Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-01-28
STATESMEN At WORK.
Matters of Interest at North Da.
kota's Capitol by the State
Law Makers.
REPUBLICANS PLAY HOG.
Lots to Amuse and Instruct the
Verdant Legislator During
His First Term.

His First Term.
From all appearances this might
be called the Indian summer part
of the session. What little excite.
ment there was at first over the
unseating of fusionists by the re.
publicans has died down and the
fusionists seem to have made up
their minds to acceptthe inevitable
and be thankful that it is no worse
and that a few of them have been
allowed to keep their seats. The
new members have got used to the
sensation and arr beginning to
find out that the machine will run
along just the same even if they
are not in their places all the time
and it is much more pleasant to
walk up and down the lobby and
talk with the p, city girls who want
to get clerkships than it is to be
at your desk while the clerk is
reading bills. Very few of the
committees have yet reported,
though the men who really know
the ropes have not lost any time
in pushing their measures through,
as they know it is much easier to
slip their bills in the first part of
the session than later on when the
new members have found their
voices and will not be too bashful
to get up and kick about anything
in bill which does not meet their
approval.
At present in most cases every
thing moves as though on ball
bearings with lots of plumbago.
When the chamber has listened
or pretended to listen to-the
chaplain's prayer, and the journal
has been approved, the new bills
are read frsttime, just about the
time the pages begin to come
around with the daily papers from
the postofice. Then comes the
second reading of bills by title
only, and as each is called of the
presiding officer names the CON-
mittee to which it is referred.
Meantime the members are read
ing the papers or looking over the
journals of the two houses, copy
OF each Of which and also of every
new bill introduced the day before,
has already been placed on their
desks by the pages. The reports
OF committees is next in order of
business, and then the house goes
INTO committee OF the whole for
the consideration of bills which
have passed their first and second
readings and have been reported
back from the committees to which
they were referred. The speaker
leaves the chair, having called
some prominent member to preside
as chairman OF the committee of
the whole The chief difference is
that debate is more informal in
committee of the whole than in
regular session, as a member can
speak as often as he pleases. The
chief clerk reads the bill which is
first on the list of general orders
with any amendments OF recon-
mendations made by the commit
tee to which it was referred and
when he gets through the members
who introduced the bill generally
rises and moves that when the
committee rise it recommend tC
the house that the bill do pass as
amended. At this early stage OF
the session the motion is usually
agreed to without debate as the
new members are still little shy
but later on committee of the whole
Is the most exciting part of the
session, and when any unskilleo
member is in the chair the boys
will have lots of fun III trying te
gethim into a parliamentary tangle
from which he has to be rescuec