, 1891-01-13
A RIOTOUS CLOSE
Lurid Ending to Wyoming's First
State Legislature.
Fraud Marks It's Final Session Sun
day Morning.
How the Apportionment Bill Was
Tempered With.
The Forgery Unearthed and Speed
lily Acknowledged.

9NAA R@ASNN-H "ANN a.
varying exactitude to ll:4O o'clo.k and at
the when the other ~timepieces
in the city indicated 3:l5 o'clock Sunday
morning the ap-portionment bill OF Senator
M~ondell-based upon the last United
States census-was called up for the third
time for consideration. 1t was known
this bill was being held over the heads OF
the members so that some of them might
be brought to time on other matters.
During the entire day neither house had
any extraordinary amount OF business to
perform and the evening session was a
series of r~ecesses in the hope that some.
thing might turn up. About this time it
began to be suspected that there was
method in Governor Barber's action in
withholding his nominations. Scarcely
any had been sent IN until the last night
Of the session and it was soon evident to
every observer that the object was
to work one house against the other.
1t was known that a desperate effort
would be made to Dass the apportionment
bill. To accomplish this design it was
necessary to make several trades. So
long as the nominations were held back a
certain leverage could be had of members
ofthe house which it was calculated was
sufficient to carry through the apportion-
ment bill.
When it was called up at fifteen minutes
past 3 O'Clock noses had been carefully
counted. The friends OF the bill we're sat
isied that they had enough of votes to
pass the bill. Baker d. of Converse
county at once asked If the bill was on its
second or third reading. The speaker at
once ruled that the bill having been made
the special order on one time previous
this was tlnta noun to its having been
read a second time.
Baker at once started in to enter a pro-
test and be did it in very vigorous Lam
guage. In the midst of his talk the pre-
vious question was called for. By this
time Brown d. of Sheridan was on his
feet and he and Baker continued to talk
at the same time amidst great confusion.
During this time the bill was being read
by the clerk. The IN the clerk had
finished reading Baker called for the en-
dorsements on the bill, which always
shows briefly the routine through which
it has passed and the stage it has then
reached.
The speaker, with apparent reluctance,
gave the order to Chief Clerk Bartlett.
That in iividual read through the endorse
ment in a low tone of voice. When he
got about half way through he apparently
turned hack as though he had forgotten
something, and then read: Jan. s. read
second time" When he had finished
Assistant Clerk Kleeman went through a
series Of contortions that made it evident
to close observers that he was suffering
from some mental ~tagture.
Even those on the floor of the house
who were not Int the secret were salts.
fed that some skullduggery was at the
bottom of the endorsement. While the
friends of the bill were satisfied they had
enough votes to pass the bill, they were
at the same time well assured they didn't
have enough to secure a suspension of the
rules. Everything therefore depended
upon whether or not the bill had been
read a second time. II it had not it would
require a suspension Of the rules to place
it on its final passage. To do
this would take % votes and II or is
were all the friends of the bill could possl-
bly, muster. If the bill was on third read.
ing, however, it could her go through in
its regular order and pass with the
strength OF those who favored it for one
reason or another. This will explain why
everything depended upon the endorse
ment.
Brown was on his feet in an instant.
"LIow much. he cried, did that man
get,' pointing to Chief Clerk Bartlett,
FOR placing a false endorsement on the
bll?" He then went on to say that be
had been chairman of the committee of
the whole when the bill bad been consid-
cred and he knew it had never been read
a second time. The endorsement was
false. An attempt had been made to
bride one mar on the floor, NJ. Startzell
of Carbon county. That man." he said,
pointing to Mr.. Bond OF Laramie county,
had offered to insert a clause IN the gen.
eral appropriation bill appropriating
IS, 900 for the Rawlins penitentiary if be
would vote for the apportionment bill A
grevious political mistake had been made
In the carly part of the session by the Lara
mic county delegation when they had the
billappropriating IS. OO0t to protect the walls
OF the RawlIns penitentiary indefinitely
postponed. They now wished to retrieve
themselves and at the expense OF a deal
which was little short of a steal. He
should think, he said, still pointing at
Bond, R., that that gentleman could
wish the earth could open SO that he
might find a hole in which to crawl his
infamy being thus uncovered to the gaze
OF all men.
Brown had scarcely touched his chair
until Baker was on his feet. A short
time before he had in behalf of the
house presented the speaker with a gavel
He made the speech because he then be-
lieved that the speaker had been impur
tial in his rulings but from evidence now
at hand it appears that he was not and he
(Baker) therefore wished to publicly with