The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-01-11
THE LAW-BREAKERS.


The utter disregard of law and of the
| expressed will of the people by the DEM
Ocrats composing the majority of the
Senate, yesterday, in refusing to allow
Lieutenant governor Robertson to pre-
side at the organization of that body is
only the continuance and repetition of
the shameful and disgraceful acts of two
years ago. The State is again dishon-
ored and put to shame by the men who
were elected to make laws for its gov
eminent; by the men who, before they
are entitled to seats as lawmakers, take
an oath to support the Constitution, and
by their very first act as aw-makers null
lily it and violate their oaths. 1t is not
necessary to restate the facts that Col
Onel Robertson was elected Lieutenant
governor by the people at the regular
election in 1886; that he has been recOg-
nized by everybody, except the Demo-
cratic Senators, as Lieutenant governor
since that time, and that by the COnsti-
tuition he is made presiding officer
of the Senate. To give even the
semblance of form to the election of
a Democrat to the United States Senate,
two years since, it was necessary to pre-
vent, by force and violence, his occupan-
cy of that position, to which he was
legally elected by every step and form
prescribed by the Constitution and laws
of the State, and at this time to keep up
show of consistency it became neces-
sary to exclude him again by force from
discharging the duties imposed upon
| him by the same Constitution, which
| these Senators were sworn to obey,
and which oath they so utterly disregard
| and violate.
These viOlatOrs of the Constitution
| will now assume to make laws for
the people and prescribe penalties for
their violation, when they themselves
| set at defiance and openly, shamelessly
and willfully violate the organic law of
the State, by which organic law all
| the statutes they enact are to be squared
and measured. 1t is well that they did
not invoke the blessing of God at the
| opening of the session, since by their
| first act they defy and violate the laws
of God and the laws of the land. In
no State in the Mexican repub-
| lie nor in councils of half
civilized tribes of Indians is there shown
greater disregard of law than that ex-
hibited upon the floor of the Senate of
the State of Indiana yesterday. This
same Democratic Senate and Legislature
| comes to the capital with loud denuncia-
lions of violated election laws, and high
sounding proclamations that they will
enact stringent and honest laws for the
holding of elections, yet in the Senate
chamber, and as the first act they per-
| form, they set at naught the result of an
honest and fairly held election of their
| presiding officer. TheirprOmise of cleo
tiOn reform and desire for pure cleo
| tions is broken on the very threshold of
their assembling. Nothing that is pure
or honest can be reasonably expected
from so foul a fountain.
The part taken by Judge Mitchell, of
| the Supreme Court, in the disgraceful
| proceedings of yesterday calls for the
severest condemnation, and stamps him
at once as a partisan of the extreme
type. The people desire that the judi
ciary shall be kept entirely free from the
demOralizing influences of partisan poll
tics. Judge Mitchell has plunged at
once into the dirty pool. The reasons
why he should have refused to play the
part asked of him in this nefariOus bust
ness are numerous and cOgent. First, the
controversy, and all the questions in
volved may come before the, court OF
which he is member for judicial de-
cisiOn. A scrupulOus judge, careful of
his judicial integrity, would have made
every effort to avoid identifying himself
| with either side of a partisan cOntrO-
versy ON which he might be called to
pass Judgment in his judicial capacity.
Second, the Supreme Court has already
held, in a previous adjudication of this
case, that the question of the legality of
Acknowledgements RObertsOn's cleo
ton was exclusively within the jurisdic-
ton of the General Assembly, and as
that body, i'll joint convention at
the appointed time, decided that Robert
son was duly chosen, the matter must be
deemed to be conclusively settled. In
the face of this decision judge of the
very court that rendered it assumes that
Colonel Robertson was not legally elected,
and lends himself to an illegal Organiza-
ton of the Senate while the Lieutenant
governor chosen by the people is at the
very door of the Senate chamber, vainly
demanding admission. The conduct of
Judge Mitchell admits of no palliation
or defense. His name must be added to
the list of Democratic judges who place
party service above constitutional obi
cations. He belongs to the telegraph
-to-the-boysn school.
THE New York Post objects to the