Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-06-28


Nothing that can be said or written
can do full justice to the folly of these
crazy all-night sessions. No one can
understand, unless a spectator, the reck-
less disregard of even the usual form of
decency After midnight there was no
business transacted beyond the passage
of the sundry civil bill. Two recesses
were taken between midnight and seven
in the morning, the hour of final ad-
journment During the first recess the
pages mounted the desks and joined in
with the members in singing songs, and
the galleries joined in the chorus To-
ward the last everything became flabby
and dispirited There was not a quorum
present when the adjournment came.
Upon the reassembling of the House
at B A. NJ, Mr.. Springer, under the di-
rection of the Speaker, took the chair
to carry out the programme previously
agreed upon, viz: TO recognize mem
bers on the Speakers list. This turb-
ulent crowd of members objected to and
began to hinder the carrying out of the
order by creating confusion and disor-
der. The circus began in earnest as
soon as the chair announced his purpose
to carry out the programme. Mr.. ely
mer tried to be recognized, but Springer
refused to recognize only those who
were down on it. This caused sharp
words between the chair and Mr.. ely
mer Other members took it up, and
for fully an hour nothing in the way of
business was done. Springer pounded
the desk with the gavel all the while,
but without avail. The hole in the desk
which had been made by the Speaker
some days ago, while using the gavel in
rapping the House to order, was still
further splintered by the vigorous and
repeated pounds which Springer admin
istered He called upon the Sergeant
alarms to assist him in maintaining Or
der, which order was responded to
promptly, but the effort only served to
make the matter worse. The Sergeant
alarms and his mace were new objects
to laugh at. Turner, of Kentucky, who
IS an odd sort of genius, seeing the Ser
geant-at- Arms coming up the aisle to-
ward him, turned like a flash and darted
up the aisle to his seat, with the Ser
geant-at Arms close at his heels. This
made laugh that lasted several min~
utes. The Sergeant,at-Arm seemed to
enjoy the fun as much as any of the
members, and contributed all he could
himself to create it. Later in the night
he espied Butler making some noise
and took after him. whereupon Butler,
seized with the feeling of humor which
prevailed, purposely provoked shouts of
laughter by retreating in a most gro
tesque manner up the aisle and into one
OF the cloak-rooms.
In the midst of all this turmoil, in
which several attempts to transact bust
ness were made aud failed, message
from the Senate was received ANNOUNCE
ing the passage of another resolution
extending the time of adjournment to
the hour of 5, the sundry civil bill not
yet having been enrolled. 1t was evil
dent that no business could be transact
ed in the House, so shortly after this
Clymer was recognized, and the House
the recess the members whose stimu-
lants began to have Supplying effect,
lounged languidly about and slept on
sofas or in their seats, so that when the
House reassembled they were somewhat
quoted down. Ben Butler created some
merriment by Offering motion directing
the clerk to purchase the Speaker a
new gavel to replace the one which he
said had been worn out by the Speakers
frultless attempts to preserve order.
Mr.. Randall, who afterward came in,
did not like the word ''fruitless," but it
remained in the resolution, which was
declared passed by tho Speaker pro tom
pore (Mr Springer), At this juncture
the hour Of adjournment was again ex-
tended to Z o'clock.
After this an attemnt was made to
pass the bill equalizing soldiers pen
sions, but this failed. The bill had been
sent to the clerk desk to be read, but
the Speaker suggested that the clerks
were very tired and could not proceed
with the reading. Cox, who was feeling
very funny, thought he would attempt
to assist them, but it was signal fail
ure. Members twitted him so much by
calling him to speak louder, and caused
so much noise at his expense that he
was forced to take his seat Again the
During this recess many members re-
Clrcu Ifoih Tue Hall, some going 10 the
committee-rOoms and some elsewhere,
to obtain if possible a brief slumber.
Before the hour for again assembling
arrived, the House came together with
Speaker Randall in the chair.
The closing scenes were not charac-
terized by anything unusually exciting
At fifteen miutes to MIR. Rainey, a
colored member from the Committee on
Enrolled Bills, rushed into the hall with
a huge bundle of manuscript in parch-
ment, and painting, and excitingly hand
ed it to the Speaker What it was need
ed no announcement, and the House
cheered vociferously The Speaker
grasped the hand of Mr.. Rainey and
shook it vigorously for minute, and
the House applauded the act. 1t was
the sundry civil bill, the enrolment of
which had just been completed Quick
as thought the Speaker handed it to the
clerk, who read it by it's title and as
quickly handed it back to the Speaker.
In five minutes after that time the an
nouncement was made that it had been
signed by the President of the Senate
and approved by the President.