The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-24
THE LEGISLATIVE STEAL.
An Inside Democratic Correspondent
TellsAbout the Proposed Programme.
What the Wicked Republicans Will Do, and
What the Noble and Inoffensive Demo-
Gratis Will Attempt to Circumyent.
$. M. b. in Louisville courier-Journal.

Inc hepuOiiCdn programme Is now pretty Wcil
understood. They will, of course organize the
House, appoint a partisan committee on cleo
tons, and refer all contests to that committee.
They expect Mr.. Robertson to be sworn in as
Lieutenant-governor, and thus become the pre-
siding officer of the Senate, which has a Demo
cratic majority. Under the law the balloting
for United States Senator must begin on the
second Tuesday after the organization of the
two houses The Democrats will. of course,
have their committee on elections in the Senate.
to which the contests In that body will be re-
ferred. AS the Democratic plan is to act on the
defensive, the Republicans propose to let
things drift along quietly until the day before
that fixed for electing a Senator, when
they will have their committee elections
to report in the House, the gag law will be
put in operation, two or three Demo
cratic Representatives will be ousted and
their Republican. contestants viii Do. seated.
Thus. you see, the Democratic ascendency will
be overcome, and at the next days balloting Mr..
Harrison will be elected as his own successor.
OF course the Democratic Senate will hear i'm
medatey of the unseating of Democrats in the
House, and will attempt, by way of keeping even,
to GUST as many Republican Senators as there
have been Democratic Representatives kicked
out of the House. The question of contested
election being one of the very highest privileges,
the committee on elections is always entitled to
the floor. The committee will report, and the
Democrats will attemptto rush the cases through.
Just here is where Lieutenant-gcvernOr Robin
son is expected to make display of his skill The
grand performance Of Lieutenant-gover Bob
Kennedy in Ohio is to be repeated by Mr..
Robertson in Indiana on greater scale and with
far more dazzling effect. Mr.. Robertson will
recognize no Democrat who attempts to move the
previous question, but will readily recognize
Republican who wants to adjourn. He will re-
fuse a call for the yeas and nays on that motion,
and will declare the Senate adjourned. If the
Democratic Secretary of the Senate does not ar
range the journal Mr.. Robertson wants it
done, then the latter gentleman will keep the
books himself. The Democrats may refrain
from voting for Senator the next day, but the
record will show seventy six votes for Mr.. Har-
rison, a majority of the whole number Of Sena-
tors and Representatives, and this will suffice
for Republican Senate to give Mr.. Harrison mis-
seat.
The Republican plan. as I have outlined it, is
faithfully correct, and it is a pretty programme;
but will IL work2 think not. There is good
reason why it will not work. In the first place
it may be set down as certainty that Mr.. Rob
ertson will not be Acknowledgements of In
diana this winter. He may be next winter, but
not this Hence he will not be the presiding
officer of the Senate and he cannot perform the
1t is the opinion of nearly every eminent lawyer
in this State, no matter what his politics, that
the election for Lieutenant governor in this
month was unauthorized. because there was no
vacancy in the Office When 1t was vacated by
General Manson Senator Smith. by virtue of
his DO sition as the pro tempore president OF the
Senate, became the acting Lieutenant gov
ernor, and is entitled to hold the place till
the end of Governor Grays term. In the event
of Governor Grays death or resignation, he
bncOmG (fOV0rnOr q a
been some doubt as to what Senator Smith
would do In the matter, because, as was said in
my dispatch Of yesterday, the question is one
purely personal. But there is no longer any
doubt as to the course Mr.. Smith will pursue.
At meeting of the committee of safety yester-
day, he announced his intention of contesting
Mr.. Robertson's claim to the Office of Lieuten-
ant-Governor He will sue out an injunction to
prevent a certificate of election from issuing to
Mr.. Robertson, and the matter will be settled by
the Supreme Court before the Legislature con
venes 1t is dollars to cents that the decision
of the Supreme Court will be in favor of Green
Smith. The majority of the Supreme Court
Judges are Democrats. though l do not know
that the political complexion of that tribunal
has anything to do with the case.
Mr. Smiths resolve Is entirely consistent with
his past conduct relative to the lieutenant gov
ernorship. He said to me last summer at the
Jonas Howard for Congress. that the opinion of
the Attorney general that there was a vacancy
il the Office of lieutenant governor was enron
eous. II am" said he, the acting Lieutenant
governor and entitled to the succession, should
there be a vacancy in Governor Gray's Office
before the end of his term. / propose to hold
on to the place no matter who is elected I had
forgotten this conversation until reminded of it
on yesterday. Senator Smith gave ample notice
of his claim to the Office. At tho Democratic
State convention his name was placed in nomi-
nation for the Office of Lieutenant governor He
was delegate to the convention, and at once
sprang to his feet and demanded that his name
be withdrawn He declined to become a candi-
date for an office of which he was already
the incumbent, with two years yet to serve.
He notified the convention that he would not
surrender the Office unless compelled to do so.
The Constitution of the State provides that a
Lieutenantg governor shall be elected for term
of four years Yet Mr.. Robertson cannot claim
that his term will extend beyond the next regu-
lar election, now only two years distant. There
are several instances where the pro tempore pre-
siding officer of the Senate has become Gov
ernor OF State. You will remember one in
Kentucky. When Governor Magofin abdicated
in 1862, there was no Lieutenant governor in
Office and General Robertson, then pro tempore
President of the Senate became Governor.
The more you study the case of Senator Smith,
the moro certainly you are convinced that his
position is correct And the Republicans need
not shrek Conspiracy" because. forsooth, he
proposes to hold on to his Office. AS have pre-
viously said in this correspondence, the Democ-
rdcy mas Ao.n'pG " ~ WIZ" In'S udtteI. MT.
Smith is responsible for his own actions, and
feel safe in asserting that he would insist on his
rights if the Lieutenant governor elect were
Democrat.
With Green Smith as the President of the
Senate, the bottom tumbles out Of the Republic
an conspiracy. Their game will be one at which
both sides can can play with equal advantage
Whenever Democratic Representative is fred
from the House a Republican Senator will be
promptly pitched after him. The Democrats do
not intend to lose their majority of two on joint
ballot They want no more than that and they
mean to keep what they hare got. They are for
peace. sweet peace; but if the Republicans want
revolution the Democrats are ready for business.
The Republicans are greatly alarmed at the stu
alton. now that it is highly improbable that they
will get the Lteutenant-governor. They will
have TO lay out new conspiracy.
1t is set down as among the probabilities that
the contest for United States Senator may be
prolonged until the adjournment Of the Leeis-