The Indianapolis journal., 1885-03-04

Party caucus and organization is
right to forward the legimate measures
of party in its interest for the people,
but when caucus demand is against the people,
and against right, and against the spirit and let
ter of the Constitution, it is then time for man
to step out from the caucus, and walk alone
while he is in condition to respect the company
he is in. If my colleagues upon the other side
can forget their oath of adherence to the Consti-
tuition and stills their sense OF equity and just
ice and give the stamp of official approval to
these products of hungry and irresponsible poll
tieians, l. perhaps, should be content from mere
ly political stand point that the outrage should
be made confident that the result of the greed will
be to drown the perpetrators in the flood OF pop
ular indignation. The apporuonments are made
without regard to ratio of voting NUMBERS, di-
rectly in conflict with the mandates of the Con-
stitution. The purposes of these measures are
to practically disfranchise nearly one half OF the
voters of the State; to do by legislation in Indi-
ana what has been done by the shotgun in the
South. The purpose is to take absolute control
of every institution OF the State, and to throttle
the voice of advice or criticism. The purpose is
to deny a large part of the voters of the State
any representation at the national capital. The
purpose is to lock the door of the uncounted
treasury, and manacle the hands that would
open it to investigation. These measures have not
even pretense of being dictated by any
standard Of right other than that which has con-
troled monarchs of the world in their con-
quests, Arabs of the desert in their rohberies,
pirates of the sea in their thefts, beasts of the
forest in their crueltes hogs at the swill-trough
in their greed-the standard which says that
might is right Politically, these measures are
corrupt as infamy. unfair as dishonesty, vicious
as robbery, tyrannical as oppression. unehaste as
rape. No argument or explanation is offered in
their favor bat the one that comes from the
child, the reet-gamin. and the saloon-thug
You did it first, "Y on are another, the logic OF
which is that to copy and repeat the meanest
things Republicans ever did is the highest virtue
to which the Democratic party expect to attain,
and that the cry of fraud, and corruption, and
theft has not been a call to protection, but the
rallyine call FOR pillage and plumber.
Mr.. Youche-If my party were in the major
ity, and were to present bill which to my mind
is unfair this bill, should not vote for it.
should take the position of the Senator from
Tippecanooe Mr. Johnsonl, and say that reDu-
diate any action Of that kind. Under this bill it
would take "a ,5l4 Democratic votes to elect one
congressman, while it would take 70, 24S Repub-
lican votes to elect one congressman. In other
words, one Democrat has much congressional
representation as three and one-half Repub-
licans. Will anybody say that is fart
Mr. Winter shall'not call attention in de-
tail to the enormities of this bill That has been
well done by the senator from Fayette Mr. Hus-
toni. wish to call attention to one feature
utterly indefensible. No party has a right to
deliberately violate the Constitution which
each of us have taken an oath to support. The
Constitution requires that each county shall be
given the full representation which its population
entities it to.
DEMOCRATIC DEFENSE OF THE SwINDLE-
Mr.. Hilligass-I want to claim that there has
been no such congressional map given to this
people in its contiguity of territory. 1t presents
as just and as fair an apportiohment as ever has
been made of the State of Indiana. It is true
we have nine of the thirteen congressman, but
it is also true that in 1873 the Republicans made
an apportionment that gave them eleven out OF
the thirteen congressman.
Mr. Willard-This talk about unfairness is
something always heard whenever an apportion-
ment bill comes up This bill has been drafted
upon the plane of making it equal rs between the
parties and the doubt was decided in favor of
the party in power this floor. Could we do
less? This bill has been drawn in fairness;
were it not done in fairness certainly would not
give it my support.
Mr. Magee-This bill has grown out of that
fair dealing we always try to show our Republic
an friends. The Democratic party has the
strength of giant, but it has not exercised it in
the spirit of tyranny. The representation this
bill gives to the Democratic party in the next
General Assembly is not equal to the represen
tation the Democratic party has to-day in this
General Assembly. We have a Democratic ma
jority on Joint ballot of 48, while under the
provisions of the bill we would have but 81.
There is concession to you of IA members of
the General Assembly.
The vote on the congressional apportionment