Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-01-12
The MISSOURI LEGISLATURE
LAWMAKERS CONVENE IN BEN.
NAL SESSION.
House and Senate Organize Elect
Officers and Appoint Committees
Ready for Work.

houses Of the legislature convened in
f~orty-sixth biennial session at noon.
Lleutenant-Governor Gmelich called
the senate to order as the hands point
ed to IL o'clock and at the same time
John /. Holmes of Rolla. as acting
chairman, convened the house. Both
houses adjourned Immediately for one
day when the permanent organization
will be effected. Democratic caucuses
upon organization matters will occu.
py the time until then.
The gathering at the capital is the
smallest that has attended the opening
Of an assembly in years. Indications
to business earlier than ever before.
The senate spent the morning cleo
ting the Democrats selected in eau
Gus to the officers of the senate and
heads Of the various branches of SER
vice under the senate. 1t took the en-
tire forenoon to transact this bust
ness.
Even bill" Phelps, crushed not a
bit by losing the first skjrmish in the
party caucus took the floor in the
house to laud j. Kelley Poole, who
was elected chief clerk. After it was
all over, John T. Barker of Macon
walked to the speakers stand and a
Democrat ruled once more from the
rostrum from which the Republicans
had driven the Democracy two years
ago.
The house and senate met in Joint
session at noon to cast up the returns
Of the election Of state officers.
The constitution provides a list OF
state officers whose election shall be
declared by the joint session. 1t does
not include the supreme judges. 1t
does include the superintendent OF
schools, but the office of railroad and
warehouse commissioner was created
by statute after the constitution was
adopted and that statute provides on
ly that he shall be elected as other
state officers. Consequently there was
some question as to whether the leg
Is lature had any real interest in the
determination of who has been elect.
ed railroad commissioner. However,
when there was no question about
up the returns and the Democrats as
sumed jurisdiction of the matter.
The possibility of the redistricting
of the state by the general assembly,
with the approval of the governor is
looking slim already. The desire for
districts and in the congressional
districts Is too strong, probably, to
allow agreement.
Speaker Barker of the lower house
of the Missouri Legislature began his
official duties by appointing the three
committees of the house which must
do the most work and usually have
the most trouble. The committees
that pay the bills and distribute the
Jobs have trouble from the beginning
OF the session to its closing days.
These are the committees appointed:
Committee on Accounts - Fahy,
Armstrong, Griggs, Paynter, McDon-
aid, Wilson. Darby.
Committee on Clerical Force-Hus.
ton, Yates, Hull (Platte), Hurst Bar
bee, Sterling, Britain.
Committee on Rules-Orr, Sosey,
Hull (Platte), Clapper, Simmons,
Lloyd, Matthews.
A bill to increase the salaries OF
ctata nHtnnrc f1nrn than nm nnr aant
is to be introduced by Senator Wal
lace Green of Kansas City. Attorney
General Major is preparing the bill.
Jefferson City. Observation-Disclosures
before the Missouri legislature is in.
definitely blocked. This situation is
the result of a decision handed down
by the supreme court dismissing the
contest proceedings brought by
Thomas NJ. Bradbury, Democrat,
against Frank A. Wightman, Republi.
can, for the office Of railroad and
warehouse commissioner. The court
upholds the plea Of Wightman.
The decision is based on the fact
that the statute covering election con-
tests does not mention the Office OF
railroad and warehouse commission
err. The other state officers are men-
toned. For this reason the supreme
court holds it has no jurisdiction in
the case
The courts action forces the con-
test into the legislature.
The state constitution provides the
legislature must declare state Off.
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