The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-05-04
A REPUDlATeO STATESMAN.

n6S OUlH u STATESMAN.
Spectacle Th.t Quay Presents witt Hi.
Boxns Senatorial Certificate.
Pbiladelphis Record.
In behalf of the bogus United
States Senatorial certificate CONFER
ed by Governor Stone on Mr.. Ouay
it is said that the latest precedent
that of the Oregon case-is not quite
in point. 1t has, indeed, beer ar
gued, with some slight show of plau-
sibi!ity, that inasmuch as the Ore
gon legislature could not organize in
1897 because of the flight of mai Dr.
ity Of the mem bers of the House, and
could not, therefore, elect a United
States Senator, the Governors APP
pointment of Mr.. Corbett was valid
from the extreme necessity of the
case. To this plea the answer has
been made that the conspiracy Of a
portion of the members to destroy a
quorum IN one house and prevent
the complete organization of the leg
islature did not take the case out of
the rule. The people of Oregon had
duly elected the Legislature, and the
Senate was organized and ready to
aid in electing United States Sen
ator, but was prevented from per-
forming its duty. In other words,
the majority elected to the Oregon
legislature refused not merely to act,
but even to meet; but this refusal
did not give the Governor power to
appoint Senator for the beginning
of a term.
Do not the acute logicians who see
a distinction in the Oregon case per-
ceive also how thoroughly it works
against them' Since the Senate, bv
an overwhelming majority Gnclud-
ing Messrs. Quay aud Penrose) re
fused to admit to seat the appolntee
Of the Governor of Oregon, whose
action was based on the plea of leg
islative fault, how much less likely
is the Senate to admit Mr.. Qa.y at
ter the duly organized legislature of
Pennsylvania refused to elect him!
When Mr.. Quay shall come up with
the beggar's petition for a seat on
the strength of Governor Stones
brief, what will be the answer He
will be told that whatever else the
legislature of Pennsylvania may
have done or left undone, it is evil
dent from the record that it did not
want him for United States Senator.
What a travesty it would be of the
principles of representation to admit
to a seat g. man whom the legislature
OF his State had rejected and repudi-
ated! The common sense of the plain
people, to say nothing of the
long array of constitutional prece-
dents established by the wisdom of
statesmen, would revolt at the sug-
gestion.
To come back to the Pennsylvania
precedent in 1855; was there more
knowledge Of the law, or more re-
spect for the law in the Executive
Office then than there is now9 In our
decided opinion there Is both less
knowledge and less respect for the
law in the Executive Office now than
there was then. Thomas E. Frank
lin was the Attorney General, and
had Governor Pollock assumed to
appoint a United States Senator af-
ter tho legislature had failed to elect
he would have been advised that his
certificate was not worth the paper
used in engrossing it. Governor Pol
lock, however, did not need any ad-
vice on this subject from his Attor-
ney General. But for a Franklin
We now have an Elkin as the legal
adviser to the Governor.
In 1855 the Office of United States
Senator was, as it is now, high OBJ
Ject of honorab BILE ambition; and vet
no public man in PENNSYLVANIA
sought this Office at the hands of the
Governor. M. S. Quay will have the
ludlcrous distinction of being the
irst-and doubtless the last-Penn-
sylvanian to go up to the Capitol at
Washington with petition to be 40
mltted to seat in the Senate after
the legislature of his State had re-
Jeeted him. Such prestige is any,
thing but to be coveted at the close
of political career.
The Baby 10 Cutting Teeth,
be sure and use that old and well tried
remedy, MRS W3NsLow's Sooru1Na
SYRT1p FIR chifApon <ootA:,,-