Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-07
Taylor of Custer, Democrat, Leads
Opposition to Ransom.
DEMOCRATS IN ANOTHER FIGHT
Comes Up Over Rule to Take Com.
mittees Out of Speakers Hands.
CAUCUS TO SETTLE THIS POINT
Some Lively Debate over Both
Propositions, Particularly One
to Recanvass Vote on
Amendment,
tFrom a staff Correspondent

LINCOLN, Jan. s.--Cspeciai) Before
joint session OF the house and senate today
Senator Ransom, the boss OF the upper
house, had his spurs clipped by a farmer
from Custer-w. ]. Taylor. The incident
marked the first big split In the democratic
majority
Ransom attempted TO get adopted mo
tion to have the secretary Of state forth
with present TO the Joint session the votes
cast for the judicial amendment, which had
already been canvassed by the state Can
vassing board. His idea was TO legislata
out OF office those four judges whom Gov
ernor Sheldon recently appointed and fill
their places with judges selected 'bv Gov
ernor-elect shalenberger. The governor.
elect was witness to the drubbing.
Taylor of Custer county. another demo.
crat, objected and he insisted that the law
was plain that it was the duty OF the can
vassing board TO canvass the vote and the
board had simply done its duty.
After defeating a motion TO adjourn Ran
som finally had to agree to a recess until
the afternoon, when the debate was re-
newed. During the noon hour, however
the big boss sounded sentiment and when
the session opened he was on hand with
an amendment providing for the canvass
OF the vote on state officers and further
provision that the vote on the constitutional
amendment be discussed next Tuesday.
Taylor agreed to let the matter 70 over
and the vote on the amendment was strictly
a party affair. though Henry OF Holt voted
with the republicans.
NettIetOn Makes a Point.
Nettleton OF Clay got in the game in the
afternoon and inquired why the demo-
cratic boss was not asking to canvass the
vote on the amendment providing for the
investment of the school fund, which had
been canvassed by the state board. This
was a matter OF vital Importance he said
AS it had not been, referred to by the
senator from Omaha It was plainly evident
he said, that 1t was an admission that the
state board he'd the legal right to canvass
tte vote ON the judicial amendment.
While It was apparent that Ransom
would lose out II he persisted In demanding
action today he and others evidently feared
that II the vote had been canvassed by the
legislature at it's session today Governor
Sheldon would have time to reappolnt his
old judges before going out of office to-
The amendment which was finally adopted
was as follows
That the joint convention proceed to the
canvass of the votes cast for state officers
and congressman at the election held Mo-
Venber 3, 1905, and that the canvass Of the
vote on constitutional amendment relating
to the judiciary be taken up and disposed
OF at future session OF the two houses
! of the legislature to be held Tuesday, jan
uary 10, 1909, and that when we do ad-
| journ II DE to that time.
First Fight over Rules.
This was the second fight OF the dsy
between the majority members OF the
house The first came when Clark OF Rich
ardsan county moved the adoption OF the
rules governing the last house except that
section which gave the speaker power to
appoint the standing committees This
brought forth numerous obJectorB who in
sisted that this right should not be taken
| from the speaker and II was only after
Mr. Clark had announced this question was
still open and would be settled In a caucus
scheduled for tonight that It carried. The
vote in favor of the motion was 81
The joint session convened at II O'Clock
| and Immediately after Lieutenant Gov
ernor Hopewell read the call that II was
for the purpose Of canvassing the vote
cast at the last election for congressman,
| state officers and constitutional amend
ments and the >vote was delivered TO tho
| chief clerk by the secretary OF state, Ran
som OF Douglas moved that lnasmuch as
the vote on constitutional amkndments
had not been included by the Secretary a
demand be made upon him for the records.
Taylor of Custer at once moved IN amend
ment that the joint session should canvass
the vote on state officers and congressman.
This started the fireworks, Ransom
opening with an impassioned grafton that
the state Canvassing hoard had usurped
the authority delegated to the legislature
and that to canvass the vote on the ju-
ucial amendment was a duty. this body
owed TO the people of the state. RAN
som then entered into lengthy disserta-
tion upon the law in case which boiled
down was to the effect there was no
law governing the eanvassing of consti-
tutional amendments. though the last two
legislatures had attended TO this work.
That was his precedent
King of Polk, republican, in answer to
the Ransom speech gave the history of
laws governing the canvassing OF votes
from 1877 to the present time In 1885
the law was plain that the state board
had the right TO canvass the vote on con-
stitutional amendments, though the law
was repealed in 1897 He insisted that
the vote on the last constitutional amend
ments had been canvassed by the state
board and the legislature merely an
nounced the result along with the vote
| on state officers.
f. w Brown of Lancaster. republican
reinforced the King argument by adding
that II the last legislature had canvassed
the vote on constitutional amendments II
had made a mistake. which he hoped this
, legislature would avoid.
Taylor Touches Fireworks
Then came Taylor Of Custer and his fire
works He began easy. by announcing that
J he was merely farmer. with no knowl-
: edge Of law. but that he hoped by simply
; giving his reason why the vote should not
be canvassed and why no demand should
! be made upon the secretary OF state foI
the votes ON the amendment, that he could
even convince the leading lawyer from
Omaha"
Il honestly believe the State CanvaEsins
Board did It's whole duty" said Mr.. TaSIal-