The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-03-15
THE POLITICAL ROBBERY.
SENATOR SCHENCK DENIES TRAT HE
HAS BROKEN HIS PLEDGES.
A Fatal Neglect ON the Part of the
Democratic ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Short
Sighted Scheme-The Value of Delay.

Sighted Scheme-The value OF Delay.
Especial Correspondence Sunday Tattlerl
TRENTON, March 1.-THE surprising
feature of the partisan move of the Joint
Caucus against the prerogatives of the Ex-
that four of the bills stripping Governor
Albeit of his prerogatives were allowed to
pass the House of Assembly in single
night. Such an assault upon a Republican
Governor by a Democratic House would
have been resisted by Republican min
ority at every step by all the acts and devices
known to parliamentary law. Every bill
would have been tackled in its turn. There
would have been amendments and cease
less speeches upon them, and points of
order, and calls of tie House, and motions
to adjourn, and resistance against the put
ting of the '.previous question" from every
corner of the Chamber; and it is safe to
say that the skill of q half way determined
parliamentarian would have INSTRUCTED the
passage of each bill, so that it would have
taken two days to pass it. But when the
assault is made by a Republican majority
upon a Democratic Chief Executive, the
minority make a little splurge, and then
drop their hands by their side, and four of
the villianous bills are whipped through in
scarcely as many minutes. Chapman and
Besson fred little at the first of the four
companion pieces Monday night, and then
ceased to obstruct its passage. In rapid
succession the three others were rushed
Al 4. L oh oct
from either of them.
"What was the use of fighting them ?"
Besson asked the other evening, in reply
to my question, ''they were bound to go
through, and fight would only have pro-
longed the session p
ssAnd board" Dickinson suggested, with
the humor of victor wLo could afford to
be facetious, s'board's high in Trenton"
If the board bills entered into the fight
at all, they would have been an element in
our favor. The rural gentlemen who are
making revolution in the conduct of
State affairs without knowing it, are men
who care for the board bills. There is scarce
ly man among them who has not drawn
every cent of his allowance. There are no
big stakes in pending legislation to excite
their cupidity. The weather is getting
warm The birds are beginning to sing; the
ground is ready for the plough, and they
are anxious to get back to their farms. A
determined struggle against the bills, each
one in turn, and then for the vetoes that
are sure to accompany them back to the
Houses, would have disheartened them. 1t
would have disgusted them with their own
pestiferious ingenuity; and the pros
pect of prolongation of the session that
would have kept them away from their
pigs and their goats and their manure
mounds for month beyond the time when
they expected to be in their oyer-alls and
cow-hides again, might have led to their
abandonment of the contest. They would
have been appalled, at the size of the job
they had laid out for themselves, and left
it unfinished in despair.
That was Harrigans idea. He wanted to
obs.ruct, fllibuster, talk, fight, do anything
but allow the revolutionary scheme to sail
through on placid waters. When he talk
ed with Besson about it, the Hoboken
statesman looked over the top of his glass
es and said, s'No!" He had a scheme in
into an unexpected trap. Let the bills go
through quietly. The Republicans would
calculate the time when they would be
quietly passed over the veto, and fix the
hour for the final adjournment of the
Legislature. But instead of quietly al
lowing the vetoes to be over-ridden,
the Democrats could change their
quiet tactics, and talk against time till the
hour fixed for final adjournment arrived.
That was Besson's scheme. Besson has a
great head-but it didn't take in the whole
situation this time. 1t overlooked the fact
that, with majorities in both Houses, the
Republicans could fix later day for final
adjournment Harrigan was little short
sighted too He didn't stop to think that
the session could be prolonged till the
scheme had been contaminated. So they
all folded their arms, and sat with calmest
mien, while the victorious hosts rode on.
Then, after they had gone through the
House without a protest, they looked to
Schenck to save their bacon in the Senate
The SUNDAY TATTLER told them last Sun
day that Schenck was going to vote for the
bills But they claim that they had as
surances from him that he would stand in
the way of partisan legislation in the Sem
ate. 1t was part of the arrangement, they
declare. that gave him the support of the
Democratic Senators for the Presidency.
ssBut there was no compact or agreement
between us at ALL" said President Schenck
to your correspondent on Wednesday even
ing. 81 he'd always been courteous to the
Democrats OF the Senate. | was indie
pendent when others of the Senators were
partisan My attitude pleased the minority
Senators, and at the opening of the ses-
sion they came to me and told me that, as
between Mr.. Griggs and myself, they pre-
fcrred me. / told them that, IN return,
/ should extend 10 them such courtesles as
Icould--that ! should be fair, and, Is faf
as consistent with other relations, | would
be independent. | have acted up to my
r.. Il. 81 hn ,1rr1Iff q
I remembered them, didn't I? I have seen
that their bills were not kept back on the
calendar. When l have vacated my chair
temporarily I have called Democrat as
often as l have called a Republican to pre-
side: but when it comes to severing my
party ties to serve them. that's asking more
than 1 had any idea OF giving, and more
than Ipossibly can give.
ssThen it wasn't understood between
yourself and your Democratic supporters
that you were to keep aloof from the Re-
publican caucases ?"
ssNever, sir; why should read myself out
of mn. party in doing that. 1t would make
an end of my political career. A.man's
common sense should tell him that never
could agree TO rebel against the caucus.
They may have inferred, from the general
independence of my attitude on public
questions, and from my promise to re.
main independent, that would prevent
the passage by the Senate of political bills
hurtful to them; but they inferred toe
muchl They inferred more than | meant
to imply. am not responsible tor then
differences"
In spite of all of Mr.. Sehencks protests
it is boldly given out here. that there was
specific understanding on the subject Ar
there no gentlemen in New Brunswack, o.
on-.srhara alec 10 ruhnno Mr. Sohanck'g &c