The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1905-02-03
Mr.. KENNEDY RESENTED STATE
MENT BY Mr.. sEWELL.
PAIRED BUT WANTED VOTE
Initiative and Referendum Bills Oc-
cupy Attention of the Senate
and House.

I1eleHd, yep. 1.-FOr 1Our hours to-
day the house had under consideration
the initiative and referendum bills,
and during the time there were lively
discussions, parliamentary battles and
the lie was passed. AS a result the
bill known as the Oregon law failed to
receive enough votes to pass, though
it got 46 as against % in opposition,
but the bill proposed the submission
OF a constitutional amendment and
such measures require for their pas.
sage the vote of o-thirds of the mem.
bers elected.
Berry was absent and did not vote,
/ ard so was Shannon. Berry was later
/ Lr ught in by the sergeant-at-arms
but cid not vote on the bill. Shannon
is in Chicago, called there by the
death of his brother Had he been
present the bill would have passed, as
his vote and that of Berry would have
made the necessary two-thirds. A
motion for reconsideration is now
pending and will come up tomorrow
The advocates of the bill believe they
can get the necessary two-thirds to,
morrow, but it's opponents say it reach
ed the highwater mark of support in
the house today.
The republicans Jared worse in the
endeavor to hold their forces together
today than they did some days ago,
when the bill was reported from a
committee, All the democrats, fusion
| lists and labor men voted for the bill
but there were IA republicans, includ-
ing Speaker Hedges, who jumped the
leadership of Lieper and Bennett and
voted for the democratic measure.
| Those who voted for it, in addition to
| Speaker Hedges, were Christian, Cone,
| Decker, Hewett, Lanstrum, Linder.
man, Mulroney, Richardson, Roos,
Sanders, Selway, Van Dyck and VIII
liams.
The republicans made their fight on
| the introduction of substitute which
provided that majority of the coun-
ties must petition before law could
be inflated or referred. The opposition
made a change in the percent of their
bill, making the percent necessary to
| initiate eight and to refer 10, and that
was the only material change made.
+l,y> Erc i'm To
mittee of the whole, Bennett was in the
chair. 1t soon arose with recommen.
dation that the speaker name another
| chairman. This was due to the fact
that the friends Oh the bill were OF
the opinion Chairman Bennett was nol
acting fairly.
| One of the features of the session
came after the bill had been voted
upon, the speaker declared it had car.
ried. His attention was called to the
fact that it required 48 votes and he
reversed mis- ruling and declared the
bill lost Then mere fonowed long
wrangle over parliamentary points
The republicans made motions to ad-
journ, which were voted down, and the
democrats made motions to suspend
the rules, which were either voted
down or declared out OF order. Final
ly call of the house was ordered and
| for half an hour the members waited
while the sergeant-at-arms went out
after Berry and Fairbanks. The lat
ter was not found, but Berry was
brought in.
The most sensational incident was
when Sewell, who is paired with Shan
non, announced he wanted to withdraw
from the pair. In making the an
nouncement he said he had been de-
ceived in consenting to the pair.
Kennedy said he had arranged the
pair and he said the statement that he
had been guilty of any underhand
work in arranging the pair was a con-
temptible lie
Sewell disclaimed any intention OF
rejecting on Kennedy and the incident
closed, the speaker refusing to release
Sewell from the pair
Except the exchange between Ken
nedy and Sewell no bitterness was
shown by either side and tho fight was
good uatureG.
At a session in the morning the