Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-23
The Illinois House In a Tur-
moil Over the Lindley Trac-
tion Bill
SPEAKER PULLED OUT OF CHAIR
He Declare. House Adjourned and
House Elects Speaker Pro TEN and
Other Officers and Proceeds With
Business-Traction Men Determined
to Tie Up Legislature. -..s...~...-

Springfield, ILL.,, April 23.-The de-
termination of large element in the
house to tie up legislation regardless of
it's merits until action can be secured
on the traction question was clearly
manifested in the house this morning.
The test came on the child labor bill,
called up by Davies. The bill was
on the third reading and when the roll
call commenced on its passage. Allen,
whose name heads the list Of members,
arose and said: Il notice by the morn
have gone into the hands Of re-
ceiver Qaughter) and they must have
relief before another wheel turns in
this house. Therefore, refuse to vote
on this question" When the name of
Davies was reached he said he intro
duced this bill and was directly re-
sponsible for having it put to vote at
this time and asked that a roll call
be taken. The bill failed of passage
Yeas, so: Nays, l. Davies gave notice
of motion to reconsider. 1t was 11:20
when Speaker Miller announced the
Indy municipal ownership bill was
the special order on second reading.
The bill was read. Then Lindly was
recognized and offered the amendments
formulated at Tuesday nights con-
ference. Before these were read, he
made statement to house explaining
them.
Shortly before noon Speaker Miller
advanced the Lindly traction bill to the
third reading, when the friends of the
Mueller mill made an attempt to pull
him out of the chair. In the midst of
the turmoil the speaker declared the
house adjourned. Immediately after
Miller left the chair Murray took the
floor and called on the house to elect
speaker pro tenn. Charles Allen of
yermillion WAS declared elected
speaker pro tenn and forced his way
thru the surging mob TO the speakers
desk Henry Beitler acted as clerk.
After much confusion rool call was
finally completed. 1t showed 81 MEM
bers present Sherman then made an
extended talk oh the constitutional sta
tus of the existing session of the house.
He stated ninety seven members con-
stitute Il constitutional majority. He
neld the house was not destroyed by
adicat,ng it's regular presiding officer
He might die" said Sherman, and for
parliamentary purposes in this house
he is now dead" After some further
of the municipal ownership bill was
recalled from it's third reading.
The speaker pro tenn, Allen, ordered
the center aisle cleared, but discovered
all the house officers had left. Then
the janitors were called upon, but fail
ed to respond. The roll call was then
ordered to see If a quorum was present.
During the calling of names the con-
fusion became so great 1T was impossi-
BILE for the clerk to be heard as he called
the roll and two sergeants at arms were
appointed and ordered to clear the
aisles and preserve order. Representa-
tive Gray, in answering to his name,
declared "the speaker has violated his
oath of Office and the constitution of
the state Of Illinois, and we are now
violating the law"
Tice then ordered, section by section,
The Mueller bill a substitute for the
Lindley bill. On the first two amend
ments there was a rool call, but the
amendments being adopted, succeeding
embracing several sec
tions of the Mueller bill and new sec
ton prepared by Edwin Burritt Smith,
specifically limiting all grants to
twenty years, was adopted viva voce
vote. 1t was then decided to leave
the bill on the second reading and ac-
cordingly further consideration was
temporarily poStponed.