Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-06-10

had voted, and therefore the resolution
should have been declared lost.
Senate rule Is provides that the Presi-
dent of the Senate shall have no power
to determine the right of u Senator to
vote upon any question, that power be-
ing reserved by the Senate to itself.
Yet In disregard thereof, the President
Of the Senate has arrogated that power
to himself, to the exclusion of the Sem
ate, and has repeatedly refused to Sena-
tors the right to vote on pending ques-
tlons, and when appeals have been Ia
ken from his decision on that behalf he
refused in repeated instances to enter
tain such appeals, and has refused to
permit the Senate to pass upon that
question in any form, or in any manner
to express his opinion upon the correct
ness of his rulings. In Oneinstance, on
q question of adjournment, he directed
the Clerk to omit the names of four
Senators, on the pretension that they
were personally interested in its deter
mination, and therefore could not vote,
and when an appeal was taken from his
decision to that of the Senate he refused
to entertain the appeal or permit the
Senate to vote thereon. He did the
same thing in another instance on the
question of taking recess, and in an
other instance ON the question of dis
pensing with proceedings under q call
Of the Senate, and in another instance
on the question of extending the au-
thority of the Committee on Privileges
aud elections in the contested cases.
Rule IL of the Senate provides that
when less than aquorum vote on any
question pending in the Senate the
question shall be declared lost, and no
question affecting the right of MEM
Der to his seat be declared carried when
aquOrum is present unless majority
Of all the Senators on the roll shall vote
thereof In open and defiant viola
ton of this rule, when motion was
made to substitute the minority report
of the Committee on Privileges and
Elections, for that of the majority, on
Friday, January %, 1885, and the yeas
and nays being called, but seventeen of
the thirty-seven Senators on the roll
and holding seats voted, the President
of the Senate declared the measure to
be carried. The call of the roll also
showed there was no quorum voting.
Both these points of order were made
and overruled, and an appeal was taken
from his decision to that of the Senate,
and he then refused to entertain the ap-
peal or permit the Senate to consider
or reverse his decision. Substantially
the same occurred on the same day on
the question of agreeing to the minor
ity report. On the roll call of the yeas
and nays only seventeen Senators, two
less than a quorum, answered; vet he
held that number sufficient to adopt
the report, and refused to entertain arly
appeal from said decision. BY the same
vote held that special order had been
made, which set aside the rules of the
Senate in that respect, and when ap-
peals were taken from such decision re-
fused to entertain any appeal. and
would not permit the Senate to consid-
er or review said decision. In fact, no
such special order had been adopted.
but on the contrary, it had been re-
jected by the Senate. On the 25th of
January a Senator arose to question
of privilege, to move, and did move, the
appointment of a committee to report
as to the rights, powers, duties and
privileges of both the Senate and the
President of the Senate, together with
a recommendation of such action on
the part of the Senate as such commit
tee might deem advisable and necessa-
ry to preserve the dignity and authori-
ty of the Senate and secure the prompt
transaction of the business. The Presi-
dent of the Senate held such motion
not to be question of privilege, in the
Senate, and not in order, and when an
appeal was taken from his decision re-
fused the right of appeal and claimed
his decision to be final. A motion was
then made to adjourn, which he de-
cided out of order and refused to enter
tain or allow an appeal from his decis-
ion. Immediately thereafter, when the
Senate had voted by a yea and nay
vote to adjourn, and there were twenty
four votes for the adjournment and
none againstit, he refused to announce
the vote, and purposely and viciously,
in the presence of the Senate, tore up
and destroyed the roll-call which re-
corded that vote. This tally sheet was
a part of the records of the Senate, made
to be preserved by the Clerk of the Sen
ote. In another instance, on the same
day, on a motion to dispense with all
further proceedings under call of the
Senate, yeas and nays having been ta-
ken, he purposely altered the roll-call
and changed the vote thereon by eras-
ing therefrom the names of four Sena-
tors. This roll-call was made by the
Clerk of the Senate in the official dis
chargn of his dutv. and Constituted one