New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-22
SU4RTNESS OTEPDONE.

The Democratic majority in the Connecticut
Senate who tangled up themselves ana every
body else by assuming the power to DECIDE inc
question OF the GoycrnorShip without any refer
once to the action Of the House. are having some
difficulty in getting out of their snarl. After
DECLARING the Democratic candidate elected and
administering the oath to him-a silly proceed
ing. 10 which he weakly consented Al the urgency
of the Democratic lawyer employed IN the ease
the officers OF the Senate pretended 10 con
slider Governor Buckley. who was holding over
because he could not conStiuilonally 10 other
wise a usurper. They ignored him in the most
offensive manner. The senate Clerk. who APP
pears to he a ridiculous person with no sense "i
official propriety or common clylty. rather oS-
tenta,iolsly flung into the w1S''-haSkct The OH
cial communications from Governor BulkeleY ;
and the fat-wttcd statesmen sitting by applaud
ed the performance l. seemed 10 al "i them
and 10 the fcathcr-hcadcd adviser o' inc "h"'
business to be smart" They chucklcd over H.
And they chuckcd still MIRO when the person
who was nj that timc-thrmph PROVIDENCE"
whose mysterious meaning will probably nov
fully appear in this ccntury-Goycrnor OF New
York reinforced them with "smartucs>' that
oycrtoppcd their highest conceptions 10y dccid-
ING the whole question of hand without facts or
testimony. or knowledge, or anything clS.
But the Supreme Court Of Connecticut, one
member Of which is Of family whose Dcmoc-
racy has been tested in the mast tying times
and has never been dOuhtcd-thc Scym0urS. who
gave UoratiO T. be Governor ~ New York and
Thomas II. 10 be Governor OF ConnccticIt-dc-
cdcd unanimously that the Official whom ne
partv pct'ifoggcrS had denounced ~ u>uip'r
and whose communications they had o>tchtt-
tiously thrown into the WaStc-hlskct. was really
the Governor Of the State. 20 all their be-
Juggling and pottifogglng and Sm1rtncNN "'
itself into the wastc-ba>kct: and the communicl-
tions which have been - unc'IcmJn Iu>y tum-
bled into that receptacle for the last twelve
months and mere rs mere mpertinenrcS have
suddenly taken on an official character. Tum-
bling them all together into the wa>tc-ba>k II
with ELUSIVE demonstrations 81 contempt DIES
not now appear to be 20 smart Il, it did dur
ing the intencgnum of ldiocy. The conS'liu-
,ionaI adviser who gave that Democratic Hcnaic
its law has fallen to the plane Of the pcttfogg"r
and the New York Governor who assumed tn"
functions Of a court Of last resort has dropped
10 the level of the "smart'' politician who j.
sometimes too "Smlrt.
In this state Of thing, the Connecticut senate
is engaged in the interesting and entirely harm
less occupation Of converting n irregular inter
walls for the puTo.c Of making SpcechcS at itself
with vague sort of an idea that somehow i can
talk itself out Of is own tanglc. Tine most
yiyacouS Of the talkcr, on these occasions Is
the Senator from the Hartford District, Mr.
Cleveland Al the last session OF the senate he
is reported to have delivered himself Of the state
mcnt that he was engaged in desperate On
deavor to maintain the Constitution. IF this
is my last service in the Senate he j. reported
to have said " let my last action in thl. body
be in the defence Of the Constitution Of my
Stat" Which means simply, when translated
out Of the gISty OratOry which cnylionS ii, that
the Senate majority, having made a decided
and conspicuous ass OF itself in an effort to be
smart" will stick TO it, " SmartnoSS,' and with
the rIoyerbal devotion OF the donkey TO its own
consistency will stand still and not admit its
mistake.
Cleveland ought to be turned off. We say
turned of because We presume, he has the
usual notice hanging on him that it is not safe
| to blow him out