The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-01-04
The House of Representatives
Organized by Democrats
AIDED BY THE POPULISTs.
A POpuIist Speaker Was Elected by a
Majority Of Four.
The Legislature on Joint Ballot viii
stand SO Democrats, Populists and
80 RepubIicans-The Threatened
Split Avoided.

HELENA, Mon, Jan. 3.-TSpecial. +
The Democrats have secured control of
the organization of the house of represen-
tatlves assuring the election of a Demo-
cratic United States Senator. When the
twenty five Republicans and two Populists
took an adjournment yesterday after the
Democrats had walked out of the house it
was TO meet again at 5 this afternoon.
Last night and this morning there were
numerous conferences between the three
Populists members and the representa-
tives Of the two other parties. The Re-
pubicans agreed to give the Populists all
the Offices in the house and any portion
they might want on committees and also
pass all their bills provided in return the
Populists would vote with them on all
election contests.
The Populists refused to entertain any
of the propositions for the reason that as
the Democrats controlled the senate the
thing they most desired, the passage of
their bills through both branches of the
legislature, the Republicans could not
give them.
The Democrats offered the Populists the
Epeakership, the other offices to be d.
vided between the two parties, and to
pass certain measures in which the
Populists agreed to stand by the Demo-
Gratis on all political questions save the
senatorship.
When the house met this afternoon the
assembly hall was packed to suffocation.
Every Democrat, save the sick member,
Davidson, was present; all the Repub-
hcans and the three Populists. Matthews,
the Populist, who had been put in by the
Republican minority on Monday as tenn
porary speaker, occupied the chair. The
Republicans knew something was going
to happen, but did not know exactly
what.
Monteith, Republican, Immediately
moved to adjourn till 9 O'Clock tonight
This was done first to test the strength of
the Democrats and also because the GER
tificate of Leech, the Republican confess
tant from Choteau, was supposed to be on
its way here and would arrive about D.
m. The motion to adjourn was voted
down by vote Of . for TO q against, the
two Populists voting with the Democrats
Then the Republicans began all sorts of
dilatory tactics, but finally a motion to
proceed to permanent organization was
carried. The Democrats nominated Mat
thews for speaker and the Republicans
Jockey. The vote stood % for Matthews
and "A for Jockey.
All the Populists and one Republican
voted with the Democrats. For chief
clerk the Democratic caucus nominee was
elected. Then the house adjourned till
tomorrow morning. On joint ballot the
legislature viii stand, So Democrats, 8
Populists, and 81 Republicans.
Tonight the Democrats are jubilant, but
they viii not relax their vigilance till all
election contests are decided. There is
also great satisfaction among all classes OF
people that the threatened split in the
legislature has been avoided and that
Legislative work can now be attended to.
The three leading sena torial candidates.
S. 7. Houser, W A Clark and w. W.
Dixon, a1S all in Helena. To Houser is
largely due the Democratic victory today
and as a result his senatorial stock is
booming. Conservative estimates gives
him twenty votes in the Democratic eau
Gus to start with, with Clark and Dixon
about divided on the other sixteen.