The Montgomery tribune., 1910-07-29
DEMOCRATS FACE
A LIVELY ISSUE
Party Politics Injected By Major in
Argument Before Supreme Court.
Proposed Senatorial Re-Districtina
Amendment Has Put Democratic
Leaders On the Anxious Seat.
Special Correspondence.


Jefferson City, July 25.-No po-
litical proposition Of late years has
alarmed the Democratic leaders
like th eproposed senatorial dis
tricting amendment to the con-
stitution. They know that it will
be adopted if the people get
chance to vote for it. They were
alarmed >befor eshe petitions for
It's submission under The initiative
| law were circulated. When, afeer
only ten days work on the part
of Republicans throughout the
state,the Secretary of State was
presented with petition sheets con-
tanning the signatures of nearly
fifty thousand qualified voters
they were badly scared-they We're
almost paralized.
When Halliburton's so-called
friendly mandamus suit in The
Supreme Court was forced to a
speedy hearing by the motion OF
Republican lawyers to dismiss it
and the whole matter was thus
placed in a situation from which
it could only be extracted by the
Supreme Judges all interest cen
tered in the formal hearing of
the cause July 19. On that day
the Supreme Court room was
crowded. Democratic State Off
cials and their subordinates were
on hand numerously. Every prom
inent Democrat about the capital,
who could comprehend the mean
ing of the matter to the Demo
cratic party and it's future in Mis-
souri,, was eager to hear the argu-
ments to be made by the Republic
can lawyers. Everybody knew
what the contentious of the Dem
ocratic lawyers would be for they
had talked so much in an effort to
justify the action of Roach that
livery little was left for them to
say to the court .
The Supreme Judges patiently
heard all of the arguments, sitting
both in the morning and afternoon
for that purpose. While John
Kennish, Homer Hall, Judge John
c. Brown and c. c. Madison argued
against every point raised by At
torney-General Major in behalf of
the attitude of Roach and against
mandamusing him to file the
petition they made the point good
and strong that Roach, as Secre-
tary of State, can only pass upon
the legal sufficiency of the petit
ton, and not upon the legality or
+. constitutionality of the PROPOSE
. tion to be submitted to vote of
the people. Their contention was
: that Roach is merely a ministerial
! officer, devoid of any authority
to determine the constitutionality
Or validity OF the proposed amend
tment.
i AS was anticipated by the Re-
a publicans Acknowledgement Major
departed from the law and the
|. facts in his frenzied speech uol
: his alleged argument was ir
r reality a partizan speech) and with
: great zest said to the court, in
e substance: Why, if your honor
r pleases, this is Republican meas.
0 ure, conceived by Republican.
y and born of Republican com
e mittee. 1t cannot be good thing
d and ought not to be tolerated.
e No good can come from it. DE-
n men gather grapes from thornel
e or figs from thistles?
y This impertinent and extraordi
Z, nary partisan attack was heart
d by the Judges. all bu5 one of whom
are Democrats, without rebuke o
d apparent objection. 1t is seldom
II that lawyer pleading a cause il
It the Supreme Court descends t,
Y, such prejudiced and Irrelevant al
iS4 lusions, but this case, as far a
.e Roach and Major and their as
'f sociates are concerned, has n
'r merit except as Democratic par
m tizan contention-a fact that tn
people of the state should kee
sr in mind forevermore. 1t is a
le appeal to the highest court in tn
4 state to save the Democratic ma
IN jority in the Senate from tn
id hands OF the people.
n Seldom il ever has such an i'm
~ portant matter been SO ably man
re aged by Republican party leader
lie They knew the secret of Dem
25 ocratic control Of the Senate, tn
re evils growing out OF it and ths
g. the only remedy in the hands (
as the people is a chance in the cor
g stitution abolishing the extrem
II partizan advantage unintentiona
" given to the Democrats b
ne section OF article 4; and the
TX knew that the only way to q.
the matter before the people ws
Through an amendment to be sui
] mitted under the initiative Law
q and they we're aware OF the Ia
- that an effort to do that would
70 opposed by the Democratic Seer
tary OF State and Attorney-Gel