The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-08

THE DAILY INDIE
o. she representatives represent n majority
OF thS whole population of Connecticut,
The large and small senatorial districts
and tho large and small towns, arc 40 di
vidsd between the democratic purity an,
the republican party, that The rerublica,
party has had 4 majority of each house a
~ times for many years until the presen
legislature, In which the democrats have
majority In the senate, though the rcpubli
cans have Z still larger majority in tn
mouse. And tho republican party has thu
controlled avery legislature during the las
cast ~ many votes in the state an tho demo
cratic party AZ any election since 1880.
!hs constitution Of Connecticut also pro.
vides that in order that ths governor, O,
other state Officers, may be elected by the
people, ne must have more votes than
blned. II no candidate TINS receives a ma
Joflty OF al the votes, the election dcvolvss
upon thu Legislature in joint session. Inas-
much no the prohibition party and the labor
party In Connecticut have for many years
cast several Thousand votes, tho demo-
cratic candidates for state Offices in 1884,
1866 and 1883 had somewhat fewer than Il
majority Of all the votes cast for those Off.
GERS. though their pluralities ovor thsir re-
publican competitors were large in all
tnres of these years. But the legislatures
OF those years, by reason of the great inc
quality OF representation therein, were re-.
publican in both branches; and they elected
state offices. In 1880. the democratic can
dldatss for oil the state %ofices, except gov
ernor, had undeniable mnjorities OYER all
other candidates; while the democratic
candidate for governor had = plurality of
over 5000 over his republican competitor,
and q majority OF twenty-six on the face of
the returns over all other candidates. The
Republican leaders in the Legislature con-
tended that this majority Of twenty six was
only an apparent one: and that q reiudg-
ment Of all the valid and void votes in the
ballot boxes would show that the demo-
cratic candidate for accommodated a little
OF a majority. The democratic lenders in
the Legislature claimed that no one had any
Jurisdiction to 1ejudgs the valid and void
votes in the ballot bo1eE; because the law
lnad0 the judgment of the moderators in
the various towns final on that subject. And
the democratic leaders also claimed that if
it were possible to rejudge and recount all
Of the democratic candidates for all the
state offices would be found to be decidedly
larger than their apparent majorities on
the face of the returns. Under these issues
the democratic senate declared the demo
cratic candidates for oil the state Offices
elected, while tho republican house de-
clared ths democratic candidate for one of
those state Offices to be elected. and the
democratic candidates for tho Others Of
those state Offices to be not elected. The
old republican ~incumbents of the Offices as
to which the republican house refused to
make . declaration OF election claimed,
and practically enforced, power to hold
nvaN altar thA n~~Sukson ~ kLo
which they were elected, though this power
was not expressly conferred upon them BY
the constitution. because they were not
originally elected by the people, but only
by the legislature of 1883; and because the
hold. over provision Of the Connecticut con-
is expressly confined to office. 6
by the people.
The Connecticut statutes provide that
the business affairs OF each Of the eight
counties in the state shall be managed BY a
board of three county commissioners, and
that those county commissioners shall be
by the legislature. And the Con
constitution provides that the
Judges Of all the important state courts
shall be elected by tho legislatures. In
pursuance Of this power, Republican leeis-
latures have for many yearsimposed boards
county commissioners, made up wholly
of republicans. upon all the democratic
counties in the state. The supreme court
Connecticut consists of five judges. and
he superior court Of eight judges; though
creme bench and two on the superior
oench. All of the supreme judges were
by the legislature OF 1889. and
but II nre republicans; while
Ill of the superior judges but one
we're elected by the same legislature, and
al but two are republicans. All OF the
'even republican judges were elected by
,hEE Iaria1afnrn and n M iOri+u oF %bnro
nave for many years been active, practical
politicians, with all that that designation
IMPLIES. OF course, both the United States
'enators from Connecticut are republicans,
md both have been republicans over since
he administration of President Hayes.
These details show precisely how it is that
N one of the original states of the un on
Ill the powers of government are wielued,
md for moro than a decade ave besn
Welded like II rod of iron by a minority of
he electors, though that minority is out
numbered by thousands by n other
party in the state, and is outnum-
'ered by additional thousands by all other
parties in the state combined.
The democratic party of Connecticut has
ong boon looking for some remedy for this
condition of governmental
fairs. OF course that remedy can only be
ecured BY some amendment to the con-
~titution Of the state. But no amendment
o CQo constitution eau De secured except
y a vote of both branches of the ~leRisla-
ure before its submission to the people;
nd the republican members of the leeis-
aturs have persistently refused for many
ears to allow any amendment to 20 before
he people, which shall tend to loosen their
old upon the powers of government, either
y providing that a plurality of the voters
lay elect state officers, or by providing that
he present inequalities of representation in
two branches Of the legislature shall be
Unfinished. There is no hope whatever
hat any Connecticut legislature, until it is
omocratio in both branches, will ever
gain allow the people Of Connecticut to
ovsrn themselves, as other states are
overnsd, by the suffrages of the larger
art of ths voters of the state. Until tho
party so far eutgrows the re-
party as to be able to elect a ma
ority of both branches of the legislature,
Notwithstanding the %fiasrantly unequal ap-
ortisnment Of representation in both
1859 branches, = government of the people.
, the people and for the paople in this
ncisnt state will bs non-existsnt in sub.
lance, however apparently present in form.
ALBERT H.. WALKER.
Copyright.
Guaranteed Care.
We authorize u advertised druggist to