St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-20
QUEER MATHEMATICS
Montana Republicans Decide
That Seven Is a Majority
Of Sixteen.
An Alleged Organization OF
the Senate With OldS
President.
Gov. Toole Will Take a Hand
in the Fight
To-Day.
North Dakota's Ipon-Clad Pro-
hibitory Measure Approved
by Gov. Miller.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
HELENA, Mont, Dec. 19.-The Re-
publican senate to-day decided that
seven is majority of sixteen. Tonight
the Democrats have about concluded
that neither law or justice. when filtered
through Republican channels,ca reach
them. Although the results OF to-day
proves that the Democrats have no
chance of getting their just dues in the
legislature. They will keep up the
fight for popular government, and COM
pei the opposition. in order to gain its
ends. to violate every law or precedent
which comes in question. 1t was re-
ported early this morning that the Re
pub lican senators would attempt 10
force the organization of that body to-
day, The senate consists of sixteen
members. but Brown, Republican, is
very low with pneumonia, and Nc
Namara, Democrat, was paired with
him, so there were only fourteen
mem bers and Lieut.. Gov. Richards who
answered to the roll call to-day. When
the senate met. at 2 p. M. there was
Immediately on assembling, Hedges,
Republican, moved that The senate pro-
ceed to the election of officers. Beech
er. Democrat, demanded the ayes and
noes on Hedges motion, but Lieut.. Gov.
Richards ruled that. in the absence of
rules for the guidance of the senate, 1t
is not necessary to call the ayes and
noes. His attention was directed to the
new constitution, which provides that
two members may call for the ayes and
noes. Lieut.. Gov. Richards decided
that the
CONSTITUTION DID NOT APPLY
in this case and only applied after the
senate was organized. Senator
Olds was then nominated for
president pro tem., and re-
ceived seven votes, all Republican.
the Democrats refusing to vote. Lieut..
Gov. Richards declared that OldS. hay-
ing received seven votes, he was elected
president pro TEN. Fisher offered a
resolution that in the election of the re-
mainlng officers the rule of this election
shall be that plurality of votes shall
elect in each and every case. Thornton
(Dem.) asked for the yeas and nays, and
was informed that the lieutenant gov
ernor would make the same ruling as
before. Baker Dem.) asked if the
chairman would pretend TO rule that
seven votes is majority of the mem
berS-elect. Fisher raised a point of
order and read from case in Pennsyl-
vania in which it was held that If
quorum was present and failed to vote
the vote east is a majority. Parberry
Dem.) quoted
DECISION BY SPEAKER BLAINE
in 1875. in which the Plumed Knight
held that there was no power vested in
the chair to compel members to vote and
that only a majority of the house could
conduct business. That the fact OF
quorum being present in the house,
made no difference, so long as majority
did not answer to roll call. Lieut.. Gov.
Richards said his decision had
been made, that Olds had been
elected by seven votes and the decision
would stand. Baker OemOcraD said
the proposition of Fisher, that plural
lty elects, was a high-handed outrage
and revolutionary proceeding. One
or two men might just as well call them
selves plurality as seven. He moved
that Fishers resolution be laid on the
table, but the resolution was adopted by
a strict party vote, and the Republicans
then elected the remainder of the Of
ficers, Lieut.. Gov. Richards using the
same formula as in the case of Olds,
elected by seven votes" BY the
time
THE FARCE HAD CONCLUDED
only one Democrat, Parberry. was in
the senate chamber. A resOiutlOn was
then adopted that committee OF three
be appointed to wait upon the Republl-
can house of representatives and
inform il that the senate was ready
60, Throa RnnnhliPanc Vprp
appointed. This ended it. and the sen
ate adjourned until tomorrow. The
Republicans have been very anxious to
get the status of the Republican house
decided by Chief Justice Blake, of the
supreme court, who was chairman of
the state canvassing board. To-day the
first move in this direction was made by
the institution of a suit by w. III. Rob-
erts, one of the Homestake tun-
mel precinct contestants, in the
sunreme court, for his salary
and mileage. The Republicans have
openly talked of the result of such
case before, Chief Justice Blake. in the
supreme court, being favorable to them,
while the Democrats, owing to Chief
Justice Blake's closeness to Col. w. f.
Sanders, one of the Republican sena-
torial candidates, and the action of
the chief justice as a member of
the state canvassing board, say
they can only expect an
other canyassing board decision.
No time has been set for the hearing of
the case. The Democratic house of rep
resentatives, after the action of the Re-
publican senate, in caucus appointed a
committee to wait upon Gov. Toole and
| request him
TO ISSUE A PROCLAMATION
declaring vacant the seats of the Re-
publican members or the house. who
have failed to meet in the place desig-
mated by tue governor. There is no
doubt that this proclamation will be
issued by Gev. TOOle Friday morning
The most infamous feature of the
senate's action to-day is the fact that the
| Democratic senators only went
| into the senate after solemn prom
ises by the Republicans that
| they would be treated fairly,
and no advantage taken of them. These
| pledges have now all been repudiated,
| and instead of non-partisan Investiga-
| ton Of the vote cast in the tunnel pre-
cinct there will be a worse muddle
| and more ilI-feeling in Montana for
| the next week than there has
been previously. The Republicans are
| iubilant tonight, while the Democrats.
| realizing that they have been euchered
| this time, say they will even up matters
| tomorrow.