The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-08
THE INDUCTION OF STATE GOVERN
MENTG.


During the past week legislatures have as
sembled in most of the States and Govern
ors have been indicted into office in many
Of them. The exercises, as reported by the
papers, are not similar in any two States
The military parade seems to have been
dropped in all the States this year. doubt
less because few of them have a militia at
the present time that would care to par
ticipate in such a show. In most of the
States the legislatures meet and organize
without recognizing the Governor, while in
some the Governors do not even take the
oath of Office in the presence of the legis-
lative body. The tendency, particularly in
the West, has been to keep the several
branches of the government entirely indie
branch shall not exercise any power over
the other in organization or induction into
Office. In such States the law designates the
official who shall call the members of the
popular branch to order, but he can only
recognize as members-elect those who have
credentials. Such official presides until the
election of a speaker In other States, so
of the legislative branch, that the clerk Of
the previous body calls the members-elect
to order, and the member who is Oldest in
service in the body is called to preside In
most Of the States judges of the highest
court swear in the members. In Massachu-
sets the oath is administered by the Sec
rotary of state and in Maine by the Gov
but he has nothing to do with the roll of
members except to lead the Council in de-
claring the names of those who appear to
be elected on the face of the returns.
In some States the induction of the Gov
ernor-elect into office is quite an elaborate
ceremonial. In several Of the Eastern States
the vote for Governor is canvassed by a
committee of the two houses, and upon that
report the Legislature declares who is
elected and notifies him of the fact. The
GOvernor-elect informs the committee that
he accepts the office and will appear in a
convention of the Legislature forthwith and
take the oath of office" Soon after at
tended by the heads OF departments, that
official to-be comes in and is presented to
the presiding officer Of the convention, who
administers the OATH He then directs the
secretary of state to make proclamation
that the man just sworn In is Governor of
the State and commander-in-chief and
notifies all officers to note the fact. The
Governor then delivers his address. In some
States the Inauguration is made cere-
monial In Massachusetts seats are reserved
for all the judges of the higher courts, who
come in in a body, and the heads of depart
ments. while the Governor-elect is preceded
by the sheriff of Suffolk county in an old
fashioned uniform and bearing a sword
The secretary OF state closes the proclama-
ton of the new Governor with the words
God save the commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts." In many legislatures the clerks
of the respective branches read the Govern
ors communication which then becomes a
message. In other States the private secre-
tary of the Governor reads the message be-
fore a convention of the two houses.
The general name of Legislature is popu-
larly applied to state legislative bodies. The
official title of most of such bodies is THE
General Assembly" In Massachusetts the
designation is The General Court" In
some States the official name is THE Leg
stature In some of the Eastern States it
would be regarded as a great improperly
for a Governor to be present in q legislative
hall during a session. This custom probably
grows out of the fact that in the colonial
days of those States the Governor, APP
pointed by the British crown, attempted to
coerce the legislative bodies of the people.