Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-02-01

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 40.
introduced by Mr.. J. J. Wright.)
A resolution to officially settle the
facts in relation to the organization OF
the present house of representatives,
and to make record thereof, and to
suggest remedy to prevent reoccur-
renee OF like conditions in the future.
Whereas, There has been during the
last few days many discussions relative
TO the organization of the house of
represe natives; and
Whereas, We believe it due to the
people OF the state that the house of
representatives now assembled should
make clear and concise statement rel
alive to the facts in perfecting said Or
ganizatiOn; therefore be it
Resolved, By the house of represent
Atives, that the following is true and
correct statement OF the proceedings
and rights claimed by the house of rep
resentatives of which J. NJ. Dunsmore
Is speaker andR. II. Semple speaker pro
tenn, and the precedents upon which the
rights and legality of said organization
fs maintained.
That on the 10th day of Jar uary, 1893,
being the day fixed by section %, ar
ticle 2 of the constitution of the state,
the same being paragraph 143 of the
general statutes Of 1889, and pursuant
to the requirements OF said section, the
members and claimants from the sew
eral representative districts of the
state OF Kansas met in representative
hall for the purpose of organizing the
house OF representatives in accordance
with the law and presidents therefor.
That at said time and by virtue of the
provisions Of section 40 of the general
election laws of this state, the Hon. r.
S. Osborn, secretary of state for Kan
Sas, appeared with the duly certified
roll of representatives elect as shown
BY the records in his Office. That in
accordance with the precedents long
established in Kansas, it was the unan-
1mous desire of the representatives of
the Peoples party that he should act as
presiding officer pending temporary Or
ganization of said house, at which time
he made substantially the following
statement:
Gentlemen of Kansas, the law re-
4uires me to lay before the senate and
house OF representatives a list of it's
members as shown by the returns in my
Office. 1t has been customary, as l I'M
derstand, in the past for the secretary
OF state to act as presiding officer prior
to effecting temporary organization:
but as find no law comforting that au-
thOrity upon me, do not care to usurp
it 11nlaaa hu
sent"
At this juncture of the proceedings,
Hon. George L. Douglass, representing
the republican members, arose, and
addressing the secretary, objected to
the secretary of state acting as such
presiding officer.
Mr.. Dunsmore, representing the Pop
ulist side, arose, and addressing the
secretary of state, insisted that in &C
eordance with precedents long estab-
hshed in this state, the secretary of
state should act as chairman pending
the perfecting Of temporary organiza-
tfOn, and argued that the recognition of
the state secretary by Mr.. Douglass had
already made him the de facto chairman
Of the body; to which Mr.. Douglass in
substance replied that there was no war
rant or authority in law for the secre-
tary OF state acting as temporary chair
man Of the body, and still insisted upon
his objections to him 90 acting, and
that the secretary lay the roll before
the body by reading it, whereupon Mr..
Dunsmore replied that in accordance
With the rules and precedents of the
past, we believe it is our right to chal-
lenge the name Of any person appear
ing upon the roll whom we have reason
TO believe was either not duly elected
70 seat in this house, or who for any
reason is disqualified to occupy the
same, and further submitted the fol-
lowing propositions:
1--WE (meanipg the Peoples party
representatives. are willing that tenn
pOrary organization be effected by the
votes Of members elected whose seats
are not disputed, or by the votes of all
persons claiming seats in this body in
good faith"
This proposition was rejected
by Mr.. Douglass, representing
the republicans, at which juncture the
secretary OF state in substance said:
81 repeat again that the law requires
me to lay before each house list of it's
members. have just performed this
duty in the senate, where found pre-
siding officer, to whom delivered the
list Whenever this house has a pre-
siding officer to whom I eau deliver the
list, and am apprised of that fact, 1
shall appear before you again and de-
liver the official list to such officer"
The honorable secretary then retired
from the hall and left the gathering
claimants for seats in the house of rep
resentatives without any person to
whom they could address themselves
for the purpose of making motions or
otherwise providing for the temporary
organization Of said body.
At this moment the Honorable r. h.
Semple,, one of the duly elected and
qualified representatives whose seat
uua not ~, 6fonr,fa xz,ank 20 Tho