The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-09

The contest over the state officers in Con-
necticut is still going on. The Senate, which
is democratic, insists that the officers who
were declared elected by the state canvass
ing board shall be permitted % take their
offices. The House. which is republican, in
sists that only one state officer was elected
at the election last fall. That one is Staub,
a democrat He was elected controller.
The House bases its position upon
a report Of a committee of its mem
berS The majority of the committee were,
of course, republicans, who went behind the
returns. They did not open the ballot-boxes,
but they secured affidavits Of election Off
GERS, who stated that certain ballots which
did not conform TO the law had been re-
jectcd. There is no authority for going be-
hind the returns of the state canvassing
board, and there is no authority for count
ing the ballots which the election officers re-
jected.
Those ballots were rightly rejected. They
were not in compliance with the law, and
had their rejection been beneficial to the
republicans the republican leaders would
insist that their rejection was in accordance
with the law.
Connecticut is not ruled by the majority,
and hence has not republican government.
The state is democratic. but the republicans
manage to retain control of all the state
officers through the legislature, which is a
product of the minority. The constitution
has not been changed for more than sixty
years. Under it senators are elected by
districts and representatives by
towns. Towns which were incor-
porated prior to 1855 and towns
which have more than 5000 inhabitants
have two representatives each. Towns of
less than 5000 inhabitants have one repre-
sentative each. 1t happens, therefore, that
the large cities, like Hartford and New
Haven, have no greater representation than
some Of the towns which have only few
thousand inhabitants. The large cities being
democratic, and the majority of the small
towns being republican. the republicans are
able to retain control of the House.
Another provision of the constitution re-
quires majority Of ell the votes cast to
elect state officers. The democrats have
had q plurality for their ticket several
times, but, Of course, under the constitu-
ton they did not get the offices. The legis-
lature elected the state officers. Last fall,
however, the democratic ticket received a
clear majority of all the votes cast.
The republicans are determined that the
democrats shall not have the state Offices
They know that the democrats want to
amend the constitution so that the majority
shall rule. They say that although they
haven't the majority they represent the in
telligence and morality of the state, and,
hence, ought to control. Their refusal TO
yield to the will of the majority, as shown
through the ballot-box, indicates that their
control is dangerous to the state.
With constitution which would permit
the majority to rule, not only would the
state officers be democrats, but the United
States senator's from that state would be
democrats. The contest going on in the
legislature, therefore, is for big stakes. The
democrats are in the right They want the
majority to rule. The republicans. by
force and fraud, hope to perpetuate the rule
of the minority.