Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-01-12
One Of Them Was HanIey's Sc
lection for Speaker.
NEW COMBINE IN THE SENATE
"OId Guard" ~OutgeneraIIed In Skir-
mish for Control of the Upper
House of Legislature.

Bismarck, Jan. Sine formal or
g%anization of the legislature COM
pleted the members took a ecess un-
til Jan. 12 to give the presiding Off
GERS of the two houses an opportunity
to name their committees that will
have in charge the matters presented
for legislative considerations. There
were some surprises in the organiza-
ton of the upper house, and in fact
in both houses. The speakership of
the lower house went to J.. M. Hanley
Republicans of the state, who has
been active in law and politics for a
number of years in the big country
west of the Missouri river. Hanley
was in the race as a progressive Re-
publican, but has lever been num-
bered among the radical insurgents"
His election was due to a combina-
ton of the central and western mem.
bers, the Valley candidates, Sorlie and
Price, being eliminated by a caucus in
which half a dozen ballots were taken
and the low man each time dropped
by agreement. This narrowed the
fight down to Hanley and Homness,
from the northwestern part of the
state, and Hanley won. There is a
pretty general satisfaction with the
outcome and the disposition is to deal
fairly with all members regardless of
fractional utilization, as far as it is pos
sible to do so and recognize the claims
of those who were among the organ
iZers of the house combination.
X X x
A new combination organized the
senate, capturing it from the "old
guard OF the state by signing up
some twenty-five members of the up
per house Republicans while the other
Republican leaders of the state were
waiting. for a general caucus to be
held, believing that there were twenty
eight or thirty members who could be
depended on to organize the upper
body if things came to an issue. The
forming of the new combination came
as a surprise, but a accepted grace
fully by the leaders who were out
generated in the preliminary Skin
mish. AS far as possible all of the
Republican members were recognized
in the organization, although the prin-
cipal matter of interest, the chairman
ships of some of the more important
committees, is still to be decided when
the lieutenant governor, U. L. Bur-
dick, names his committees. An adj
visory committee, consisting of five
senators chosen from both factions of
the party, was named to act with the
lieutenant governor in making up the
list of committees, but this committee
acts merely in a conciliatory capacity
and the final decision in matters not
agreed upon amicably is with the lieu
tenant governor, this being one of the
issues upon which the combination
"a formed. Places around which
principal interest centers are the
chairmanships of the committee on
appropriations, state affairs, Judiciary,
railroads and other places of like i'm
portance. Some of the more radical
insurgent members want to displace
La Moure from the craftsmanship of
the committee on appropriations,
which he has held for the past five
OF six sessions. On the other hand,
there is a disposition among the mem
bers Of the winning caucus to con-
cede this place to La Moure because
of his long experience as chairman
and his knowledge of the finances of
the state and the relative needs of it's
institutions. There are also several
candidates for the Craftsmanship of
the committee on judiciary, among
them Simpson of Stark, who has been
a member of the senate for a number
of terms and who would have the
place if it were determined by senior
'ity of service. Bessesen of Wells,
one of the active members of the SEN
ate combination that captured the or
g%anization and one of the youngest
members of the senate, would also
like the place. This is another mat
ter that will be decided when the leg
islature reconvenes.
4 4 K
The new state officers have been
formally sworn in and assumed their
duties and the biennial changes in the
various departments have been made.
There is a general declaration on the
part of the Republicans of both
houses for economy. Both houses have
declared by resolution for the strict.
est economy consistent with the dis
patch of business by the legislature
and the list of employees is shorter
than it has been for several years.
Both parties are pledging the closest
safeguarding of the peoples funds,
both in Legislative expenditures and
in the general appropriations for the
expenses of the state administration
and state institutions. The Repub-
licans in both have pledged
the carrying out OF the Republican
party platform and this means the
enactment Of an anti.pass law, initia-
tive and referendum and other pro-
gressive measures. In the senate no
less than three anti.pass bills were in
a. I'D M i. NMfIN .AA-