Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1897-01-06
Twenty-Fifth General Assembly of Ne
braska Organizes
CAUCUS STATES EASILY PUT THROUGH
Plans Laid by the Fusionists Carried Out
to the Letter.
ANS0M FOR SENATE PRESIDENT
Douglas County Free silverte Gets the
Pro Tenn, Title,
GAFFIN TO PRESIDE IN THE HOUSE
Lower nody Not Fully Oniccrcd, Owing
to Delay 0ccnsioncd by the
Fight ON Douglas County
Republicans.

| LINCOLN, Jan. 5-(Specal Telegram)-
| The legislature is again in full swing, The
! organization of the senate was accomplished
with celebrity which must have surprised
the weighty statesmen OF previous senates,
who felt themselves satisfied when they had
consumed the first eight or ten days in plac-
ing the upper legislative branch on work.
| ing basis Today the senate was fully
equipped for business by 2 o'clock The
slated employees selected by the fusion cau-
Gus last night, were elected with only an
exchange of courtesies between Senators
Ransom and Dundas to break the solidity
OF the popuist and democratic forces.
| The failure of the republicans TO place
a candidate for president of the senate in
nomna.i ion has oJca Toned much cui ious COM
ment. The most generally accepted eXplana-
tion of their silence is to the effect that
the eight republican senators were unable
to agree upon one of their number to whom
should be rendered the empty compliment
of party vote. The ambition of Senator
Talbot of Lancaster to receive the votes OF
his colleagues for the place was not I'M
known. His aspirations were seconded by
at least two other senators. The opposition
D
much on account of his worth as because
of his business connections with w. j.
Bryan. Some of the senators who opposed
him felt that Mr.. Bryan has had entirely
too much influence in the organization of
the present legislature and that he should
be satisfied with his arbitrary direction of
the democratic party and not try to interfere
with what little republican strength has de-
welcomed
Senator Talbot to say that his ambition was
in no sense inspired by his one-tme law
partner, Mr.. Bryan, and that the latter has
had no thought of trying to influence the
selection of a republican nominee for presi-
dent of the senate.
WHY THE HOUSE WATTS.
The organization OF the house was left at
an unccmpleted stage when adjournment
was taken, owing largely to the delay in the
presentation of credentials, and in the DELHI
erations of the credentials committee came
the fist attempt of the Omaha free silver
populistic contingent to ureeat the four re-
publican members from Douglas county, The
men who are managing directors in the
scheme to seat the -four fCsionlsts defeated
at the polls in Omaha, sent Representative
Edison Rich before the committee with a
proposition that the credentials Of Messrs.
Burman, Butler Crow and Cox be rejected
and that the committee recommend the seat
ing % Baldwin, Roberts, Taylor and Yeiser.
Mr. Rich stated that the contestants based
their proposition upon the No. ton con-
test from Boyd county four yeats ago, and
claimed that the present case formed a
parallel which would justify the credentials
committee in throwing out the republican
members from Douglas county. Mr. Rich
admitted that he had not looked into the de-
tails of the Kruse-Norton case, and was
undetermined in his own mind whether the
proposition mae by his len Is in the present
case was tenable. Representative Hull of
Harlan county, chairman of the credentials
mi tnn info a1,
cases were not parallel; that in the Kruse-
Norton case there were two sets of creden-
tials, and that the committee four years ago
was in position to exercise a choice. Mr..
Rich pressed his point no further.
AS soon the attitude OF the committee
became known, the four contestants reln-
pushed their efforts for coup, which, IL
successful, would have seated the four Doug
las county contestants without giving the
house an opportunity to go into the case on
its merits.
The first step toward the complete organ
ization of the house has been taken and
Representative Gaffin Is speaker. The house
adjourned before the election Of the remain
ing officers could be taken up. There is no
indication tonight that the caucus slate will
be broken.
CANVASSING BOARDS REPORT.
The official returns of the recent. election
Will be canvassed tomorrow, and until then
nothing definite will be known as to the
plans of the populists relative to the SUI
preme judgeship controversy. The State
Canvassing board held an informal meeting
today and four of the members attached
their signatures to the Official findings,
which are to be presented to the leglsla-
ture. These findings are neither satsfac-
tory to republicans nor to the popuists,
and they are something in the nature of a
compromise between the republican MEM
bers of the board. They are as follows:
1--WE do find that the whole number of votes
cast at the general election held in the state
of Nebraska on the Sd day of November,
1896, was 23O,795, as shown by the returna
made by the several county clerks to this
board. Therefore we hereby declare that all
OF the proposed constitutional amendments
voted on at said general election have been
lost, II said proposed amendments required
an affirmative majority of all those voting at
said election. Having found that the pro-
posed amendment to the constitution pro-
yiding for an increase in the number OF
Judges OF the supreme court had not been
adopted, no judges can be declared elected"
The contradictory phraseology in the find
lngs VIII be easily detected. The interpola-
ton consists of the qualifying phrase in
the second paragraph-"if said proposed
amendments required an affirmative major
ity OF all those voting at said election"
The republican contention is simply that
the amendments failed to carry The quail
flying phrase gives the popuiss some
ground to work upon. The signatures OF
Auditor Moore Treasurer BARLEY Attorney
General Churchill and Secretary OF State
Piper were attached to the findings quoted
above, and the four officials visited the Of
fee OF the chief executive for the purpose
OF presenting the document TO Governor
Holcomb for his signature, The governor
was absent from his rooms and the findings
are still In the inside pocket OF the secre-
tary OF state. They Will be presented to
Governor Holcomb again tomorrow morning.
Representative Crow Of Douglas has been
chosen as permanent chairman Of the repub-
hcan house caucus and will be recognized as
the leader OF republican members on the
floor. Although the house has not perfected
Its organization, young Simon Kelly OF Lin
coin has been selected page to Speaker
Gaifn and as he has this gentleman's en-
doFsemont II Is quito likely his appointment
viii be made secure. There is rumOr to
the effect that the pay Of pages was to be
cut from $50 per diem 70 rs cents, but THY