The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-04-15
TUESDAY, APRIL Is, 1873
picture of a Legislative Mob.


II there Is one legislative body IN thls
country which least deserves the title 1t
claims, 1t Is the Pennsylvania Legislature
which has Jus. adjourned, twas elect
ed like the West Virginia Legislature,
with great flourish Of reform, and 1t has
ius, gone home as ours has, with the unan'
lmous wish Of all who love good govern
mcnt that it might stay there. The clos
Ing scenes of tho lower house were espe'
cislly characteristic oil the venal and ruff
Aanly spirit which prevailed throu Ehout
the late session. The diSorderly mob
pelted the Speaker with books and
papers, driving him from the chair, howl
ed and cheersd like madmen, made the
hall uncomfortable for respectable
people. and very Hptly wound up
their orgies by playing q bur-
leRque Of reform. Ono Of the last acts
in the screaming farce in the House was to
pass resolution inviting Colonel Mcclure
to deliver them a lecture on reform.
This joke was received with immense ap'
plause by the troupe, and they sent q
committee to the Senate to escort the vic.
tim TO them. To their establishment
Colonel Mcclure accepted their invitation,
and was followed by the whole Senate to
the House. &c took the Speakers stand
without hesitation, and extemporized q
lecture which that legislative rAbble will
not soon forget, and which the crowd as
sembled in the galleries received with the
utmost satisfaction.
~ know Of no other body oil men,
said Colonel Mcclure, "either Of the pres
ent or past, thst-needs instruction ON the
necessity OF both public and private mo
rali,v 50 much as the House Of Represen.
tatives Of this State now before me laugh.
teri, or that has 80 broadly and deeply
experimented IN the line OF individual
and official PR fg4cy. Laughter and
applause am not surprised, however,
that il Is 70 when consider that OF The
members serving in this House from my
immediate locality, many were not even
nominated, aud lew, II any, were ever
elect d. Shouts Of laughter l sent
YOU reIOGm bills, which cost me many
days Of anxious thought and labor to
perfect, but you danced not when piped
10 YOU, neither did you weep responsive
to my mourning over the degeneracy Of
the body polite"
And further along he continued:
"Slost Of you, who have for three
months been serving in the places 10
which other persons were elected by the
people, have discounted the retributive
wave Of popular reprObatiOn by creating
offices by legislative enUctments to which
you hops to retire; and those unprOVided
for hope 10 be placed on The indefinite
pay roll of the pastors and folders Of the
House, in accordance with the prevalent
custom here 10 pension deCHyed states
men. Shouts Of laughter That you
seek liberal counSels to have good set
sown in the chaos oil virtue that surrounds
you is u hopeful sign OF the times, and II
you do not cheat us more than thirty
thousand in Philadelphia next fall, the
places that know you now will know
most of you no more forever. Laughter
But l turn to the faint silver lining
on the deep cloud Of your record. One
act Of this house gladdcned the hearts OF
the whole people Of the State, and rein
spired hope throughout the length and
bleadth OF the commonwealth. lreter 10
your vote, in the midst Of disorder that
at Philadelphia fire would be called a
riot, on Monday evening last, fixing an
early day for your final adjournment
daughter and applause have heard
Of no citizen Of the State who did not
heartily approve OF that act. Laughter ]
l am happy to point to 1t as The oasis III
the withefed desert that you have made
about you, and to accord you credit Tor II.
Hoping, gentlemen-if | may be pardoned
the use OF the term pAughter that the
length Of your official lives may CORES.
pond with the measure Of your virtues,
and that you will be succeeded by better
men than yourselves, l bid you good
night"