Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1913-01-20
VIOLENT RIO "
IN WYOMING
HOUSE:
CLASH IN AUTHORITY AS SPEAKER
GRABS GAvEL AND ::SPEAKER.PR0-
TEN CHAIR AND PAPER WEIGHT.
REPRESENTATIVE IS
KICKED IN THE STOMACH
DRAMATIS PERSONAL.

house, who is left only gavel.
w. j. Wood, democrat from Crook
county, who wrestIes from the speak
e. his throne and paper weight.
F. C. Hunter, republican, who is cal
led to the chair.
Chaplain Davidson who holds COM
batants as they "clinch.'
Representative Sproul. who is SO
"cIose" to Pratt he is kicked in the
stomach.
Judge Metz, peace envoy.
Representative Sullivan, also
peace envoy.
The scene-Lower house of the
Wyoming legislature at Cheyenne.
The Time-Today
The entire play is enacted in less
than an hour.
Cheyenne, Wyo., Jan. 20.-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
protein W. J. Wood, throw the lower
house of the Wyoming legislature in
tc hopeless confusion just before
noon today Absolutely no parliament
ary order prevailed and the scene was
oily ended by agreement among the
members on the floor when cool head
ed leaders of either faction announced
nj fn lot
Just as they were until o'clock this
afternoon Both tPratt and Wood
claimed authority 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
trouble was the attempt of Speaker
Pratt to call to the chair f. c. Hunter,
CT Carbon county An appeal from the
speakers ruling upon the offer OF
substitute committees by the demo
Gratis for those he had submitted, and
in which he himself held the balance
OF power upon the two committees,
rules and elections.
HUNTER IN THE CHAIR.
Hunter took the chair and Pratt
went to Hunters seat on the floor.
Judge Metz, democrat, arose and de-
clared that the speaker could not
designate any other than the speaker
protein to take the chair and called
upon Representative w. J. Wood, of
Crook county, speaker protein, and a
democrat, 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-
! ly 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. Hay.
ing the prestige of the speakers chair
and using paper weight for a gavel
Speaker protein Wood shouted to the
sergeant at arms to close the doors
and allow no one to leave. He then
called for roll on the appeal motion
Standing over the chief clerk, gavel
il hand Pratt forbade the calling of
the roll
, ANOTHER CLIMAX.
Another climax followed in ten
minutes after the first violence be-
tween the speaker and speaker pro-
TEN, when with several hackers on
either side. they grappled and Pratt
attempted to get his own chair in
place of the clerks chair he had ap
propriated for the time being. At
tempting to interfere, Representative
Sproul who has heretofore been clos
er TO Pratt in counsel than any other
democrat, was kicked violently in the
stomach by the speaker Further VIC
lence was then averted but fully a
score of the house members were
standing closely around the speakers
desk.
Again Pratt declared the house ad
journed and stated he had a right
+, under fhe statute, to call anyone tc
the chair he chose Wood maintained
his seat and the sergeant at arms OBJ
eying his instructions, had refused te
lei out any of the members.
4 Judge Metz, who had not taken any
part in the violence around the speak
eI's chair, whose motion had beer
the occasion of it, conferred with Rep
resentative Sullivan, of the republi
cans, and on behalf of both faction:
an agreement was finally made to ad
journ with all motions pending as they
were at that time until o'clock thi.
afternoon
HOUSE ADJoURNs.
On convening at 2 o'clock, the
house was called to order by Speaker
Pratt. A motion was at once made
to adjourn until tomorrow morning
and was carried without protest This
leaves the situation with reference t,
the confirmation of Pratt's committees
still unsettled.