The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-01-17
ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE.

The senate though fully organized and
ready to proceed 10 business, Is apparently
80 taken up with the muddle in the house
that il only holds formal sessions OF a few
minutes each day and then adjourns, Gov
Hamilton sent in a long list of appoint
ments on Tuesday, most Of which were
made months ago aud would therefore
have been confirmed without question
but II WAS discovered that the list included
Cook Lawrence and O'Neil, as commits
sioners 10 spend the money voted by the
people 81 complete the new state house.
Asthe fact that the people ratified the ap.
propriatiOn foT the state house cannot h.e
officially known until the Legislature has
Canvassed the vote, simultaneously with
which canvass Gov Hamilton goes out Of
Office, II is held that his appoiutm ent of
the commissioners is altogether "ioO pre-
yious," and that law as we'll as decency re
Quired chat he should leave the appoint
ment 70 his successor, GOV Oglesby.
Hence all the Governors appointments
were referred and none of them have vet,
been confirmed
The house did no other business on Fri
day Of last week than the administration
Of the oath Of Office 10 the members, enter
tain = resolution In reference 10 the death
of Judge Gillespie, and then adjourn over
~ 8 o'clock on Monday, which Of course
meant Tuesday morning
After meeting on Tuesday morning the
first motion submitted was by Varnell, a
friend OF Halnes, TO adopt the rules of the
last house Fuller (rep) raised the point
of order that the house was nor Vet organ.
lied EIaines, Speaker pro tenn ovcrrulcd
the point and put Naruells motion. which
was voted down lt9 to "a Llnegar tdeml
now moved 30 proceed 10 the election OF u
speaker laines tmaintsining that the
house having transacted other business
and adjourned after his election as speaker
pre- tsJo. he thereby became permanent
Nl'fhN'Af ifA NgfA a. tuAfl lIlu I4lufNlt
motion Linegar put the motion himself
and announced II carried. but after two or
three hours OF wraueiing. the house, with
ont attempting 10 act on Liuegar'4 motion
adjourned
On "Wednesday, when the journal was
read, il vas found that no notice had been
taken of Liuegars motion, ana he moved
70 amend the journal 80 ~ 10 show that
motion and its adoption. Over this the
day was again spent without accomplishing
anything Thursday was in like manner
spent in wrangling over points of order,
and the indications are tina, Yesterday was
spent in the same way.
The great point in the case and ~ourCe
of all the trouble i, that Haines, having
been elected speaker pro TEN, with a clerk
pro tenn, maintains that the next and only
business of the house was To proceed to
the election of permanent speaker and
clerk, but having omitted that duty, ana
proceeded 70 transact other business aud
adjourned over 10 Tuesday, he tHaineSl
became permanent speaker and could not
now be removed except by impeachment;
and entertaining that yicw he had gone be
fore a notary and had himself sworn in a.
speaker. as the clerk had also been sworn
IN.
Aud preposterous as the claim of Ilaines
is, the house Fnds itself helpless 10 Dust
him, Tor il can only be done by electing
another speaker, and as each party has but
20 votes and it will require u votes TO
elect a speaker, neither party can agree TO
give the other party that vote, and ilaines'
vote alone can end tie muddle 81 he re