Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-10-24
"HANNA'S HAND
HOW HE MANIPULATED MEAS.
URES FOR SOLE BENEFIT OF
SPECIAL INTERESTS IN
STATE LEGISLATURE.
THE SAME IN CONGRESS.
Away from Home He Took His Stand
More Boldly With tho System
Against Progressive
.. Legislation.

TENS" parliamentarian that 'plunges
the stiletto into popular legislation.
that garrotes the peoples will, that
manipulates measures for the sole
benefit OF special interests. Mr.. Han.
ma is recognized as a master parlia.
m~entarian. He has s~ide.stepped more
Legislation. oonjured more bills, than
any other representative in the North
Dakota legislature. and his record for
side.stepping and voting against pub.
lie interest is just the same as repre-.
sentative In congress as 1t is at home.
The game Of parliamentary practice
Is the hardest Of all in legislative bod.
hes the public has to contend with. 1t
Is ounningly played in the open and
still under i've 1t enables the tool
OF the System" to apparently stand
by the people. to deuble-cross the pub
lie and not be found out. Here are
Isome Of the examples Of Mr.. Hanna's
parliamentary ohieanery in the leRis.
fAtase Of North Dakota:
In 1885 House Bill No. 81, fixing the
1ms3imuna railroad passenger rate at
three eaHts a mile was introduced.
Mr.. HAMA was particularly friendly
TO the railroads then as he IL now.
The bill wal referred to tho railroad
Ecommittee. OF whtuh Mr.. Hanna was
q member. The committee kept the
bill forty days and then recommended
indefinite postponemeat. MI. Hanna
moved the adoption Of the committee
report and the bill was laid to rest.
NO rell call was necessary 80 Mr..
Hanna came out clean"
House Bill No. 48, requiring rati.
roads to install cattle guards. safe
crossings and danger warnings. wat
referred to Mr.. Hanna's committea
and its fate was identical with House
Bill No. "a. Mr.. Hanna playing the
same identical parliamentary tactics.
Thomas F. Marshall's bill ito pro.
vide for greater safety of bank de.
posts" fell into Mr.. Hanna's parlia-
mentary net. Mr.. Hanna did not dare
come out boldly and fight the bill on
account OF his large banking interests,
as that might place him in a bad light.
Instead he injected several amend.
ments that removed features objec-
tloneble to him. but making 1t objec.
tlonable to the people, and then con.
Quoted a flibuster against tbs bill I'm.
til he succeeded in having it. referred
back to the committee on banks and
banking, Of which he was a member.
That was the last seen of the bill.
When Mr.. Hanna was In the senate.
House Bill No. 159, providing for an
honest valuation and assessment of
public service corporations came to
the upper house for passage. 1t was
referred to the judiciary committee,
of which Mr.. Hanna was a member,
and 1t remained there until the last
day OF the session without being re-
ported. The house sent a message re-.
questing passage of the bill. 1t was
recalled for the parliamentarian to
get In his work and he diverted 1t in.
TO a hands OF the steering commit.
tee. That ended 1t.
House Bib No. II, requiring rail.
roads to fence their right of way, or
q side Of an adjoining field, when a
farmer waited to fence a field, was
"1ndeAnitsay postponed" through par.
ttaEnsntary tactics Of MI. Hanna In
the senate. He did net vtoe against
The measure. He had another way Of
haHsas It without geing on record.
One Of MI. Hannats parliamentary
hastdss.Teyal was q Mouse Bill No.
20. q btu empowering the railroAa
somaissien to regulate the railroads
vixen he was . menbcr Of that body
ia asaS. After the bitl came out Of his
noeaMittee, the railroad eommateo.
PIE. Mama began plsyias, his tdadsa
head aga4ast 1t and twice had to eeue
out In the apen to hsht It., but Ant13y
won out vita p~arliaasatary asapsns
and placed the shreud Of "i68efatte
postpenement" around the nlsaAurs.
Here Is how he did it. WSen the
bill was made q special order 81 bust.
ness. MI. Hanna led a nxb4ster to
prevent a vote being taken And wound
up the day by having his motion to
refer back to general orders adopted.
But before adjournment C.. l.. Lind.
strom, author of the bill, succeeded
In having 1t made a special order of
business for the next day. Mr.. Hanna
took up the fight for delay next day.
hnal passage, but it was placed on
final passage.
Right here is where the hidden
hand came in play. A poll had been
secretly taken Of the house, disclos-
ing the fact that there was not a ma
)ority present to pass the bill, so Mr..
Hanna reversed himself and voted For
he bill. after having fought 1t all the
way to roll call. This places him on
record as opposed to the railroads. BY
voting for the bin when he knew It
could not pass he placed himself In a
favorable position to move to recon.
slider, should an unexpected move dur.
Ing roll call change the attitude Of
noses counted before the vote was
taken. The vote was 81 to 80, with
one absent, ia favor of the BILL. A
motion to reconsider was supplanted
by a motion to table and Mr.. Hanna
voted against his last vote and tried
10 kill the measure then and there.
The next eay the bill was reconsid.
cred and the cid fl.bustes was launch.
ed against 1t. the hidden hand OF the
master pariiamentarian coming to the
rescue with Q motion to proceed with
general orders ana the motion pre-
vailed. TIE distraction OF attention
rom tho BILL was temporary, however.
md 1t wac brought up again. 1t was
referred" TO The committee of the
whole. which recommended indefinite
postponement. with Mr.. Hanna at the
parlia mentary helm. The vote to
adopt the report was 30 to 80, Mr..
Hanna vottng for the railroads, but
The molten was lost.