New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-09
BY ACCLAEATION.

The Bulletin insists, in spite Of the fea
son and possibility Of the case, that Mr.
Wilt was elected temporary Speaker by
acclanation, clerk and sergeant-at-arms
chosen in the same wild manner, and
: finally the c1owning outrage committed oil
seating five contestants by something as
nearly akin to the ''old rebel yell
as anything that has been heard
in legislative hall. The election
Of Mr.. Wilt as temporary Speaker,
though unauthorized by law or precedent.
| would have been matter of no moment
one way or the other, if it had been ac-
complished fairly and in accordance with
either Of the usual forms in such cases.
According to the best information there
were forty-nine Democrats in the House
beside Mr.. Wilt, whose names appeared
on the list in the possession of Chief
Clerk Nigers. There were ffty-one Re-
publcans present beside Mr.. Hahn. So
there must have been a resort to the tao
tics practiced at the polls in order to
make it appear that tho minority had out.
voted the majority. Acclamatiou did it.
By the employment Of this easy process
forty-nine loud-mouthed Democrats prob.
ably succeeded il making more noise
when asked to vote in the affirmative than
the ffty-one Republicans who would have
voted in the negative did. had they been
given an opportunity to vote at all.
The negative side OF the question was not |
put on the occasion Of either of the first
three votes given. The pretended admis-
sion Of the five contestants was done by
the forty-nine <Mr. Witt being in the
chair. in opposition to protests and OBJ
lections from the fifty-two. Up to this
point the Conservatives did not dare TO
call the roll Of members or permit divi-
sion by rising vote. But as soon as the
five contestants were admitted there was
sudden retu m to parliamentary virtue.
Upon the question of the election of
Speaker the roll was injudic1ously called.
Fifty-five men voted for Mr.. Wilt, which
showed the exact number-the original
fifty, added to the five which had been
in few minutes before by the
But they were so sure of their
majority they forgot themselves; and in a
manner characteristic of the Democracy,
committed the blunder of showing their
lakedness and poverty. Had Mr.. Vigers
'een permitted to call the yeas and nays Il
n Mr.. Bilious first motion, there would {
ave been no such farce as acclaiming in e
be five Democratic contestants. The y
uestion would have been fairly stated, v
nd every member given the chance to G.
xpress his will like a gentleman, and not p
ompelled to shrek it out at the top of ri
is voice like wild Indian. "
Voting by reclamation is process un- to
nown to parliamentary rules. At feast n
can not be permitted the acclaimers in al
e affirmative to vote and deny those in TT
70 negative the same privilege. And in b.
SEES where the voices are in the proper CO
IN OF forty nine to ffty-one it should be CO
emed by every impartial chairman close 81
ough to justify call for a division. la
lere is no doubt whatever that such tn
vision would have been ordered before err
well as after the five new members had th
en- elected, had there been as reasonable M
that the Conservatives were in wi
majority as there was that they were &c
{. The advent Of The new made mem. tin
s, however. removed that doubt, where
on the Conservatives attempted to take
vantage Of their own wrong doing, -.
lie the Republicans retired from the W
in body until they heard it had Tue
n turned over to the military, when VIC
y came back. confident thar they eoi
lid be safe. The subsequent ejectment ~e'
all intruders from the floor of the Vel
use left the Republicans masters Of the nei
alton, while the baffled Democrats w.
It off on their '.long strike" ool