The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-02-16

order for Wednesday of next week,
at three o'clock. The majority of
the committee Republicans, as we
understand it, had consented to this
arrangement at the request of the
Democratic members, wishing to
give them ample time to study the
merits of the case fully. And here
is where their consummate meanness
came in. Finding themselves in the
majority, two Republicans, Messrs.
Reach and Beavis, being temporari-
ly absent on a visit with some
friends to the Asy lum for Idiots, be-
tween three and four miles west of
he city, they thought it would be
an excellent opportunity to break
faith with the majority Of the com
mittee and postpone the consider
alton of the case until near the close
of the session. So Mr.. Putnam led
off in the high-handed, unprincipled
trick by moving that the reports be
postponed until the third Wednes-
day in March.
The Republican Senators, quickly
OWNED the little game of their Dem
ocratic colleagues, and charged those
of them belonging to the committee
on Privileges and Elections with a
willful violation of their word as gen
tlemen. They "hummed and hawed"
in reply, but failed wretchedly in
excusing themselves for the course
they had determined upon.
The fight progressed-sixteen
Democrats voting down fifteen Re-
publicans on every proposition or
motion. No amount of persuasion
was sufficient to induce fair play from
the party temporarily predominant.
They were so defiant as to challenge
admiration, and were "hellbent" on
pushing the minority to the wall, as
Democratic majorities are notorious
for doing. The Republicans saw
they could not get a compromise on
any conditions, however humble,
and began to feel alarmed. They
blasphehed Beach and Beavig for
being out of their seats at such
critical moment. 1t did not matter
so much with Beach, for he had
paired off W tn Schiff, who was pres
ent but not voting.
The Sergeant-at-Arms dispatched
a messenger boy with horse and
buggy over to the Asylum for the
Idiotic, telling him to drive as if he
was pursued by the devil and all his
blo0d-thirsty subjects. The boy
had not been gone five minutes be
fore tha5 rapacious little Democrat,
Hardesty, moved the previous ques-
tion. This was fetching the minor
ity to the ropes end rapidly and
without reserve. 1t cut off all de
bate, and of course there remained |
but little time to be killed. The |
minority did their best. however, to |
stave the main question off. While |
some were promenading the floor
and biting their lips in anger, 9th
ers were raising points of order and |
struggling in the 'last ditch" as her
oically as they could, considering
the overpOwering strength Of the |
enemy. On every motion the Chief
Clerk cunningly called the roll as
slowly as the bounds of property |
would permit, and the President was
not hasty about deciding points of
order. Just a little longer delay and |
one more vote were all that was
wanted. These were moments of
the dreadest suspense they have ex-
perieneed in years.
Meanwhile the Democrats were
crOwding things to the last notch,
showing no quarters to the minor
ity. Whenever a Republican would |
rise to his feet and address the Pres
ident, every devil on the opposite
side would spring to his pegs and |
cry him down, yelling "Questionw
Question: "call the rollr' and so |
forth. 1t was a perfect pandemon-
ium for about an hour.
= At last all hope seemed to be |
gone. The Republican members
had exhausted every privilege
known to parliamentary law. The |
nasty Democratic scheme was about |
consummated. The vote on the
question of fpostponing until the lat |
ter part of March was being taken. |
All chances other than to quietly |
submit were about to disappear.
But suddenly there whipped |
around the corner of High and |
Broad streets, at almost lightning |
speed, a horse and buggy bearing |
man and boy. They halted at the |
west front of Capital Square, and |
who should emerge but Senator |
Beavis! A Republican sentinel was
standing at the gate, and in loud |
and somewhat quivering tone of |
voice that made the Senator look |
aghast with fright, exclaimed: "For
God-Almighty's sake, Beavis, run |
like HI, or we are ruined!' Beavis
lit out with all his might his coat
tail assuming a parallel position
that, if padded, would have done
credit to a Grecian bend. At the
foot Of the steps Of the western ter
race stood another sentinel, who
multiplied Beavis's agony by scream
ing, run for life, Beavis, or they
will accomplish their helIish pur-
poser. This spurred the excited
Senator to link into it harder than
ever. He bounded into the Senate
Chamber just befo. e the last name on
the roll was called-to the highest
qualification of all his Republican
colleagues, who directed their eyes
toward the now willing, defeated
Democracy with an impression that
fairly uttered, "Now, dam you tram
pie upon us if you can" They
went ahead then and set the case
for next Wednesday, the Lieutenant
Governor throwing the deciding
vote,-State Journal, /