The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-09
FUN AT THE FINISH.
Scenes in Legislative Halls After
Midnight.
soLons As SPORTY BOYS.
singing and Dancing and All Kinds Of
Msrriment-A RIB Cracking joke
Tournament.

Msrriment-A Rlb-Cracking joke
Tournament.
oL1NPrA, March g. Especial r. The
steamer Bailey Gatzert bore away from
Olympia this morning majority OF mem
bers of the Legislature, with their wives,
their goods and chattels, and with pleasant
recollections of two eventful months spent
in Olympia. The session has on the whole
been more interesting and exciting than
any other ever held in Washington within
the present generation. The senatorial
election, with its three weeks bitter can
vas, the sensational Metcalfe expose, and
its train Of disturbing consequences, cui-
minating in the abortive attempt TO expei
the bribe-exposer, and the thrilling scene
on the first night of the Sachs trial and the
highly interesting sessions of the joint
convention in hearing testimony, all
deserve places in history. No member can
be sorry that he witnessed all these things
and few will have cause to regret that they
participated in them.
The proceeding Of yesterday and last
night marked an unusual termination to
an unusual session. Work had, for various
reasons, accumulated on the calendars Of
both houses SO greatly that the necessity
OF an extra session to dispose of legislation
essential to the welfare of the state seemed
imperative. The governor was many
times and by many persons importuned to
call an extra session, but he gave out no
hope that he would; and. therefore, during
the last two or three days. prod1gi0us
amount of business was disposed Of The
Sachs trial having been concluded Thurs
day, both houses devoted themselves
strictly to their work for three days. The
last day opened without action having
been taken upon great many important
measures; but the work was attacked with
earnestness, and it was not until u
o'clock last night that either body
thought of stopping. Scenes in both
houses were of Undesirable, confusion
every member being ensrossed in some
particular business of his own, and gener-
ally paying but little attention to anybody
else's business. Debates were meager and
uninteresting, for nobody would suffer
long speech on any question. In. conse-
quence, the long appropriation bill, upon
which public economists, Democratic and
Republican, depend for political capital,
escaped the usual attacks, and was acted
upon in both houses before the noon hour
arrived.
Under provision of the constitution,
all bills as passed shall be signed by the
speaker or president in open session, and
the legislature cannot therefore adjourn
until all bills have been enrolled and
signed. Accordingly, there is a necessary
hiatus between suspension of regular bust
ness and adjournment, caused by waiting
on the enrolling committees. The Senate
stopped regular work at IL o'clock. Then
the fun began. The Senate resolved itself
into committee of the whole with levity in
the chair, 'for good of the ORDER" and en-
tertained and passed upon all sorts of n
~ i<SVo l,xks> ~o<s -
addresses. Many laws of amazing scope
and inteqt were enacted, and the mirth Of
the reverend senators, so long restrained
by consideration of weighty matters, was
given full vent. Senator Claypool was
elected chair master, and with the able
assistance Of Senator G: T. Thompson of
Walla Walla (who .prides himself in hav-
ing during his legislative career introduced
but one bill and having beaten many, led
in some very respectable singing. Sena-
tors joined in the choruses with hearty
good will. General Ross G. O'Brien was
spied in the audience and was unani-
m Sor . , ,ns h the ga s ss Of xia the
other pleasant and laughable things were
done to while away the waiting time, and
the acting governor himself condescended
to lay aside his dignity and watch proceed
ings for few minutes.
In the House, the time for fun did not
sion of regular business, Representative
Plummer Immediately asked and was
granted unanimous consent to introduce
the following bill:
House bill 3,0o7-By one who has been thar.
An act for our mutual protection and profit
Be it enacted by the never to meet again legis-
lature OF the greatest Star in the Galaxy:
Section /. That it shall be unlawful for any
any member Of this body as to the why. where
fore, when or how he voted for, voted against,
refused to vote or lodged vote upon any bill,
be- SAID to
to have been, before this body.
Sec. =. The penalty for violation of this act
deem proper to be INFLICTED, and upon the Tact fact
being established no plea OF extenuating cir
cumstances shall be allowed. but the court shall
and in all cases tax sufficient costs to iquidate
eSec. 3: Whereas, many Of the members of this
body will be separated from their homes and
kind goes into effect Immediately; therefore, an
emergency exists that can be met in no other
way than by this game of buster and dire
such unseemly conduct 40 described In section
of this act; therefore, this act shall 90 into effect
when read = whether it passes OF not and we all
The bin was passed unanimously, and it
was followed by a food of similar bills, pc
titions, resolutions, circumstances and
motions, among which was the following:
Be Z enacted By legislature q Washington:
SECTION l. That 1t shall be lawful to open
Jackpot with pair OF tens in Port Townsend.
This sort of thing was kept mp for some
time and then Representative Meany
started song, and singing was INDUCED
in for a good while. Proceedings were fire.
quently interrupted by the call of the ser
geant-at-arms:
"Mr. Speaker, message from the Sem
ate"
And Secretary Barton would walk down
the corridor with a lot of enrolled bills
under his arm, to turn them over to the
speaker, making the usual official an
nouncement. Of course the House sus-
pended the horse play whenever the secre-
tary appeared. and resumed when he left.
The next time Major Barton appears ed
he brought the following:
/ am requested unoficially to announce that
the members OF the senate are singing:
Iwish the clerks would do their turn.
I'd like to see the Senate adjourn,
Goodbye. my lover, goodbye
Senator Van Houten and Hon. George Piper
are dancing iigs for the gate money and Thomas
Henderson Boyd is counting receipts of the
Parkinson lectures in advance.
And SO the fun went on; but it had an
end. as all things have, and it came when
the last bill had been enrolled and duly
signed, the governor had been notified
that the legislature was ready to adjourn
and the journal of the day considered,
read and approved. Adjournment took
place at $50 a. M, and the second state
legislature passed into history.
His Ashes Consigned to the Ohio.