Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-03-03


the ofice That Makes the sTan-Ripper
Bills.
COLUMBUS, O., March !.
Adjournment is in sightI
That is, it was in sight but now it is
out of sight. The senate, which has all
the session found it dificnlt to find
enough to do, very considerably passed
joint resolution the other day calling
for adjournment on the Goth of March.
champaign" Taylor had the resolution,
when it came up in the house, referred
to him, and he slowed it away IN his
large inside pocket.
Therefore, adjournment, while it is in
sight, is still just little out of sight.
In all probability this session will close
not very far from All Fools day. The
appropriation bill has been reported and
will be disposed of shortly-probably be-
fore these lines are before the readers
eyes. The redistricting bill, while SEEM
ingly as far off as ever, may bob up at
any moment and go through the house,
and if it is any where near what the
senate desires, it will go through that
body in a day OF two after it has been
received The judicial redistricting bill
has been dropped because of the magni-
tude of the work, and members are con-
tenting themselves with introducing
bills that amend the present arrang-
ment. So that, all things considered,
this session of the legislature bids fair to
be shorter than the usual run.
Voted without Thinking.
''I could pass anything through the
senate this morning." said the presiding
officer to q friend just before the noon
recess the other day. ''They are not
asking questions; bills come up, are
read and go through in the most listless
sort of way"
To show that the gentleman was alb
solutely correct in his statement, have
only to add a sequel to the above CONVEX
sation. During the very morning session
referred to, bill was passed creating a
new judicial district in certain part of
the state. The senator in whose dis
trict the change was to be made, said
not word, and the senate passed the
bill with not dissenting vote.
The next morning the senator learned
from the newspapers what had been
done, and It happened to be thing that
would condemn hisn politically at home
all the rest of his days He could scarce
ly believe that the thing had been done,
but each newspaper that he consulted
told the same story and an investigation
at the clerks desk. little later proved
that such was the fact.
Maybe there wasn't tired senator in
Columbus for little while! When the
senate opened he had to move recon-
sideration and explain his neglect of the
day before. 1t is safe to say that he
will never allow the creation of new
judgeships in his bailiwick if he is within
ear shot of the clerk who is reading the
bill.
'r Fear Their Constituents.
Some members OF the legislature are
forever fearing what their constituents
will say on every vote they give. No
matter how large or how small the mat
ter under consideration, there are those
who are. wondering what the people at
home will say, and whether or no they
are pleasing this person or that. While
would not for moment try to decry
public opinion in ones constituency,
yet if one is going to make himself
miserable from fear as to how his constit-
uents will like this or that vote, he will
find legislative life burden to him.
An old member was explaining this
fear to number of us ''new fellows
the other evening. and he said: "Four
years ago, when first came here sat
beside an elderly gentleman, whose
| reputation was spotless, in whom his
L ,I tba
he was strong man intellectually and
had IS true sense Of right and wrong Is
any member In the house. naturally
thought as his name came up pretGy
| well on the roll call, that I as much
younger man would have n saf 70 guide
on all questions concerning which I
wanted help as to which way was the
best to vote. But to my surprise 7
found that when he came to- vote on
such questions he was almost trembling
with fear; he kept wondering how bis
people at home would like it If Ihe'v voted
this way or that. He would often ask
me how to vote, when I thought ON ac-
count of age, at least l ought to be the
one to ask him. The fear of his con-
stitutency was always a bug-a-boo to
him, and suppose all the time most Of
the citizens of his county were congratu-
lating themselves on having 80 safe a
man in the legislature, and probably not
one in ten Of them would know how he
voted on any question that came befc re
the house, and out of those who did,
probably not one in ten would care a fig.
But there he was making himself miser-
able when he might just as well have
| n,,io1,ad bi,,asolf a q not
"Now to show you what man of that
kind will some times do, I have only to
add that once when certain important
measure came up suddenly, we both
agreed that it was right to vote no. 1t
| was one of those measures that popular
| prejudice sometimes pushes the wrong
way. We talked the thing over very
carefully between us, and we both
agreed that the bill was the result Of the
labor Of demagogue, and that though
| the people might seem to demand it,
| vet, it ought not to pass. And after all
| that when the time came to vote he ac-
| tually voted aye He was actually
seized with panic, and voted against
| his own convictions through fear; and
| be told me afterwards that the only per-
son that spoke to him about that vote
when he got home was one person who
| said it was a mistake.
Oratory In the House.
If anybody thinks there is not any
real oratory in the house, he ought to
| have been present the other day when
| the woman's school suffrage bill came
up. The food gates were opened and
1 for two hours the paneled ceiling rang
| with well rounded periods, and applause
was plentiful from floor and gallery,
| Cuyahoga county carried off the hnnnrs.