Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-27

1ee >'5e' >eroSSlc.
Ths ceatll,eo .. tF4 . which prevails
81 rrsse1s u l1e >n.9 >ep&ce viii doubt
less 2e toln-ogsa II 10 = lssracStul by all
ta}c-1aI aided uea there : perhaps moro
eorr~p4op p tua ..e, q Oaio than IN any
ocass >.45e 70 .ls -.sa, and the prospect
" az iuprcvettsu, : not At all encourag-
ing. Wass 5os sa:come 81 the struggle
TO- > ee~ Se.sk GA IN the senate OF that
STATE .gs .as control OF that body cannot
d predicted with any degree Of GER
tafe-F Pos chances are that the present
Seace 81 SEARS will continue until one side
Ell .he ether recedes from it's position.
sasrs doesn't seem to be any ground for
compromise. Either the Democrats or
the Republicans must acknowledge them
selves in the wrong.
The whole trouble grew out Of the
frauds which We're committed in Ham,
iltou county, in which the city OF Gin
cinuat is located, at the state election
last October. The Democratic candidates
for the Senate ana House We're de-
clared elected by very small
majority, and received certificates
to that effect. Both Democrats and
Republicans charged that frauds had
been committed. The dispute was re-
ferred to the courts. rs sometimes hap
pens in such cases. the Democratic
Judges decided in favor of the Democrats.
and the Republican Judges in favor Of the
Republicans. The decision in favor Of the
Republicans, however, was not made
public until after the meeting Of the
. =. hs, ctr,t,
however, which is generally supported
by public sentiment throughout the state
ON the assembling OF the Legislature it
became al once apparent that the RepIb-
Leans had a majority of three in the
House, and that in the Senate there We're
seventeen K pu5Iicans and sixteen Dem
ocrats about whose seats there was no
question. There were also four Demo-
Gratis whose seats were contested. In
the House the Republicans. having the
majority. proceeded, without the trouble
OF hearing the contested cases, to eject
the nine Democrats from Hamilton
county and to seat the Republican claim
ants in their places. This was a sort of
revolutionary proceeding, but what could
the nine Democrats do? The majority
was against them, aud while the popular
feeling was that they ought to have been
accorded a hearing, it was generally ad-
mitted that the facts were against them.
In the Senate, the Democrats having
three majority, counting the four Senators
whose right to seats was questioned. de-
clined to submit to the summary way of
doing things which had been adopted by
the House. The four Senator's, whose cleo.
ton is disputed, having certificates of
election, the Democrats held that they
could vote on all matters until an adverse
decision had been reached in the regular
way in their cases. The Democratic TWEEN
ty, therefore, being in the majority, adopt
ed set OF rules which virtually gave the
Clerk OF the Senate, who is a Democrat,
the power to decide the contested election
cases. The President OF the Senate how
ever. who is a Republican, checkmated
this move by refusing TO receive the votes
OF the four Senators in any instance whore
their right to seats was involved. He held
that these four Senators could not by their
votes keep themselves in their seats, aud
be also held that their cases
could not be considered separately
because the same frauds were
charged in each case. The seven
teen Republicans then adopted a resolu-
tiou ejecting the four Hamilton county
Democratic Senator'S and giving their
seats to the Republican contestants. The
Democratic Senators at once left the SEN
ate chamber On Monday the Democrats
returned TO their seats and eudeavored to
secure the adoption OF a resolution look
ing to a settlement which they had agreed
to in caucus. They failed and adjourned
until to-day.
There doesn't seem to be much doubt
that an impartial judgment would seat
the Republican Senators from Hamilton
county, but the Democrats are entitled TO
have their claims passed upon in the usual
manner in such cases. They object TO
being dealt with in the summary aud IN
ceremonious way which the Republicans
have adopted.
There is another thing they object to,
aud that is the gerrymanderng of the
Stale, which the Republicans have deter
mined upon if they succeed in getting con-
troll of both branches of the legislature
The Republican scheme is TO so district
the State that il will be impossible, with
out great change in political sentiment,
for the Democrats to elect either branch
of the Legislature in future or any consid-
cradle number Of the Congressman to
which the state is entitled.
The Democrats certainly have the right
TO have the cases of the four Democratic
Senators considered in the regular way.
1t cannot be properly known that the facts
are against them until the testimony in
the contests is heard. The action Of the
! Northumberland, as the presiding
officer OF the Senate, IN deciding that the
four cases must be considered as one case,
cannot be considered otherwise than as
revolutionary.
A Suggestion Relative TO City Drain
/ age.