The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-03-13
IT WAS AN
UNIQUE BODY
The Late Montana House Of
Representatives
HAD LITTLE EXCUSE
For Existence. Majority OF The
Members Chiefly Remarkable For
Their Ignorance. -
HAD LITTLE EXCUSE

Montana legislature, the Helena cor
respondent of the Anaconda Standard |
says:
While the legislation that has come
from this very queer aggregation
has not been so bad as many feared,
and while the body is to be credited
with killing a multitude of freak
measures, the assembly on the whole
had little excuse for living The
house of representatives of this as
sembly will ever stand as the most
unique legislative body in Montanas
history. Ignorance of the simplest
parliamentary laws and inability tO|
speak or write the English language
correctly are among the chief char
acteristics of the great majority Of
members. The fool who knows he is
a fool can be forgiven, but the fool
who thinks he is wise man and in
sists upon meddling in affairs he can
not understand should be dubbed to
death. What a bloody slaughter
house and hall of representatives
would be if this plan were carried out.
The displays Of ignorance were not
confined to members alone. Among
the officers and employees are some of
the most discourteous, incompetent,
uncouth men and women that ever
drew salaries from any state. Errors
in the croice of words are not great
sins, though it did sound odd, to be
sure, to hear the sergeant-at-arms of
the house announce, His excellency
the governors private secretary"
but what struck harshly on the ear
was the profanity, vile expressions
and filthy and blasphemous converse
tons that were carried on by people
connected with the legislature about
the hall of. representatives in the pres
ence or at least the hearing of women.
Some of the female committee clerks
did not mind it, but others of gentler
breeding and more womanly natures
found it, to say the least, unpleasant.
The public and it's representatives,
the newspaper men, had difficulty in
obtaining from most of the employees
any desired Information or even a
civil answer. Secretary Whipple of the
senate and his immediate assistants
and Chief Clerk Skelly of the house
were notable exceptions to this rule.
They are men of affairs, courteous
and accommodating always. Included
in the list Of exceptions also should be
placed the male clerks of the house
committee on appropriations, judici
airy and ways and means These gen
tlemen showed lively appreciation
of the fact that l..ey owe something
to the public which pays them, ant
in this way they stood in marked con
trast with others.
So much of the service for which
the state pays so we'll was done in ;
slovenly fashion lat it was annoying
to one who has seen how much bel
ter the same services are 'performe'
in other legislatures. The distribution
o. printed bills in the house was on
of the petty things that was done bai
ly. Time and time again bill cam
up for consideration when the majOl
ity of the members were without col
les. although the file cases wer
crammed with the printed document
AS for the newspaper men-the
didn't count. They hau to rust
their own bills, though in all othe
legislatures they are provided wit
copies at the time of distribution
members.
Those comparatively few member
o. the house who had an honest d
sire to do their duty and who trie
to serve the state ana their constit
ents grew up weary of the way thing
were managed, Should one of the
ask an idle committee clerk to do fl,
minutes typewriting he is snapped ,
with the sharp query, Amt you g
clerk of your own?'
Some people will ask why this 81
or that girl who is VIGOROUSLY i'd
and incompetent was not discharge
The answer would be that she h.
got pull with some influential mel
whose enmity would be won if an ;
tempt was made to GUST the clerl
And SO the hands of the membe
were tied.
Perhaps the general public whi'
sat in the gallery -0f the senate new