St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-20
A MUDDY nErrLED MIDDLE.

That was political anomaly witnessed at
Springfield ON Wednesday. II Mr.. SLEAToR
voted for "PocAHoNTAs" SMITH, and IL
PocAHoNTAs SMITH is really dead, then did
Gen. LOGAN receive the requisite vote to
make him senators These are interesting
questions and Of peculiar interest 10 Gen.
LOGAN, for it may be that If answered affirm
| atively he will never be so near the prize
again. There are some nice points con-
nected with Senator SLEAToRs's vote. If he
voted for JOHN SMITH and did not add ''of
Pocahontas, then why would not the vote
count for any other JOHN SMITH that was liv-
ing' II he had announced his vote for JOHN
SMITH of Pocahontas, or for PocA HoNTAs
JOHN SMITH, by what precedent would the
presiding officer decide that the ballot
was cast for the hero of the Chick ahom-
my! Or again, suppose 1t was understood
at the time that SLEAToR's ballot was cast for
the man who escaped PowHATTAN's war club,
what evidence had Speaker HAINEs that
Mr.. SMITH was dead. There may
be some sort of indefinite allusion
in some history that Mr.. SMITH
is dead, but the record of his death is not be-
fore the Legislature. PocAHoyTAs SMITH
may be dead in fact, but he is alive in law SO
far as the Illinois legislature can take cog
nizance of the status of Mr. SMITH Suppos-
ing that Mr.. SMITH of PocAHoNTAs fame ia
alive for all intents and purposes of the
Illinois legislature. the question arises,
would he be eligible to a seat in the United
States senate. The last reliable information
nof x.-ae hoI 0f r..
of the British government, and it is doubtful
whether any American court of record can
show that Mr.. PocAHoNTAs SMITH was ever
naturalized. Then if not naturalized at the
time he was voted for, and assuming that be
had received sufficient VOTES at that time TO
bave elected him, could he have declared his
intention to become citizen and have been
pred, and have taken his seat in congress
as senator from Illinois! If that question
be decided affirm tively, then. why does not
the Illinois legislature vote for Ell MAHDI
at once and be done with it. Senator MAHDI
would make worthy successor to Gen.
LoaAN-both OF them being eminent
butchers of the queens English.
DNt W 80 OoNh w tuC oOhN SMITH
this confusion attending the Illinois con-
test is so interminabe it is hard to stick TO
the text-if JOHN SMITH of Pocahontas is
really a competitor with LOGAN aud MoRRI-
son isn't it about time to look up his charac-
ter! Isn't there some sort Of a scandal con-
neeted with himl The witnesses can be pro-
duced. There is BENSON j. LOSING who
wrote something about an Indian maiden
being seen with her arms clasped around the
neck Of Mr.. SMITH didn't he get the title of
Pocahontas in some such way! 1t is well
enough to have all these things brought up.
A man can't be a successful candidate with
out having his reputation smrched little.
So If Senator SLEATOR and the friends of
Mr.. SMITH are really grooming him for the
race they must be prepared for all these as
saults. II old PoCAHoNTAs JOHN has COOL
supply of railroad passes aud stands in with
the solons about Springfield, his friends may
be hopeful. The best thing that Col. MoRRI-
son can do is to draw off and let Mai. Pow
HAITIAN into the ring, and if PoCAHoNTAS
JOHN doesn't lose his grip there will lie no
virtue in war clubs. II JOIN SMITH is really
dead then let the legislature go ahead with
the ballot. A dead man is just as good a
wooden one, so Illinois has nothing TO lose.