Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-11
INDIANA'S FUNNY MIX
The Legislature Will Adjourn To-
Day, but the Fight With HoVey
WILL BE CARRIED INTO COURT.
The Governor Has Refused to Sign Com
missions for Offices
LEGISLATED OUT OF HIS CONTROL.
The Supreme Court VIII be Called On to Decide
Its Own Complexion.

Indiana's State Government is in very
mixed condition, owing to the conflict be-
tween Governor Hovey and the Legislature.
The latter has gerrymandered all of the
offices, including the Supreme Court, so as
to insure Democratic control. The Repub-
lican Governor has refused to sign the
necessary commissions. The matter will be
contested in the courts. So
INDIANAPOLIS, March 1O.-With last
nights adjournment the Fifty-sixth session
of the Indiana General Assembly practi-
cally terminated. The Legislature will
meet tomorrow and adjourn sine die, but
no bills can be passed-a constitutional pro-
vision forbidding the sending of bills to the
Governor within three days of the close of
the session.
The session terminating tomorrow has
been one of the most remarkable in the his
tory of the State. The Governor and all
the State officers are Republicans, while the
Democrats have working majority in
both Houses of the Legislature. A large
portion of the time Of the Assembly has
been devoted to consideration of measures,
which, in case they are sustained by the
courts, will work a revolution in the gov
ernment of some of the cities of the State,
and in the manner of making appointments
10 office.
CHANGING THE SUPREME COURT.
The most important, perhaps, of these
measures, is one appointing five commits
- L. b. - 1ka 30 70 hA
Judges of the Supreme Court. That Court,
as result of the November election, now
consists of four Republicans and one Dem
ocrat. The bill passed by the Legislature,
which was vetoed by the Governor and
promptly passed over the veto, provides for
five commissioners, and the Legislature
chose five Democrats to fill these places.
The Constitution provides that all COM
missions must be signed by the Governor
and sealed with the great seal of the State.
The majority of the Legislature, foreseeing
that the Governor might refuse to issue
these commissions, inserted the law creating
the commission clause providing that in
the absence of commissions, certificate
signed by the Speaker of the House and the
Secretary of the Senate should be sufficient
authority for the bearers to act as commits
sioners.
Lie OOVeIuOE IGluS6U W ISSUE buc COLu-
missions, whereupon the Commissioners
took out the certificates provided by the
act and reported to the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court for duty.
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION.
The Chief Justice declined to accept the
certificates as evidence that the Commits
sioners were duly authorized to act, and
Governor Hovey at once procured an in
junction restraining the clerk of the Su-
preme Court from issuing and the Commits
sioners from receiving the books, papers,
etc., necessary to the prosecution of their
work.
One point on which the Commissioners
rely strongly is the provision of the act
! which defines their duties as being minis
ter;al; they are simply to prepare opinions
on cases submitted to them, but will have
no voice in deciding whether opinions so
prepared shall be promulgated as the de-
cisions of the Supreme Court, This power
is left in the hands of the Judges selected
by popular vote. This case is now pending
before the Supreme Court and much i'm
portance is attached to the final result, for
the reason that it will have a bearing on
much of the other legislation of the session.
Other bills take from the Governor the
appointment of the State Board of Health,
State Geologist, Coal Mine Inspector, Oil
Inspector, etc. The courts will be called
upon to determine the constitutionslity of
the ahnve acts