Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-03-09

CLOSING SCENES OF THE LONG CONTEsT-TRE-
MENDOUs EXCITEMENT AND DISORDER IN
THE HOUSE

the law and order men against the revolu
tionists was the appearance on Wednesda.
OF Fernando Wood as the leader of tn
Democratic opposition to the revolutionar'
movement. position which ho maintained
until the close. 1t was curious exigenc,
which would allow Fernando Wood to &C
as the practical leader Of the Republicans
For the first two or three hours they wer,
restivo under it, till the moderate mer
to whom success was moro important thar
the qualification of prejudice, counselled tht
more hOt-headed Republicans to follow
Woods lead, and he led them then to tht
point he promised, to the separation of the
joint convention at Vermont. The strength
oi the filibusters on the first motion for q
recess was %, the motion being rejected by
92 yeas to 10 nays. Mr.. Wood finally
proposed that by unanimous consent the
Count should 20 on until Vermont was
reached, when recess should be taken
until ten O'Clock Thursday. This was
agreed to.
| The House assembled at the hour and Mr..
| Wood moved to proceed with the count.
Two hours were consumed in flibustering
roll calls.
~ - " SiOCh tuC cpCdhCI khNtl ltll anu
| he announced that he ruled that new
legislative day had begun, and directed the
chaplain to offer prayer. The anarchists in
their last dying struggle were thus allowed
the benef. of clergy.
Directly after the Chaplain's PRAYER the
"Obstructionists' insisted that the Journal
should be read, and when the roll calls were
reached they demanded that the long lists
OF names should be read. This would have
required hours. The Republicans moved
to dispense with the further reading of the
journal. If the nti-obstructionists were
defeated by two-thirds on this motion, their
final defeat was certain. The vote on the
motion to dispense with the further reading
of the journal was carried-ayes, lis !;
nays. s5, FIVE more than the necessary two
thirds.
Mr.. Caulfeld, after this defeat of the
flibusters, insisted on his resolution that
the President OF the Senate should open the
alleged duplicate from Vermont
Gov. Hendee informed Caulfield that the
Clerk OF the Vermont District Court was a
Democrat, and that the leader of the Dem
ocratic party (Hewitt) had kept the
Aldrich package too long to permit it to be
received bv the President of the Senate.
Fernando Wood pressed his point of
order that the House must Immediately
proceed to consider the objection to Yer
mont.
Mr.. Hooker, of Mississippi, insisted that
there were dual returns, and that the
Vermont case must go 20 the Electoral
Commission.
Mr.. Reagan, of Texas, ex-Postmaster
General Of the COniederacy, maintained
that there was no preteDce that the alleged
Ham ftnr ratt ErA, Ia
and that even if the whole affair was not
fraudulent, the Democracy of Vermont had
been derelict in springing such question
at this late hour. They could not command
the respect OF the Democracy or of the
country. Reagan argued that the motion
OF his associates was practical attempt to
reopen the count, and was revolutionary.
lie insisted that the count should proceed
After further discussion the Speaker said ::
"With the highest respect for all parties
concerned, the chair considers that great
mistake and wrong was committed ycster-
day in joint session of the two Houses in
this, that the presiding officer refused to re-
ceive or even open for reading for informa-
tion package which had all the surround
ings OF an authentic paper in respect to an
Electoral vote of Vermont. Yet the chair
does not think that in any aspect of this
case he would be called upon to rule that
the action of the pre-, iding officer of the
Joint Convention yesterday was wrong. He
does not think be possesses the power, nor
docs he believe .iat the action OF tho Joint
Convention can be reviewed in this House
in the manner proposed"
The resolution of the anarchists that the
Aldrich package from Vermont should be
opened before the count proceed was re-
newedlv pressed.
Mr.. Wood moved that the count proceed.
At 1:30 Speaker Randall summarily dis
posed of the tangle by bringing down his
gavel with ringing thud, and declaring
that the two hours debate upon the Yer
mont objection under the law had begun.
and that he should commence to count the
time. Great excitement followed. There
were loud appeals from the decision of the
Speaker, but he remained firm in his ruling
Pandemonium followed. Mr.. Beebe, Of
New York, stood upon desk and denounc-
cd the Speaker for violating the COnstitu-
Springer, Caulfeld and other revolution
lists, who drowned all voices with their hoot-
ing, and demanded that the Speaker should
obey the will of ninety rioters.
John Young Brown. of Kentucky. called
for Beebe's arrest, saying he would do it
himself if the Sergeant alarms did not.
Members yelling at tho top of their voices
demanded the expulsion of tine big lobby
that was crowding the cloak rooms and
floor, encouraging on the Democratic revo-
luti0nists to further disturbances.
a riot was imminent, the two wings OF
the Democracy hingIng opprobious epithets
at each other and at the Speaker-Fernando
Wood. s. s. Cox and Willis leading the de-
cent Democrats. and Springer, Caulfield and
Beebe the Tidcn wing.
The Republicans all the while were calm
lockers on, and did not take part in the
riot.
Mr.. Randall finally made himself heard
above tho din, and reminded members that
they were members Of the American Con-
grcss, and directed tho Sergeant-at-Arms
to clear the lobby behind the members
desks and to seat refractory members. Tho
Arms, with his elevated mace,
then marched up and down the uisles
quelling the turbulence.
The scene was probably never rivaled in
the American Congress. The anarchists
denounced the Speaker as traitor and
usurpcr. Speaker Randall maintained the
utmost dignity in the face of the tremen-
ious pressure made BY the members of his
own party.
During the progress of this violent scene,
John Young Brown OF Kentucky and other
Southern members, rose and denounced
the Democratic revolutionists in the bitter
est terms. There was danger at any mo-
ment of personal encounter between hot
bloOded Southern men.
The debate proceeding. Mr.. Hewitt ex
planned the Endorsement upon the bogus
package pretending to be the Electoral
vote OF Vermont. 1t was addressed to the
President of the Senate and claimed to be
the Electoral vote. Mr.. Hewitt received
his copy in December and supposed the
President of tho Senate had received one
duplicate by mail. lie knew that the coun-
sci before the Electoral Commission had
supposed there were duplicate returns from
Vermont.
The President Of the Senate said yester-
day that he had received no such package
by mail and bad declined to take it from
Mr.. Hewitt on the ground that it was too
late under the law Mr.. Hewitt said the
Secretary of the Senate carried the package
away last night from the meeting OF the
joint convention.
Mr.. KasOn, of Iowa, said the Secretary OF
the Senate al the direction of the Vice-Prcsl-
dent took the package and left 1t on the
clerks desk in the House. the paper was now
in the House in the custody OF Il person he
would not name. The implication was that
one of the anarchists had obtained posses
sion of it and was trying to show that it
had been taken by Mr.. Ferry.
At 2:30 a page of the House approached
Mr.. Hewitt ani presented to him the pack
age. Mr.. Hewitt Immediately interrupted
Mr.. Terry, OF Virginia, who was speaking.
stating that the package was in the House.
but he did not know how it came there.
Mr.. Garfield said there il no p-etence or
claim that under any law the President OF
the Senate ought to receive paper under
such circumstances. There il no signature
on the back of tho paper authenticating 1t.
For aught that We know it il another mock
certificate. II anybody has been deceived
by the prctence that We ought to have II
paper opened in this House, coming in such
II roundabout, unauthorized way, let all
such pretenccs he cleared away, and let
them vote with knowledge OF the fact
that vote for tho resolution Is simply II
vote to prevent a count and to bring W into