The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-01-14
THE TWELFTH SESSION
Items and Incidents Noted by
our Special Correspondents.

/ NJ ttiC blhis Vi lfflt. DttftTWlSe HaiIeVl
regulators, r sed their hands to the mos
House of the Twelfth Legislative Assembi,
of Montana, were called to order by Chic
Clerks Comfy and Kanouse, who held oy 8
| from the Eleventh Assembly for this pur
pose, and aquorum In each body answered
| to the roll-call.
| In the Council there were present Morris
Aiken, Brown, Mitchell, Toole, Hundley
Kerley and Ford. Absent, Hayes, Hubbeil
| Cardwell and Worden. In the caucus helt
] before the meeting Mitchell had declined Il
| be candidate for President and nominated
Jos. X. Toole, of Helena, for President prt
TEN. The motion prevailed. Harry r. Com
ly, of Helena, was elected Chief Clerk
Thomas Harper, of Butte, Sergeant-at-AIms
Buck Dillon, of Helena, Watchman, and
Daniel Sweeney, bright little son of Ted
Sweeney, who was killed in Helena last year
Messenger pro tenn. ..-
the members heretofore published as elect.
ed. No permanent organization Of the
Council was effected to-day, the members
deeming it courteous to await the arrival OF
the absentees.
In the House all the members were pres.
ent except Blake, Gorlock, Kennerly and
Pardee. Donnelly, of Choteau, and Cullen,
of Helena, were nominated for Speaker pro
TEN and the former was elected. In the af-
ternoon permanent organization was effect
ed by electing Donnelly for Speaker, Rev.
w. s. Stiles, of Helena, Chaplain; j. L .Ka-
mouse, of Meagher, Chief Clerk j. w.
Kemper, Of Butte, Z. and E.. Clerk; ID. ii.
Lineberger, of jefferson, Sergeant-at-Arms
III. v. b. Gibson, Of Helena, Watchman, and
Leon LaCroix, of Helena, Messenger.
The two bodies are composed largely OF
"new " men, speaking with reference to the
two preceding sessions, although quite a
number have been in previous Legislatures.
Hays and Mitchell In the Council and Har-
rington, Wilson and Beach i'll the House are
all of the "old crowd" returned to the
same bodies they were in al the Eleventh
and Extra Sessions. Sedman of the Coun-
Gil comes into the House this term. One
misses, and, must say, regretfully, the old
faces and voices and pleasant acquaintance.
No more the genial Word, who ruled his
sometimes unruly House with the suayity of
conscious control keeps his hand on the
gavel or his eye on the clocks as Sanders,
Robinson or Mccormick cleave the air with
verbal lightnings or hurl points of order; no
longer will Fergus and Stuart agonize the
orthodox deacons with Free Thought and
Free Speech in defiance of all the churches
and churchmen; no longer will McElroy,
God rest his soul, take up the gauntlet and
with simple eloquence and heartfelt fervor
enlist the sympathies of all in defence of his
Masters cause; not again will Edwards
walk off with the rhetorical honors In an
anti-exemption speech, or their voting col
leagues rally % the call of the talking men,
bes on the exemption, apportionment or
Missoula bills. They have passed from the
ota Ina NJ La 1f ant oil En
railroaders and anti-railroaders, forgotten at
the conventions or left at the polls, and died,
some of them with the scars of battle on
their bodies in the houses of their friends.
The gratitude of the populace Is an intangi-
BILE substance as evanescent as New Years
resolution. New men and new blood will
leave impress on the new laws-whether for
good or i'll remains to be seen. The House
may be a disputatious body; there are half
dozen lawyers in it, but think they are of
more practical turn of mind than those of
like calling in the preceding session, and
will make shorter and less frequent speeches
The Council, as usual, has that digniied
bearing becoming Senate, transacts It's bus
mess deliberately and quietly and disposes
of it more rapidly than the House. II elect
ed its only lawyer as as presiding officer. l
think he will make an excellent one. There
was but little delay In organizing, one short
caucus meeting of each body having dis
posed of the Offices before the assembly.
The former clerks were reelected and, with
some facilities for judging, i think the selec-
tions could not well have been improved
upon. Comfy, Kanouse, Riddle and Kemp
er make a strong team. The rri .cipal
struggle was for messenger, there being nine
candidates for two offices, and the little chaps
who were defeated made IL lively for the
members, buttonholing them beforehand and
attributing "motives ITO them afterward.
HELENA, January 11.-Bat little business
was transacted to-day. The Speaker Of the
House appointed Committee on Rules,
Blake and Garlock reported present, the
members were sworn in by Judge Wade, and
courtesies were extended to
officials and the press.
The Council, in truly catholic spirit, or,
perhaps, with view to following at least the
first part of St. Paul's advice" Try all
things; hold fast that which Is good"-did
not elect chaplain, but directed the Chief
Clerk to request, in the name of the Council,
the several clergymen of Helena to open the
Council each morning with prayer in such
order and upon such days as they may elect.
But then some one has to be carried on the
rolls as chaplain, or the ST. 80 per day Is lost.
Il have HcdTu ltidb III tuG lOuS dSOy ia q Iat
distant land, a committee was appointed to
wait on the Chaplain-elect and notify him
thereof, and that the members thereof took
upon themselves to add: sand make your
prayers as short as possible" Who knows
but that well-considered brevity may yet = in
over the Council to the selection of one or
the other? -'.
The members were sworn in by Judge
committee appointed TO notify
the Governor the organization was perfected
and ready to hear any communication he had
TO make and in response thereto the message
was sent in and read and the Council adj
journed. g.
Special Telegram to New NORTHWEST.
HELENA, January 12.-The Legislature
made little progress to-day. Between the
two houses somewhere there was blunder
In Parliamentary usage, the result of which
Is the council notified the Governor yesterday
that il was ready to hear from him, and he
sent it the message accordingly. Up until
adjournment to-day the House had not re-
ceived a report from the conmitte it had
sent to the Council, and had not notified the
Executive of organization. So far the con-
stituents are ahead Of the House members
as relates to receiving the message. Conn-
ell bill No. came to grief to-day I'm the
House. 1t provides for a committee clerk
foa each House at five dollars per day. The
House passed a substitute providing for two
clerks for each body at four dollars per day.
This is the first fight for retrenchment.
Hayes and Cardwell have appeared in the
Council absent, Hubbell. In the House
,nly Pardee Is absent. Governor Potts has
appointed Chas. III. Smell his private secre-
AIRY for the session. Both Houses have APP
pointed committees on joint rules. Speaker
Donnelly will announce his standing CON-
mittees Thursday morning. In the House
hts afternoon the following notices of bills
were given: By Cullen, to issue duplicate |
county warrants In certain instances; by
Blake, TO amend section 2S6 of the criminal
practice act; also, bill TO repeal the illegal
act Of 1879; also, bill to .es-
ablish the rate Of interest on Territorial and
county warrants; by Beach, bill to fix the
ate to be charged for board of prisoners in
county jails. Comfy yesterday reported to
he Council on his revision of the laws. |
This codification Is the principal work of the
ession, and will give the Judiciary commit |
ZEE ample work -.i andf. NJ.
H8a COUNCIL. s+F
WEDNESDAY, January I2.-The Governor |
ent in list of notaries public appointed |
Iince last session, and they were confirmed. |
The President announced the following |
tandinQ committees