The Indianapolis journal., 1883-02-05
STATUS OF THE AMENDMENTS.

STATUS OF THE AMENDMENTS.
AS absurd and untenable position as
could well be imagined was the one main
tanned by Senator Brown upon the point of
order against the introduction of Senator
Foulke's constitutional amendment for
woman suffrage. The same point was made
against Senator Johnson's poposed amend
ment, and in both instances a decision by
the Lieutenant-governo was avoided by
the withdrawal of the propositions. The
constitution provides that while any amend
ment is ''pending before the General Assem-
bly, or the electors no others shall be pro-
posed and the point of order was upon this
constitutional inhibition. Senator Brown
maintained that there were amendments.
pending, because, he assumes, that the
late amendments have not been finally
acted upon by the House. In the
first place, the Senate knows
nothing of what the House has
done until it shall be officially transmitted
to it by an officer of that body; and in case
nothing is done, or negative result reached,
the Senate will never know officially of the
House action. The Senate knows very
well that, so far as that body is concerned,
there are no amendments pending. The
report of the judiciary committee to that
effect has been adopted, after thorough dis
cussion, and by all the solemnities of par
liamentary procedure. Every member knows
of the Senate decision, as we'll as does the
Lieutenant-governor If the amendments
arc not pending before the Senate they are
not pending before the General Assembly"
because the Senate is an essential part of the
General Assembly. The tendency of the
amendments in the House is matter of not
the slightest consequence. The House
may play with the amendments as
long as it pleases, but its action
can have no effect upon the Senate, nor can
anything the House may do put breath of
life into the late propositions They are dead
beyond recovery when either house acts neg
atiyely The Senate has declared the amend
invalid and not legally before them. That
action ended their pendency sin the General
Assembly," and it is perfectly competent, so
far as the Senate is concerned, for any senator
to propose other amendments Any other
ruling than this, it seems to us,
is out of the question. What does the
Senate or Lieutenant-governo know of the
action of the House, or of the condition of
any question before that body? The House
might hold the amendment before them
until the fifty-ninth day of the session. and
then take the same action as the Senate did
last week, and yet according to Mr..
Browns argument, all that time the Senate
is precluded from taking any action upon
other propositions. Amendments are not
alive except by the action OF both houses of
the Legislature; but the adverse action of
either one kills amendments as effectually as
could the action of both. Amendments are
not pending in the General Assembly" I'M
less they are pending in both houses. The
Senate has said they are not pending
before that body. How, then, can they
be pending in the General Assembly?
And does not every senator know
of the Senate action, and is rot every
member bound by that action? Certainly;
and there is, therefore, no obstacle in the
way of the proposition of another or other
constitutional amendments Should such
contingency arise as Mr. Brown suggests-the
agreement to the late amendments by the
House and their appearance in the Senate
as message from that body-of course a
point of order against their consideration
would be made and should be sustained
The Senate has passed upon that question,
and has determined that the propositions are
illegal and invalid-have no existence. The
agreement to them by the Honse can have
no effect upon their condition before the
Senate. Unless all legislative action with re-
spect to constitutional amendments is to
dwindle into a miserable farce, 5he Senate
shuld have the good sense and dignity to
stand by is action, much as it may be re-
gretted and not permit a. dead body to lie
in the way of the orderly course of legisla-
tive procedure.
THERE can be no honest controversy be-