It had yet to be signed by the Speaker; and it had to be signed before
the close of the session or it could not become a law. I heard rumours
that some anti-corporation bills were going to be "lost" by the Chief
Clerk, so that they might not be signed; and I kept my eye on him. He
was a fat-faced, stupid-looking, flabby creature--by name D. H.
Dickason--who did not appear capable of doing anything very daring. I
saw the chairman of the Enrolling Committee place our bill on
Dickason's desk, among those waiting for the Speaker's signature;
and--while the House was busy--I withdrew it from the pile and placed
it to one side, conspicuously, so that I could see it from a distance.
When the time came for signing--sure enough! the Clerk was missing, and
some bills were missing with him. The House was crowded--floor and
galleries--and the whole place went into an uproar at once. Nobody
seemed to know which bills were gone; every member who had an
anti-corporation bill thought it was his that had been stolen; and they
all together broke out into denunciations of the Speaker, the Clerk,
and everybody else whom they thought concerned in the outrage.
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