The Lansing Squabble

Eye witnesses will never forget the scène in the Senate at Lansing, on Wednesday of last week, when the republican senators had returned from the Jackson convention, and attempted to undo the work of the day previous, when Morrow and Friedlander, two democratie senators, had been seated. Before describing the scène it might be well to give our readers a clear idea of the situation. Horton had been given the seat in the Lenawee District on the face of the returns. Various irregularities in the voting precincts were alleged notably in Hudson wherethe returns had been held back a day.and until long after all the returns were in, and it was the result in Hudson which gave Horton a majority on the face of the returns. But Horton was postmaster of Fruit Ridge on the day of election. The state constitution makes all votes for a federal officeholder running for the legislature void. If Horto,n's votes were void, then Morrow, the democratie candidate, was elected by a heavy majority over the prohibition candidate. In the Alpena district, Morse, a stripling of twenty-two, boyish looking, and extremely juvenile in action, was declared elected on the face of the returns. There were numerous irregularities in registration. Further at one of the voting precincts 130 lumbermen were marched in from one of the camps and kept in line until their votes were cast, none of them passing through a booth. If this precinct were thrown out, Friedlander would be elected. The situation on the mornning of last Tuesday was as follows: Morse and Horton were the sitting senators, the contests not yet having been heard. The senate then stood democrats 15, republicans 14, patrons of industry 3. The patrons of industry had been steadily voting with the republicans and held the balance of power. Nothing went, unless they said so. They were seemingly bent on prolonging the session, blocking the wheels of legislation unless perfectly satisfactory to them and on holding the balance of power. To hold this balance of power, they would clearly keep Morrow and Friedlander from their seats. If all the senators had been in their seats, they could have succeeded in doing so. But the desire to give the republican state convention at Jackson the benefit of their advice prevailed upon about two thirds of the republican senators, to desert their seats, including both Horton and Morse. The democrats found when the senate was called to order that there were present 15 democrats, 3 patrons and only 3 republican. This was their opportunity. They called up the contested election cases and seated the two new senators. The republicans and patrons had been deprived of their leaders by the Jackson convention. They kicked, but remained in their seats, thus making a quorum. If they had jumped and run, the Senate would have been deprived of a quorum. But they didn't do this. Consequently, a quorum being present, the democrats legally decided the contested cases. The situation was now entirely changed. There were seventeen democrats, twelve republicans and three patrons ! One of the democrats, however, was also on the patrón ticket, and didn't approve of taking the balance of power away from his brother patrons. If he also voted with the republicans, the vote would stand 16 to 16, with the democratie lieutenant-governor having the casting vote on most questions. As soon as the two new democrats were declared legally elected, they were telegraphed for. A train was held for one of them, and when the senate next assembled they were found to have been sworn in and their ñames placed on the roll. When the roll was called they answered to their names. The republicans vigorously objected to the roll cali, but were suppressed by the president's gavel. They appealed from a decisión of the chair. The two new men voted on the appeal from the chair and he was sustained by a vote of 16 to 16. For half an hour pandemonium reigned. The sergeant atarms went down on the floor to restore order and one of the republican senators started to slug him. Gen. Withington, of Jackson, attempted to make a speech denouncing the democrats, when there was no question before the house. Cries of order aróse from all sides, the president's gavel came down with great vigor and frequency. Withington kept on. He was mad to the back bone. Nobody could hear a word he said, but his arms were gyrating like a windmill and he soon sat down out of breath, his concluding words alone sounding out "and that's all there is of it." Peace and harmony were soon restored and the regular business of the session proceeded, Morrow and Friedlander being secure in their seats. We will throw a little more light on this contest in ourFriday 's issue.