When the election began on February 18, the assembly combined for 102 Republicans and a coalition of 102 supporting the Democrats, thus producing a stalemate.

On April 12, a Democratic representative died and a Republican candidate won the special election to replace him.

This angered Democrats, who tired of Morrison's lack of appeal and nominated Judge Lambert Tree in his place.

After three months, the last Republican holdout consented to follow the rest of his party, and Logan was elected with 103 of the 204 votes.

After the GOP ticket lost the general election to Democrats Grover Cleveland and Thomas A. Hendricks, Logan blamed disloyalty by supporters of President Chester A. Arthur's bid for the Republican nomination.

The meeting sought to determine the party's candidate for the US Senate seat currently held by Republican John A. Logan.

[5] State senator Lorenzo D. Whiting made the first speech supporting Logan as the Republican candidate.

This speech was followed by ones by former Governor of Illinois John Marshall Hamilton and district attorney James A.

[5] Illinois Democrats were relieved to hear that there were eight absences among the ranks of the Republicans at their nominating convention, although five expressed support for Logan within the day.

Thomas C. MacMillan did not attend and did not explicitly support Logan, but stated that he would "in no event" vote for a Democrat.

Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Elijah M. Haines, nominally an independent, presided over the session.

[8] The assembly aimed to hold an election on February 26, but the sudden death of Republican representative R. E. Logan (no relation) prompted a stall in the vote.

Republican William H. Weaver won the election the next month against Arthur Allen Leeper by 246 votes.

After three sessions of voting, Senator James W. Duncan announced that the Democrats wished to withdraw Morrison as a candidate.

When the roll reached a key swing-vote in Ruger, Democrats were dismayed that he enthusiastically cast his vote for Logan.

When the roll call moved on to the house, Democrats again kept silence as Republicans voted in turn for Logan.

Republicans cheered for the next ten minutes, then Logan gave an accepting speech and the meeting was adjourned.