Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1913-01-20
SPEAKER PRO TEN ATTEMPTS TO TAKE RENS
Then the Properly Elected Official Tries to Throw Him Out and
stCufs Come Into General SolOnS Are Kicked in the
Stomach and Knocked Down During the Ensuing Melee
AT Chaplains SUGGESTION Adjournment Is Taken
Until This Afternoon

Cheyenne, Wyo., Jan. 2O-Scenes
Of violence which lasted fully three
quarters of an hour and which includ-
ed two separate encounters between
Speaker Martin L. Pratt and Speaker
Pro Tenn w. J. Wood, threw the low
er house of the Wyoming legislature
into hopeless confusion Absolutely
no parliamentary order prevailed and
the scene was only ended by an agree.
ment among the members on the floor
when cool-headed leaders of either
faction announced an agreement to
let matters stand just as they were
until 2 o'clock this afternoon.
Both Pratt and Wood claimed au-
thority over the house, and, with
Wood sitting in the speakers chair
and Pratt welding the gavel, the
show of authority seemed about equal.
The immediate occasion of the trou-
bic was the attempt Of Speaker Pratt
to call to thesehair r G. Hunter re-
publican, Of ashon county An on
peal was mslde from the speakers
ruling upon the offer of substitute
committees by the democrats for those
he had submitted, and in which he
himself held the balance Of power up
on the two important committees,
rules and elections.
Hunter took the chair and Pratt
went to Hunters seat on the floor.
Judge Metz, democrat, arose and de-
elared that the speaker could not de-
signate any other than the speaker
pro tenn to take the chair and called
up Republican w. J. Wood, of Crook
county, speaker pro tenn and dem
ocrat, to preside This Wood pro-
ceeded to do and Hunter yielded the
chair to him
Thereupon Pratt started to resume
the chair himself. Wood sat staunch-
" in his place until Pratt, grasping
him by the shoulders with both hands,
threw him violently off the platform.
Wood struck on both hands and his
face, but promptly arose and rushed
back to the chair again. The men
grappled until Chaplain Davidson and
others on the platform held them
WELDING his gavel, which he had
gotten hold Of in the mix-up, Pratt
declared the house adjourned. Hav-
ing the prestige of the speakers chair
and using a paperweight for gavel,
Speaker Pro Tenn Wood shouted to
the sergeantat-arms to close the
doors and allow no one to leave. He
then called for roll call on the ap-
peal motion. Standing over the chief
clerk, gayel in hand, Pratt forbade
the calling Of the roll.
Another climax followed in ten min
utes after the first violence between
the speaker and speaker pro tenn
when. with several hackers on either
side. they grappled and Pratt attempt
ed to get his own chair in place OF
the clerks chair he had appropriated
for the time being
Attempting to interfere, Representa-
tive sproul, who has heretofore been
closer to Pratt in counsel than any
other democrat, was Kicked in the
stomach by the speaker. Further VIC
Ience was then avoided but fully
score Of house members were stand
ing closely around the speakers desk
Again Pratt declared the house ad
iourned and stated he had a right
under the statute, to call any one t'
the chair he chose Wood maintain
ed hts seat and the sergeantetarmi
obeylng Bis Instructions, had refused
to let out any Of the members. judge
Aielz who had MOI taken any part Il
lhe gloienee around ihe speakers
chair whose motion had been ihe Ga
eaalan # Il conferred VITA ReHeaan