Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-03-23

On March 18th, the last day of the
legislative session at Dover, it will be
remembered. while the houees were in
Joint assembly to ballot for United
States Senator, numerous motions to
separate, or to adjourn or TO take re-
cess, were defeated, and it will be re-
membered also that the final adjourn
ment of the joint assembly took place
by limitation when, Mt 3 o'clock, Presi-
dent Pro Tempore Salmon of the Senate
brought his garel down and declared
the body adjourned. On all the
motions referred to, yea and nay votes
we're taken. Under all the circum-
stances of that last exciting day, the
way member voted on such motions
has been considered of some signifi-
canoe; for instance, the Democrats
were presumably in favor Of separation,
in order to prevent the Republicans
from electing a Senator, and conse-
quently for Democrat to vote against
separation raised question, on some
of the ballots, as to why he SO voted.
To ascertain exactly how each legisla
tor voted in each ballot of that kind,
would, it is thought, furnish very in
teresting reading. But. unfortunately,
no official record is in existence Of how
tttth iublub6I I'LL foiG puNl >
such, at least, is the statement of Ben
jamin F. Sheppard, clerk Of the House
of Representatives, who kept no such
record himself, while Clerk G. W. Ken
ney of the Senate is in the same fix.
Mr.. Sheppard was seen at his resi-
dence, at Henry Clay, on the Brandy
wine, last evening, and was asked for
the record of the yea and nay votes on
the motions to separate. Mr.. Shep-
pard said that he had taken the totals
of those votes but not the way each
man voted.
1--WE did not get any record of how
the different members voted" he said,
because they were frivolous motions,
There were so many of these motions
and the yeas and nays were so quick
we did not know what to do. did
not look for anything of the kind. l
Just thought we would keep voting
away until the hour of adjournment.
my opinion is that they 1.-THE Demo-
crats) were little fearful that others
were coming over and it was done to
prevent any further balloting.' =
Had he expected SO many yea and
nay motions, he might have been ready
for them. According to his recollec-
tiun, the filibustering motions, as he
calls them, began after the third ballot
on which King voted for Addicks.
II said Wa ought to have the aye and
nay on these" related Mr.. Sheppard.
But some ono in the crowd around the
desk said: "You can't do that as you
have not the tally sheets. Mr.. Shep-
pard replied that the yea and nay
should be kept for the record. but he
was informed, or the impression was
given him, that it was not necessary to
have the names in detail, and that,
together with the short supply of tally
sheets. the difficulty of keeping the
that there were simply frivolous
being taken. From some former clerks
he had learned that it was not neces-
sary to keep the votes.
As to the shortness in the tally
sheets, Mr.. Sheppard explained that
the list Of members had been printed
on slips and the ballots for Senator
were taken on them. Members Of the
House and Senate asked for the ballot
sheets, and some were given to news
paper men, and finally the clerks ran
short, and had to write out the names
towards the end of the balloting. Had
they known SO many votes would be
taken they might have provided them
selves with more of the printed sheets
and could have taken the yeas and nays
on other motions on those sheets. Mr..
Sheppard said that there was such al
uproar that even when name was
called they could not tell whether the
man was voting or not.
Following are the totals Of the greater
number Of the motions now under dis
cussion, Mr.. Sheppard having writer
up his notes as far as the eleventh sen
atorial ballot when seen last evening: