Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-08-12

The spectacle Of the two Branches Of q mu-
legislature marching hilariously
Town street behind en- Italian band, at the
Iolemn hour Of $50 P. m, surrounded bY
IN army Of small boys and gazsd at BY 3
multitude Of awe-struck citizens,is not oft n
to the conservative denizens OF
our sleepy old town, and IS the echoes Of
Il USUALLY QUIET STREETS
we're awakened BY the sharp word Of com
mand from Councilman Tracy, or the high
injunctions to the band from Coun-
Gilman Realy to play up lively" msr'
chants and customers dropped bargaining
and ran to hedoors Of places of businesspe,
destrians stopped and came to a front on
the eurbstone, windows were filled by pso-
pie in the upper stories, and the scene IN
general became exciting in the extreme.
As to how this all came about we shall
proceed to relate:
No sooner had the word been passed
about, last week, that the Ark was to be
abandoned, than the question
was raised: Where shall the next session
of Council be heldH' Some members, led
BY President Sweeney, Of the Second
Branch, commended that the meeting should
be in
THE L CHAMBERS,
where q resolution woulihave to be adopted
setting forth the change in the seat OF gov
eminent and naming thenewplace OF meet
ing. Council could then adjourn to
the new City Hall, and all would
be regular sndl according to law. Other
gentlemen commended that, iussmuch as the
law on the subject only provided that sss
sious were to be held in the Council Cham
Der" no formal action naming q new locs'
ton for the City Hall, was needed. This
point was informally argued by members on
the street and elsewhere Saturday, Monday
and Yesterday, and it seems q majority
agreed that the meeting should convene IN
the north end of the Capitol, in the chambers
designated BY the committee on Real Estate
on Friday last. There, accordingly, the
members repaired last evening, the atten
dance being quite large in each Branch
About a quarter to eight q REGISTER re,
porter reached the north entrance to the
building. and as he assembled the steps a
confused roar as if of many voices blendei
in u~rroarious debate broke upon his ear
Pushing into the building the
CAUSE OF THE RIOT,
became apparent. All over the chambe'
of the Second Branch were gathered kGot>
of Councilmen and city officials, all talking
excitedly at once. The members had di
yided into two nearly equal factions, ant
the theme under discussion was: viii l.
be legal to organize the two Branches II
the new quarters? or, should we 60 to the
old building first, and then adjourn and re,
assemble here?' The gentleman who
believed in the FIRST named proposition were
led BY Mayor Grub and Mr.. Peterson, while
those who thought it best to meet first in the
old building were ehampioned by President
Sweeney and several others. The debate
very warm aud excited, and tint
By without anything tangible being
at. Finally Mr.. Hesly proposed, as
a means of getting at something, that the
Branches march to the old City Build
ing, call the roll there, pass a resolution de
the
SEAT OF GOvERNME y
to the new City Hall, and then ad-
iouru to resssemble in the temporary quar-
ters in the Capitol.
This was intended, as we have said, to
matters to a crisis, but it only made
the debate warmer and the confusion worse
COMPOUNDED. The two Branches overlooked
out into the main corridor, and then on to
the north steps and the stone sidewalk. Sew
tral members loudly contended that The two
Branches shSald go up street 10y all means
and do the adjoining IN regular way, it
being alleged that questions seriously affect
ing the city's interests might hereafter arise
in the court should this course not be pur
These arguments were eombatted BY
others as strong and SO the fight went Gu
Several gentlemen gave it out solid that
they were going up to the old building, or
ganizs a minority and send out the Sergeant
to arrest absentees, while others said they
would never, 10 never go ongauy such
sUPRENELY FOOLISH EXCURSION,
and hoped they might be e~ternslly blessed
if they ever saw such q display Of mulish
o~bstinacy and insane asylum wisdom.
After the lapse Of half or three quarters OF
an hour of this sort Of thing, a dozen or so
members of the Second Branch GO
together under the leadership Of President
Weeney and Messrs. Picket and Hsrrel
nd started of no Cnspline street, while a
quorum of the First Branch organized and
got 10 work at something or other. The
SEQ d Eranch proceeded on up to Twelfth
street, down that ~thoroughfsre to Market
and up to the abandoned Ark. Here il
as dark as q coal bank, all the gas
pipes and fixtures having been taken out
and IS the floors were Uttered with old stuff
Of all kinds, cast aside in the
work of demoli ion, the members seemed to
be quite backward about going inside,
Mr.. Tracy, in particular, declaring he would
stay out on the steps. Finally 8 REGISTER
struck a match, Clerk Bowers did
likewise, aud the molly procession filed
down the shaky old hall and into the cham
Der of the Second Branch. Other matches
we're struck, Mrs. Johnson appeared upon
the scene with q lamp like q veritable Angel
Of Light andt the voice ofPresident Sweeney,
rom q dark corner, was heard, calling the
assemblsge to order. The scene presented
WILD AND WEIRD ONE,
and it viii be many years before we may
look upon its like again. Clerk Bowers had
I~mproyised q desk upon a dirty and grimy
ledge, the President took his stand
lpon the spot where his desk had once
,tcod, seeming to be in imminent dread Of
disappearing through the dsngerous-looking
floor, and the members and reporters dis
posed themselves in q semi-circle about the
,oom, each man choosing the spot which
seemed to him, in the darkness, to
De safest. The roll was called
md from out the darkness the
iollowing members answered to their names;
Caldwell, Hsrrell, Picket, Hildreth
Tracy Crawford, j. B.; Crawford, Robert;
Mccoy, IClstor, Butts, Gillelsnd, Hesly
Stanley, Weir and Mr.. President-l5.
A Voice. move the reading Of the mir
ties be dispensed with.
This was carried, and
SEVERAL MATCHES OUT.
Mr.. Hesly-I offer the following resolu