The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-08
THE PIONEER LAWMAKERS.
Hon. John Lyle Kings Address Before
the Survivors Of 1928 Legislature.
The Visit of Kossuth-The Extravagant Ex-
penditures for Clerk Hire-FositiOn
Taken on the Temperance Issue.

The address of Hon. John Lyle King, now of
Chicago a member of the Indiana Legislature of
1872 from Jefferson county, delivered before
the survivors of that legislature, on Tuesday,
was compiled from diary kept during
that memorable session. AS he read it,
with his inimitable running comment in
the way of side remarks it cannot be repro
duced in print, as the flavor of his presence and
his manner, somewhat like that of Mark Twain,
are absent. The following are extracts from his
address:
I'm senate where were forty Democrats, and
in House where were sixty -one Democrats and
Aleck McDonald-the ten Wing senators and
the thirty-eght Wing representatives as poiltl-
cal powers many ciphers merely In &c
-termining vote the passage of some abstract
political resolution, in the disposal of patron
age and spoils. But for all its practical impo-
tency and as if mindful that righteous ten
could save wicked Sodom from perditon, the
Wing minority was none the less jealous, faithful
and united in party discipline and action, and
periodically concurred and soiidly voted, there
by doing the best it could to save the country,
and maintain the course of nature and the solar
system. 1t must now be admitted by US, who
are survivors of that Wing minority, that the
grass has grown the rivers have run, and the
earth has rcvolved as ever before notwithstand-
ing the calamity of our organization, from
speaker down to srittoon cleaner and broom
sweeper, was remorseessly Democratic.
San instance Of one Of these political contro-
versial connections occurred in the Senate on a
joint resolution intended to coach and enighten
the administration at Washington respecting
Cuban prisoners in Spain. Another joint reso
luton which made field day greatly to the in
terest and amusement of members of both
houses and crowded lobby was one introduced
by Holloway, of Wayne in the Senate for the
restoration. or rather transfer of a picture of
Simon de Cassia and Latin prayer-book to
Catholic church in Indianapolis. The portraiture
of the Saint was an Indifferent job or scratch of
painting a battered canvas, and the prayer
book was cheap and bethumbed missal. They
had been presented to the State and placed in
the State Library by Captain Smonson as
trophies of the Mexican war. Holloway, with a
zeal Of Peter the Hermit, rushed to the rescue of
the holy spoils from dissertation and with pous
ferver and solemn reverence for religion and its
sy!nbols-and more than all, with burning
piration to make Wing capitalized off in the
onset with beiligerency of sentiment and tone
not near as Quakerlike as his creed. He claimed
it was disgrace to the State to be the receiver
and keeper of the stolen sacred emblems, and
was nothing less than sacriege, stain and
stigma, which could only be removed by be-
slowing the trophies the church in whose
communion Simon de Cassia had been
canonized. Frank Emerson of Jackson, with
equal spiritual elevation of piety, careful
10 mingle with his holy disfavor OF sacriege
Democratic denunciaton of the preamble of the
resolution which arraigned Folks administration
for bringing about the war with Mexico. The
President of the Senate, Col. James Ell. Lane
the since noted Jim Lane, of Kansas, left his
chair, and in an excited speech INDICATED the
gallantry and good conduct of our troops (which
had not been attacked), and expatiated vehe-
mently on the origin of the war and Its being
caused by Mexico DIR. Athon informed me that
Lanes speech in the Senate the identical
one stumped over the State during Lanes can
vasS for the lieutenant governorship, and from
the same slip of notes
Another of the noted episodes of the session
was the kossuth Juror and reception. His tour
through the United States seemed to afford a
fitting occasion for the expression of Indiana's
sympathy for his country and her homage to him
as her liberator And in no more appropriate
manner could this be done than in an invitation
to him to visit the State capital and be rendered
a formal reception by the Legislature Having
been myself captivated into the ranks of the
hero-worshippers, l drafted joint resolution
relative to American influence abroad, the Hun
garian revolution and Kossuth, and introduced
it into the House 1t must be admitted
they were rather extravaganza and ardent in SEN
timent, and toplofticai in expression. The reso-
lutions unanimously passed the House. In the
Senate they fell into the hands of John S. Reed
the senator from Fayette and Union, and he
prepared a set of resolutions of his own. Secrist
made an effort to have the House resolutions re-
ported for consideration, and Woods, of Switzer-
land urged that it was discourtesy to the House
one of his characteristics speeches, to the wonder
of everybody, however, against Reeds resolu-
ton. and denied the title of kossuth to the
admiration and honor of Americans and to the
sympathy of our country.
dunn afterwards told me- as an explanation
of his anti Kossuth speech, that he had 1000
Catholic constituents in his district who would
have been disafeeted if he had sustained reso-
lutions III honor of the Magyar. However, the
Reed resouti on, under the crack of the party
whip, went through.
when, in March, Kossuth came he made
great speech at Masonic Hall. reading it from
manuscript. Mrs Sarah T. Bolton then made
him speech, and-what was perhaps even more
agreeable to him-presented him purse of
money.
THE matter of extravaganza in a reckless
waste of the peoples money for superfuous door
keepers, assistants and needless clerks was ex-
patiated upon. Davis, of Franklin, made an
elaborate speech about the indefensible extrava-
ganee of the majority party. Would it be be-
heved that there were eight clerks in the House
and seven in the Senate at 81 a day-that is $50
per diemi One doorkeeper to the House and
four assistants at $24 per day. and in the Senate
one doorkeeper and four assistants at $15 per
day! Six clerks to the Senate and House COM
mittees. And that did not tell the whole tale of
prodgality There were two woodsawyers, at
SO day each!
tional dogmatism, or cf grave doubt and ques-
tion or of fine-spun and subtle niceties or of
In. sanetrabe obscurities antiquities that al
most any act or some section Of an act which
was up for consideration. would elicit and set
the lawyers fguatively by the ears. was often
lurprising and puzzling to the lay members and
The public
Zone of the memorable matters of excitement
the congressional apportionment bill, of
which Mudgett, of Steuben and DeKalb, had
charge Its introduction raised breezy hula
balloo on all sides. Thoroughly Democratic as
II was, there was still good deal of growing
from the Democratic seats against it. And yet,
20 all the speeches made against it, no
nember ever spoke of the injustice otherwise
ahan 1t related to his own county or his own
district.
There was no ambiguity as to the position of
the House as to the policy of LIQUOR law like
that of Maine. resolution instructing the
temperance committees to report bill similar