Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-19
: Up N TIE AIR
OV[R SPEAKERSH|P
Much Uncertainty Over the Or
ganization of the Coming
Legislative Session
CONTEST ALL IN A TANGLE
Caucus NDeadIock Not improbable
Benedict Sure to Be Named Clerk Of
tho House-contest for Secretary of
the Senate - Committee Make Up
Must Wait.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 19.-There hasn't
been for a long time any approaching
legislative session SO difficult to fore
cast in any particular as the one soon
to be held in Iowa. The organization
is "all in the air" as 1t were, in both
houses, and there seems to be nobody
to outline any definite program for
the work of the session. 1t is freely
predicted that the session will be a
very busy one, but mainly with clean
ing up the odds and ends and per-
fecting and improving the advanced
legislation of recent years.
In the matter of the organization.
nobody can make a good guess as to
what will happen. The speakership
contest is all in tangle. with such
a large field and such disregard of all
possible factional lines that it is not
safe to hazard a guess. With White,
Lee, Feeley Hacker Marston, Hard
ing, Darrah. Stillman and Sullivan all
being talked of. to say the least, for
speaker. it looks like there might be
a caucus deadlock. There can be no
factional lineup for any of these cam
didates. 1t is true that the majority
of the candidates have been classed
as progressives. which would indicate
a. &f RI
that it shows the party has not ma
terially changed in many years. Pos
sibly there will be an effort to advance
the interests of some candidate because
OF alleked "standpat" predictions, but
this is the only way the speakership
can develop factional troubles. Thus
Ear the contest is good natured and
the candidates are asking support on
merit alone.
1t is settled that Rush Benedict is
to again be clerk of the house, for he
has received the pledge of support from
nearly all the mbers without ever
asking for it. His record as an eff
cient clerk has never been equaled.
The reading clerk position is still wide
open.
In the senate the organization CEN
ters upon the clerical positions. DR..
Newman, of Des Moines. is again a
candidate for sedretary and claims
that he has the matter all buttoned
up. He says he has the pledge Of
every "standpatter" and of two others,
which gives him just enough. There
is opposition to Newman on the ground
that seven successive terms is enough
and because of some other purely per-
sonal matters, and the fact that SEN
ator Seeley has a candidate in the per-
son of Capt. William Neal, shows that
the position is not conceded to New
man. Both candidates are soldiers.
The house committee makeup must
wait upon the speakership caucus
which cannot be held until the Sat
urday evening before the meeting of
the legislature. The senate committee
jockeying can commence at any time.
But President Clarke, who will make
up the senate committees, is one of
the hardest men to approach on the
matter of favors in committee assign
ments ever known. In fact several Of
lllS. S0udIOlS VIII 1dSC SuSSSO0OA Ia
button -holing him long enough to
whisper few words in his ear, state
frankly that they are not a whit. bet
ter off than those who have left him
alone Clarke is. one of the most in
dependent men on earth. He didn't es-
pecially want the job and he has some
notions of his own about the proprie-
ties of the office. He is, moreover, pref
ty we'll acquainted with all the sena-
tors and is able to decide for himself
how those committees ought to be
made up. 1t will probably not do any
of the senators any good to make pill
grinages to Adel to see the next pres
ident of the senate.
The matter of revision of the de-
tail organization of both houses with
special reference to cutting off need
less and useless appendages will re-
ceive some attention in both houses. 1t
is known and has been known for many
years that there are too many employees
about the legislature. The house start
ed in to reform itself in the matter Of
committee clerks two years ago, but
did not get very far. The senate has
never yet been SelZed Wlli lHe leAoi III
mania. But something is likely to hap
pen this year.
The retrenchment idea is going to be
uppermost this year There has been
a great deal said in recent years about
the terrible condition of the state treas
ury and the constituents of. lot of
the members actually believe that
there are great loopholes thru which
the money is being poured in wastful
manner This thought is going to be
of great help to the advocates of re-
trenchment in the matter of the hand
ling of the immense funds distributed
thru. the three state educational insti-
tutions not now subject to supervision
bv the board Of control. The board OF
regents bill will be introduced again
and be pushed very hard. 1t is under
+t,.% aarlx, in the campaign last