The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-20

Portrayed by Bonn Plat.
After closing my letter yesterday, went TO the
Capitol to witness the count of votes thst would
declare our distinguished feIlow.citizen, U. s.
Grant, president of the United States for the next
8ur years, and our no less distinguished citizen.
Killer vice president for the same length OF time.
had Just said my say about the Hon. Benjamin,
10 less distinguished citizen OF Massachusetts,, and
little dreamed that this restless individual was
soing to favor us with treat, In the shape Of q
6aring political farce.
III found the galleries and floor crowded with
&hrious people, called together TO witness very
klemn affair that is as q general thing, about as
Interesting 81 q sum in arithmetic or a speech
Dom my friend. the Hon. William Kelley. Thanks
- Butler Mullins and Wade, we had . most deli
kous interlude TO relieve the tedious monetony of
he occasion. The dignifed fog.bauk fled in and
tttled In solemn gloom TO the left of the speak
rs chair. The Hon. Ben. Wade took the posi-
ton as the presiding officer. Precious old war
kOrse, he always reminds me, on these occasions,
d an elephant on slack wire. And the counting
Proceeded. II went on smoothly and quietly,
tntl the vote Of Louisiana was reached, when
tr. Mullins arose. The rising of Mullins iE that
Egantic punch of listening humanity, on
hat solemn occasion, actually had the eject OF
Ia electric shock on the assembly. Think of the
kinister at a funeral breaking out in comic
Sbng Imagine anything grotesque, absurd, I'M
POSSIBLE, and you have the grizzly form of the
kratorlcal son OF thunder. from Tennessee, rising
b object on this occasion.
l Senator Wade accepted the objections of tn
nratorical Mullins, and was about 10 haul OIL the
Nbg-bank for elaboration, when ii was suggested
klat the objection, TO be such, must carry In Il
kDme reason and be reduced TO writing. The pre-
fding officer caught at this, and immediately de-
Sided that your objection, 10 be good, must have
food reasons. look you; and must, moreover, be
b hsndwrite-of clear, legible writing, too. II
tas thought that oratorical Mullins was dumb
bundered and brought TO naught, for he does not
1bound in reasons, and his writing is OF the slow
Est but at it went Mullins, sitting down very like
folon Single, as done by John Z. Owens. He
kulled out sheet Of fo0lscsp, took good look at
Ihe nib of his pen and then fell to work. With his
head slightly set 10 one side and his face close TO
The sheet, he worked bis fingers, his hand, his
krm, his entire body, while putting these reasons
10 paper. In the meantime he was surrounded by
members, anxious to avert the coming storm, who
fried moral suasion on him. "Don't do il, Null
!ns.n 'Don't make q id fool of yourself"
ILet the Internal thing slide, Null; it don't Affect
The result" were the pet phrases poured into the
Ears OF the eloquent Mullins-but all in vain. He
was going to have his objection in good set
phrase, or die. At last the paper was handed
up, and found to contain as much reason as b is
previously uttered objection; and then he asked
permission to make 8 remark. All, how we did
wish Mullins could be heardl We did not know
what was in store for Us and when the presiding
officer decided that our Mullins could not be
heard, we settled back into state Of profound
dullness and despair.
The senatorial fog bank filed out to consider
Mullinss objection, and fled in to announce the
decision. Mullins went down and disappeared
and the count went on until it hit Georgia then
up rose the Hon. Benjamin B., called by some
prejudiced people e the beast" and made his OBJ
jeciion. That other Benjamin, called Wade the
war horse, looked at Ben. " the beast" with a
siugularly suggestive expression. and Ben. the B.
brought his off eye to bear on Ben. the war-horse
and feeling went through the crowded assembly
that war was Observation-Disclosures had com
menced and hide was going to be on the fence
in remarkably short space OF time. Butsour
Ben. made a false move TO begin with. The
House and Senate, by joint resolution, had set
tied the case Of Georgia, and our Ben. had 1t il
his power TO rule out the objections. But he die
not. He let the lion in and after some spsrrinr
hauled off the fog bank to consider an objection
that could not rightfully be made. The dignitieC
senators cut rather sorry figure as they marched
out. Their manners showed that they had beer
put on. IL IL something of a march from the hal
Of the House TO the Senate chamber, and, wher
done at a funeral pace. takes some time. The
farther il went, the more 1t reflected, and the
Inadder it got mad. Had the chamber been two
feet further, believe Ben, the vice president
I'D interim, would have been violently assaulted
in his senatorial rear by his indignant and dis
gusted associates. The Senate rebuked Benjamin
by calling his attention to joint rule that settled
the question.
And the House, on the other hand, decided by
q large majority 10 refuse the vote of Georgia
Here was q beautiful opening for a row and wher
the Senate returned, the bullies went in. First We
had duet by the two Bens. with running accom-
pani1nent Of laughter and applause from the flool
and galleries. Then by twos, and threes and by
dozens the members went in.
have seen some dsorderly assemblies in my
time, but this exceeded anything ever witnessed
before. The crowds on the floor and galleries
laughed, shouted and spplauded. The members
risipg to their feet, swung their arms and vocifer
ated; at intervals you cen hear the cries, Nc
tyranny" "damn ZEN, put 'em out,D "order, >
ORDER" odd interlopers." etc. l kept my
eye ON Mullins. l expected Mullins 70 seize thi.
noble occasion, this opening, for Mullins mani
feststion. wanted him TO seize the speaker.
mace and knock the Ohio Ben. down, and ther
with loud yells go in on bis muscle, and knock
right and left. But am panied to say the immor.
tai Mullins disappointed me. He made noise, II
is true, but 1t was feeble noise, unworthy Nal.
lins am ashamed Of Mullins. / turn nv back
on him.
All this time the Ohio Ben. swung his m alIet and
cried order, and Massachusetts Ben. swung hi
arm and Moderated disorder, and the count wen,
on 10 a conclusion, and the fog-bank gathered IL
self up, with its dignity considerably damaged and
swept back to its solemn chamber, and then ths
winds OF the Cave began to blow. And 40 ended
this legislative farce. But can't forgive Mullins