The Butte inter mountain., 1903-03-05
CLOSING DAYS OF THE EIGHTH
Brilliant Work Done in the House Since Monday Marked
Contrast to the Last Few Days Of the Seventh Leeis
ature When the Devil Was to Pay

its possession, but it has used discretion
in the passing and thus has prevented fill
clustering tactics.
yesterday afternoon IL set big stint
for the house. II turned into that body 4
great mass Of bills. Now there exists on
the floor of the house little organization
Of republicans comprising the majority.
Certain republican members have been
designated as leaders, and several of these
are members Of the steering committee.
The organization has been perfected 10 AN
extent that the majority swings as one
man on all matters requiring a party vote,
and even some that make only for the
preservation Of the houses good record
This cohesive organization, carefully di-
rcctod by King and the other leaders, yes
terday proved its effectiveness in causing
the house to do business in most bust
ness like manner All the great bulk Of
bills was worked OFF so that when the
house adjourned at o'clock until $40 il
had completed the consideration of every
bill that at that time was in its posses
sion save two. One Of these was the in
coin county measure, introduced only that
afternoon, and the other was a senate bill
he only other measures that remain 10 be
considered at length are those that will
come from the senate today.
Then came the evening session where
these bills were worked on third reading
ana put through their final passage Be
tween the time of consideration in com
mittee OF the whole and final passage the
bills had been engrossed by the big force
OF engrossing clerks. All this business
was carefully directed by the steering
committee, chiefly through the indefatiga-
bic King OF Fergus county. Its complc.
uon marked the close OF the really active
work of the session.
one must not imagine from all this
that the senate had nothing TO do with
the work, or that in the senate things did
not work equally well There are Just as
competent men in the senate steering COM
mlttee as in the like organization in the
house, but conditions in the senate are
different. In the first place the great bulk
OF bills originate in the house. I here
comes the really hard work Of sitting out
measures OF merit. Further, the house
being larger, represents more diverse in.
terests, has opinions that cover wider
range, and also has a tendency TO express
those opinions, even at the expense of
the greatest good to the greatest number.
That is invariably one Of the faults and
at the same time one OF the advantages
Of a representative body
The smaller and more sedate senate in
variably is more dgnifed in its action
introduces few bills and sits In calmer
judgment on measures. Ii does not do so
much talking as the house, save on occa-
sions like that of the famous fibuster
and it requires less management Thus it
is that the managers, the leaders, the direc-
tors of big and somewhat unwieldy body
like the house are the men who deserve
great credit when the house acquires merit
by doing things with a snap and a vim and
proper legislative spirit.
The members of the house steering com
mittee are King Iilger, Bever Cannon
and Swindlehurst. They worked yesterday
harder than most people know. Those
who get peep now and again behind the
legislative curtains are giving them all
kinds OF praise.
King, by the way, is the man who de
ceived the big Bunch from Butte as the
Silver Bow delegation is termed and the
other cocky members from the urban dis
trcts. Because King came from Fergus
county and had not great deal to say,
put on no airs and conducted himself in a
modest manner he was set down as gen
tleman of rural character. Some went so
far as to speak Of him as that sheep
herder from Fergus county" and to pro-
fess contempt for his probable ignorance
OF that great industry--mining.
Then it turned out that King was not
gentleman who followed pastoral pursuits
He developed a knowledge Of mines and
mining that was astounding to the b. b.
i. b. They began to make Investigations,
and thew found that tlp Uiiiet ltt1a me,