb, and Ferriter of Marion, the pre-
cous time of the session was deliberately and
purposely frittered away. The Speaker or
dered his little creature at the clerks desk to
call the roll slowly and the still smaller
creatures on the floor constantly demanded
the yeas and nays and the verification of
every ballot. When the hour of IL o'clock
came, and there was no possibility of the
business of the people of the State being at
tended to, cheers for the disgraced Speaker
came up from the Hobbies and floor, out of
| the Threats of those who imagined they had
achieved a triumph And thus ended the
working time of the General Assembly, for
which the taxpayers of Indiana pay one hun
bred and thirty thousand dollars.
| This was the situation: The general appro-
priation bill had been passed several days
before, but a motion to reconsider was
laid on the table to compel Governor Porter
to send in the metropolitan police bill,
which, under the constitution, he could con-
time to carefully weigh its provisions and
prepare a satisfactory veto. There was no
other purpose on the part of the Democratic
majority of the House in reopening the vote
on the appropriation bill than to force the
Governor to comply with their demands.
This was conceded by every Democrat. The
proceeding was indecent and revolutionary.
Every consideration of honor and every
safeguard for the independence of the CO.
ordinate branches of the government de-
manded that Governor Porter should main
tain the constitutional prerogatives of his
office. To have yielded to the demand of
band of lawless thugs and constitution as
sassins would have been to forfeit not only
self-respect, but the respect of every man
his care. While carefully preserving the
constitutional rights of every other depart
ment OF the government it was Governor
Porters solemn duty to maintain the integ-
rity of his own office SO that he could trans
nit it to his successor with none of its con-
stitutional prerogatives lessened in any de-
gree. If the Executive is not to be permit
ted the free and independent exercise of his
functions within the constitutional limita-
tons then all government is at an end. and
we are at the mercy of any lawless rabble
which may for the moment control an I'M
scrupulous majority of either branch of the
Legislature Such an idea is monstrous.
Two minutes would have settled the general
appropriation bill, and there was ample time
to have passed the specific bill. During the
night ex-senator Mcdonald was waited upon,
and he sent word to his party friends that
they must not defeat a general bill which
affected all the people of the State
which was local and affected only the people
of indianapolis. But his words were power
less to stay the mad purpose of the dwarfsh
demagogues who had been spewed to the
surface in the fermentation of the liquor
league during the last campaign. Demo-
Gratis of sound discretion attempted by per-
sonal effort to stop the disgrace, but they
were as powerless as was Mr.. Mcdonald
Leading Republicans. anxious for the honor
of the State were earnestly at work to COM
pose the difficulty. Governor Porter stated
to all persons who inquired of him that the
police bill would be returned to the House
during the forenoon of Monday. The Repub-
lcan senators proposed to make no other
opposition to its passage than the simple call
of the yeas and nays, and if the Democracy
could control twenty-six votes for the
measure in the Senate they were promised