The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-26
A WEAK LOT OF DEMOCRATS
One Wonders Where the Party Found
So Many Travesties of Statesmen.
Blind Following of the Bell Wether en- Every.
dag Occurrence Farmer FarlOw-
Few Bright Lawmakers.

The quiet observer, who sits In the Sen.
ate or House of Representatives day after
day, cannot help wondering what upon
earth possessed the various Democratic
constituencies of the State when they Sc
lected such eternally mediocre material
for legislators. When the work of this
session is figured up. it will be found that
more has been accomplished by the little
minority of keen and intelligent Repub-
lcans than by the Democratic majority.
OF the sixty-three men the unterritied
have in the House, and the thirty -four they
have in the Senate, the men of average
brightness and intelligence can be counted
upon ones fingers. The rest sit there. day
after day. accomplishing nothing. watching
how tho first two or three Democrats on
the roll vote. and trailing after them. aud
helping to make or unmake laws with
little or no conception of what they are
doing. This was strikingly illustrated q
couple of weeks ago, when they voted down
Fippen's bill in the House, taxing foreign
capital. because it did tax foreign CAP
ital. and, ten minutes later. passed
McMullens bill for the same purpose De-
cause they did not know what it's effect
would be. Again. the other day, Collins
had bill before the House authorizing the
incorporation of trust companies he made
a speech for 1t. and. as they rather suspect
Collins of not being rafOrmer. they voted
it down by q vote of So noes to 50 ayes.
couple of days later he asked for q recon-
alteration, and McMullen and Hench spoke
for the bill. 1t had not been changed one
iota. but it went through by vote OF 6S to
9. A few days ago the Erwin amendment
to the tax law wss adopted by. an over
whelming vote. The Journal told what it
was the next day, and 1t was wiped out oy
q vote of rs to 9. And yet these men make
laws that involve millions OF dollars an
nually, and even involve the lives. liberty
and happiness of the people! Will nomi-
mating conventions of the party in power
never realize that q serious responsibility
rests upon themi
One would naturally imagine that Marion
county. containing the largest and wealth
lest city of the State, would be we'll repre-
sented IN the Legislature. but out of its
eleven men there. it has just three above
the average and one of these. Senator
Wishard got there by virture, not of
Marion. but of Hendricks county votes.
Senator Kern is above the average for
negative rather than positive reasons. that
Is to say not because he Is SO great but be-
cause his colleagues are so insignificant.
Outside the legislative halls the descrip-
ton does not apply to him. ROmus K.
Stuart is brilliant specimen to bear the
honorable title of Senators! Think of q
common ward politician, with no other oc-
cupation on earth than TO act as tool for
some of the more conspicuous local poll
ticians and get his reward In little odd
jobs about political committee rooms,
breaking into the Senate and helping to
make laws. 1t seems absurd, but IL ia true.
Senator McHugh is another lovely repre-
80 lie l.lo M y
for himself, he has been puppet for w. II.
English in his efforts TO choke Oft the
charter amendments and enabling act.
while upon matters OF general legislation
his influence has amounted TO just one
vote, usually cast upon the wrong side.
In the House Marion county does not
show up any better. The only brlgh man
is Hord. 1.-The infant terrible" and he is
utterly devoid of personal tact or political
sense. Right or wrong, however, he is al
ways honest and has unlimited courage of
his convictions. He has tangled himself
up in so many various antangOnisms that
he has no influence. Deery started in as
the head of the organized labor element
and fiunked early. 1t Is of course not his
fault that he murders the queens English
with such picturesque Disregard to gram
NAUTICAL forms and that he can't make o
fluent speech. These are doe to the cir
cumstances that robbed him of an edu-
cation, but il Is his fault that he cannot
keep his temper. Harmon is a big. over
grown. good. atured boy, who has opened
his head on the floor inst once since
the session began. Then 1t was
dozen words that he represented Marion
county. and that public sentiment here de.
manded that the saloons be left open until
~ o'clock. He deserves some credit, how
ever. Tor knowing that he doesn't know
much and keeping still. And Frank Will
son! Now there is q bird He has not said
ten words on the floor. and has no ideas or
ambitions higher than a glass of beer and
o free lunch, and has usually voted on the
brewery ~ Indicate. is another fright and
shining hight he Is there to attend to
such business as Albert Lieber and John
7. Frenzel may want. and be
does 1t , without sa'i Pa,.s word
is the only one of the Marion county dele
cation that can make q speech. and he does
it in such high key that nobody can IN
derstand what he is saying. lie W as former
ly q teacher, then he hung out his sign as
an attorney. and il now q statesman. He
| attends to "Comrade" Hawkins's business
In the House. and what with his school
book monopoly and other irons in the fire
the ''comTade" has good deal OF business
TO take care of. 1t s rather rough on John
son that the Robey gambling institution
went into bankruptcy the next week after
he visited il at the head of legislative in.
vestigating committee and brought back q
tiatteriDg report, but he brought 1t upon
himself. He offered the resolution creating
the committee, and then objected to having
tie committee discharged before 1t started
up to see the elephant.
1t is amusing to see how many Senators
are strongly In favor of Saturday sessions,
and how very few are willing to attend
them! There has been scarcely q quorum
present at any Saturday session since the
Legislature convened. and on one or two
occasions not that many. The action of the
ineffective. If an important measure
was introduced, il was Immediately post
poned until full Senate could dispose OF
it. Hardly any bills could be passed. a
vote would adjourn the body. and 90 the
little play went on. that the dear people
might think they had an industrious BODY
of representatives in the Capitol, IL not O
singulsriy capable one.
Lieut.. Gov. Mortimer Nye is paragon
of Inconsistencies when 1t comes TO ques-
tion of rulings. The venerable gentlema an
will entertain q motion one day when il
proceeds from the majority and on the next
rule it out of order when coming
| from the other side OF the Senate.
| Mr.. Nye has q peculiar way of laughing
| down animositIes that is truly good to see.
| There is not man on the Senate floor who
| seems capable OF resisting his penetrating
| smile. and the vanquished usually give up
| In good nature regarding the pleasant old
| President as q kind of unfortunate inflic.
tiOn upon them, whose prejudices are sc
thoroughly. deodoriZed by smiles they car