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It Is Not Often That We Find Occasion

It Is Not Often That We Find Occasion image
Parent Issue
Day
19
Month
December
Year
1873
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

or commending the utterrnces of benator Morton, of Indiana, wbether made as egislator or politiciau ; but we are pleased to indorse a portion of his speech made n the Senate on Tuesday, the question under diseussion being a resolution admiting Pinchback of Louisiana. Mr. Morton took the position that the Supreme Court of Louisiana had decided ;he validity of PlNCltBACK'8 electi on in deciding the legal existtmcb of the Legislature that electcd him ; that the question was a legal rather than a, political one nd that the Senate could not go back of the decisión of a State Court in construing State laws. IgnoringMoRTON'sconstructiou of the decisión of the Louisiana court or its bearing upon Pinchback's claims to a seat ho is without ability to fill, the language we commend and adopt is as iollows : " The decisión of a State tribu" nal upon any question of the laws of the " State is final, and from such decisión " there is no appeal. The United States " is bound by such decisión. Ho did uo " believe in the doctrine of State sover"eignty, but did believe in the doctrine " of State rights. He beheved a State " had rights which were sacred and in" violable, and Congress had not a right " to encroach upon them. If States have " not a right to pass upon their owu laws " then thero is an end to State govern" mnnt." Mr. MORTON is ritrlit, and Mr int'Ill. jii. ri-j n í kj i xa iipUi .ui-i -. Morton being right by what stretch oí authority does the Supreme Gourt of the Unitod States assurne to reverse decisions of State Supreme Courts construing State statutes ? To be specific, Mr. Moeton's positiou beina sound how can the Supreme Court of the Uniteil States reverse the decisión of the Supremo Court of Michigan holding the railroad aid law unconstitutionalr Will not soine believer in Morton who is also a believer in the overruling decisions of the United Shites Supreme Court "rise to explain ?" Jean Luie, the sailor who accidentally dropped down in London, asaceidentally heard of the TlCHBCRNE case there in progress, proceeded iinmediately to hunt up the Tichbohxe's attorney and the claimant, and identified the latter as the ' lost lord " rescued at sea, etc., has come to grief. He has been recognized as " a ticket-of-leave man," has been sent to prison to serve out bis time, and that done will be proceeded against lor perjury. This will probably satisfy those journalists who swallowed every word of the evidence givcn by Luie, predicted the acquittal of TicilBORXE on the pending charge of perjury, and his eertain accessiou to the Ticiiboexe estates, confounding tho nobility and infusing " new blood " into aristocratie circles. But we confess to havingbelieved and pronounced Luie an impostor from the first. His story was told very straight it is true, and a long and sovere cross-examination failec to phase it materially, but his accidenta appearance in London with its chain o "accidcnts" was too much for our cred ulity. LUIE says [he was " invited anc enconraged to do as he did," but decline further explanation. xt. The Paek men of Detroit have como off victors at last : that is if another turn is not given to the people. The Supreme Court having refused a mandamus agains the Counoil, the Park Commissioners carne down gracefully, went to the Council as suppliants rather than masters, anr found the tender spot. The Oouncil voted an issue of $200,000 to purchase a portion of the park lands under contract the Mayor votoed the resolution, and on Tuesday evening the same was passed over the veto by a vote of 14 to 6. The aldermen who changed front and votes, as sign as a reason that they couldn't stanc compulsión, but that they were always park men, always satisfied with the location, and being free men (by the decisioi of the Supreme Court), now vote in accordance with deliberately formed opiujons This seems a little thin to outsiders. I' is probable that there will be further litigation, the anti-park rnen holding thai the action of the Council is too late - the law under which the Gommissioners assume to act having been decided unconstitutional. In discussino one of the salary-grab repealing bilis the other day, Mr. Dawes of Massachusetts, a Republican and the acknowledged leader - being Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means - of the House, gave that body and the country to undorstand that the salary of the President was now equal to $100,000 a year ; aye more, that that officer could lay aside a cool $400,000 as the profits of a single term. These figures are a little large, unless the President can manage to bag thelarger shareof the appropriations for household expenses, etc., amounting to some $7ó,000 annually, and which are supposed to be used in making the Presidential mansion a sort of national free hotel. Be this as it may, - and we won't hagglo with Mr. Dawes over a hundred or two hundred thousand dollars of Presidontial savings, - it is evident that under the new order of things the people will pay " dear for the whistle," that is unless future Presidents shall run abovo the average. The House has pa$scd a bilí repealing the general bankruptcy law, and also a new salary bill. ïhis latter bill is not what the people have demanded or what they will be satisfied with. It fixes the 6alaries of members at $6,000 from the date it sliall bücome a law, up to which dato every raember will of course draw hia pay at the rate prescribed by the salary-grab law of the last session. It also gives members actual and uecessary traveling expenses. The Senate will probably amend, and that will be the end of it. Preceding tho passage of the bill Gen. Butler pitehod into the newspapers, howled about their howling, had soniething to say of " dirty sheets" (at his hotel, we presume), "íorty-Jackass mad power," etc., all of which was in keeping with his general character. Congreas will adjourn to-duy until after the holidaya, The election held in Pennsylvania on Tuesday resulted in the adoption of the new Constitution by an unexpeotedly large majority. Even Philadelphia gave a large majority for it, despite the opposition of the corrupt political ring which bas so long controlled that city.

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus