Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-11-01
COMMUNICATION.
the Editor of The Tribune:


| In his address at the armory last
week, Mr.. Burke, am informed. left
! his hearers with the impression that
| | had suppressed a message that be
sent TO the senate in the session OF
/ 1907.
! This charge involves a Justification
OF a public record. Otherwise,
should not take time from some
what busy and reasonably profitable
private life to reply TO it.
j Mr.. Burke sent a message to the
senate on March 7, after the order OF
business in which it should have come
up was passed, and the message came
! before the senate in its regular order
of business on March 8. On page 1917
of the Senate Journal for 1907 there
! is the following minute of the pro
ceedings: II
A communication was received
from the governor.
Mr.. Pierce moved that the CON-
munication be NOT printed in the
Journal. and that the senate ap-
point committee of three to
confer with the house committee
Of three to consider this CON-
munication.
Which motion prevailed, and
The president named as such
committee on the part of the SEN
ate Messrs. Pierce, Gilbert and
Crane. ':s
That the message received the at.
tention the committee thought it de.
served is apparent from page 1907 of
the Senate Journal, where there is
the following entry:
Report Of Special Committee.
Your special committee ap-
pointed to consider communica.
tion from the governor beg leave
to report that they have had the
same under consideration and
find that the legislative assembly
has this day passed an act of the
legislature covering the questions
raised by the governor in his COM
munication. so that nothing is left
for the action OF the committee.
Your committee requests there
fore to be discharged.
Respectfully submitted,
E. A. PIERCE,
E. F. GILBERT
MAYNARD CRANE.
Mr.. Pierce moved
That the repor! be adopted,
Which motion prevailed, and
The report was adopted.
| think l can with propriety leave
the matter with this plain quotation
from the Senate Journal.
! beg to state H. this connection
that have served as secretary of the
senate for two terms. There were
stalwart republicans, insurgent repub-
licans and democrats in that body. |
have yet to learn that any member
of the senate has ever. either pub.
llcly or privately, stated that the bust
ness OF the senate was not fairly.
honorably and efficiently transacted
so far as the clerical force was con-
cerned, or that any member of the
senate did not receive courteous con-
slderation, exact justice and untiring
service at the hands of the secretary
or any member of the clerical force.
In the senate of 1909, l was re-
elected as secretary by unanimous
vote. and it was stated from the floor
OF the senate that my election was
charged. not to any county. but to the
state at large.
On the last night of the session of
1919. there was for a period of four
hours or more an unending flow of
bills, amendments, changes, reamend-
ments, reports, conferences and mat
tiers requiring the most painstaking
care, lest mistakes occur in the enroll
ing of bills or their transmission to
the executive.
| have yet to hear that any bill
failed to reach the executive, that
any bill reported did not receive in
slant attention, that any error oc-
Cured in the enrolment of a bill, or
that any action of the senate body was
thwarted by any omission or commits
sion of the secretary's desk.
And for this l shall always feel
grateful to the clerks and
employees of the senate. whose esprit
1u corps was due to the fact that ev-
cry employe of the senate was treated
IS a fellow worker and with that def
erence and consideration that always
results in good service.
JAMES w. FOLEY.