The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-02-25
by George Davis.


Bismarck, N. D., Feb. 21.-The prin-
cipal feature of the legislature today
was the unmerciful drubbing given the
self-constituted leader of the house in
viding that all county officers could be
removed by the action of the governor.
The bill had been considered in the
committee of the whole on the preced-
ing day, and the test vote to indefinite
ly postpone the measure at that time
was lost by such small majority that
it was certain the measure would be
defeated when it came up for final
passage in the house. There was little
discussion of the matter when the bill
was reached in the regular order. The
grounds had been thoroughly threshed
over in committee of the whole, where
1t was charged that not only was the
measure unconstitutional, but that it
was calculated to take away from the
people the right to say what officials
should serve them, while it gave the
governor of the state powers far great
er than those possessed by the courts.
The bill has been discussed at length
in the Evening Times, and its readers
are familiar with the provisions of the
same. 1t was one of Representative
Sorleys pet measures, and he had de-
Tended the bill at every point, so that
It became known as the "Sorley bill"
Usually it is difficult for the clerk
to hear the members when they vote
on the roll call on the average bill,
but it was not so in this instance. The
noes, especially, were called so loud
that the members of the senate could
distinctly hear, and it is told that a
member Of that body was able to tally
the vote from his seat.
The bill having failed to receive suf-
f1cient support to pass, a motion to re-
consider and to lay the motion for re-
consideration on the table. On
this the principal parliamentary
battle was fought. A roll call on this
motion was ordered, and the motion
was carried. A verihcation of the roll
call was demanded, and the clerk be-
gan calling. the names of those who
has voted in the affirmative, when Rep
resentative Blegen of Benson county
wanted to change his vote. The old
guard was on the picket post, how
ever, and at once the point of order
was made that he could not change
his vote after the result had been an
nounced by the speaker, and that the
verification was merely for the pur-
pose of asceraining whether or not
the clerk had properly recorded the
votes on the roll call Mr.. Stevens
stated that If Mr.. Blegen would state
on the floor that his vote was not
properly recorded he could have it cor
rected but this Mr.. Blegen could not
do. and he went down in history as vot-
ing with the affirmative. Whether he
got in the wrong pasture and did not
discover 1t until it was too late or
whether he changed his opinion after
the vote was taken will never be
known. But the motion was carried
and the matter now lies on the table,
from which, under the rules, it can
only be taken by unanimous consent,
and that will never be given. In a
word, Mr.. Sorley's bill was killed and
buried, and then to make certain that
It would never, like Banquo's ghost,
come to earth again, the opponents sat
on the grave.
This Is the bill which was before
the committee of the whole and under
discussion when it's author took excep-
lions to the discussion of its merits
by the Evening Times some days ago,
and referred to the correspondent of
this paper as the constitutional editor
of the Times. But it seems that the
bill was not only considered bur
lesque on legislation by the Evening
Times correspondent, but by suffi-
cient number of the members of the
house to turn down the leader in de-
feating the bill. "He laughs best who
laughs last"
ResubmissiOn In.
Aside from the consideration and
death of the Sorley bill the interest
centered around the concurrent reso-
luton introduced by Representative
0treeter In the late hours of yester-
days session and which was read 10
empty seats after the adjournment had
been agreed upon following the intro
duction OF bills and memorials, pro-
v.ding for the submission of the pro-