The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-04-11
OBSTRUCTING LEGISLA'
TION.
HOW THE REPUBLICANS BOLTED
AND RETURNED-WHA CHkY
WANTED, AND HOW
THEY WERE
DEFEATED.
CampeIl Of Hancock Tries 20 Play
Paul On Mars Hiii. and
Brings mp I'm the
station House.
Reynolds Opens His Month and Puts
His Foot In IL.
"Shear a hog and milk a bull,
Great cry and little WOOL"

From the Courier, April Z.
A remarkable effort WAS made 10 the
House OF Delegates on Saturday, to de-
feat the ends of legislation. Takn g
advantage OF the absence Of many Dem
ocratlc mem bers, who had recently left
for their homes VI der the impression
that all matters of pressing Importance
would 90 through without trouble, the
Republicans attempted TO break the
quorum, and thus leave some impor
tant business unfin shed until after the
adjournment. Their immediate pur
pose Was TO de'eat the passage OF any
Road Law. good, bad or indifferent, and
thus leave the Democracy respon sIble
Tor having Hatured no legislation under
which the roads could be kept in order
This was their concerted purpose, in
! spired by paltry and discredltabie
partisan impulse, so small that decent
men could not provide against it because
they could not stoop to anticipate 1t,
aud vet 30 blind aud silly as 20 result
only in displaying its Own malice aud
defeating its own aim.
THE ROAD LAW
Which passed the House some time ago,
came back, with amendments, from the
Senate on Friday. On Friday night
! the House agreed to those amendments,
not because they were acceptable, but
because it was tnou.ht better to take it
for the present, and repair the laws dee
lects hereafter than to have no road law
at all, and in this view there WAS very
general concurrence. On Saturday,
when the House voted on the tina pas
sage OF the bill as amended, the vote
tell short OF the requisite Constitutional
majority; all the Republicans voting no,
and thereby asserting their preference
hat the Legislature should have no
road law at all rather than have one
which would answer present needs, and
be amended next winter. AS soon as
it was found that the minority would
not consent that the bill as it then stood
should pass, the Democrats, anxious to
meet the responsibility resting upon
them as legislators, proposed TO have
the bill put before a Committee OF Con"
terence, with view TO such cOmpro-
mise AS would make it acceptable, tor
the present at least, to all. For thlr
purpose 1t became necessary to recon-
slider the votes by which the bill had
iailed, and by which the Senate amend
menIs had been agreed to, 50 that the
House might decllre to agree, and
Committee OF Conference be had 10 re-
coucile existing direreL ces. Strange, a.
it may seem, the Republican minority
whose presence was necessary to make
up the quorum, resisted the p -oposal to
rec 1nsrder the agreement 10 the amend
ments as bitterly as they had opposed
the amendments themselves, showing
clearly that it was not legislation which
they desired, but party capital. They
interposed every possible dlIatory
motion, with view 10 defeating action
by the consumption OF valuable time.
When the question WAS put, shall the
agreement OF the Houee to the Senate
amendments be recon5lderet 2 they
had the hardihood TO insist that this
single proposition should be so euhdlvl-
ded as 10 admit OF a separate vote on
each one OF twenty-elgnt amendments,
which, with the filihusterlng motions
they would have added, would have
consumed the entire afternoon aud eve
nirg. This preposterous demand was
rulei out Of order, and then the Illus
triousRepublican patriots, atfronted be
cause they could not obstruct the legs
lalion Of State in order to manuisc-
ture little political claptrap, rose up
in their wrath and solemnly s;slke
Out OF the Hall, thus breaking the
Quorum. This WAS sublime strategy,
and promised to work well. When tue
chair ANNOUNCED that there was no quo
rum voting, the big-beaded boilers
smiled" 10 their retirement in the COM
mittee room; Campbe !, OF Hancock,
dlscouuting the orator cal abundance
OF which passing events would be pro-
ductive, writhed iu the throes of pre-
mature parturltion; Reynolds. looking
forward TO the proud days when the
school houses OF Ms-on, should re.
sound with this days doin's, warmed
with the sight into the iervor Of rip
roarous Rob Roy, his foot upon me
native heath, his name McGregor
Snider, 0, Monongslia, lifted his head
to catch the well remembered scents
of political flesh pots, which seemed
borne upon The passing breeze, aud the
venerable Price stood enrsFtured with
the opening prospect, klndled with lhs
glow OF polt Cal trsn.fsuration. hi:
brow bright with the halo Of assured
triumph and his lace placid with the
peace tha, pssseth understanding. i
il mournful to r, feet how prone peopi'
are,
ITO swallow gudgeons ere they IRE catch'd
And count their chickens ere tney'r'
hatched"
CALL OF THE HoUeE
Was NOV ed and ordered as soon a. /
, was manifest that no quorum was pres
. ent. On the first call the Republican,
. returned from the Committee room t
! their seats. and answered 10 their name
ALI but Csmpbell. OF Hancock, wh'
anpeared determined to do something
that should mark him for the reverend
: Of pos,erity as a victim Of Democratic
: oppression, pranced around in the lob
by, with mental and bodily aDgu!s'
/. written in every feature llke-veil, lik
a missionary on the spit q pal