The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1912-01-10
DEALT FAIRLY
BY OPPONENTS
Speaker Of House Plays No
FaVOTltes.
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

In Organizing the House For the Bus
mess Of the Session, Speaker Terrell
Displayed a Degree Of ImpartiaIity
That Has Given Even Those Who
Opposed Him Most Opportunity For
Praise.
Frankfort, KY, Jan. s-~To the vic
tor belong the spoils" is a saying In
politics that usually is lived up to, but
in the appointment of the standing
committees Of the house this session,
Claude Terrell. the speaker. did not
follow the precept With the speaker
ship in his control and the power to
name the committees resting with him
and his friends, Mr.. Terrell showed the
right spirit and gave good appoint
ments to the followers of HIS opponent,
Harry Schoberth. Of Woodford county.
Mr.. Terrell wont even further than
that and gave good places to the few
Republicans in the house who are on
the other side Of the political fence
from Mr. Terrell. The appointments
were not announced until Tuesday, al
though it had been expected that they
would go to the house on Monday
The Rules committee, that alLpow-
erful body, which is in charge OF the
business of the house during the last
days of the session, was announced
on Tuesday and this committee went
over the list of the other committees,
making few changes. The Rules COM
mittee is the most sought-for place
in the house, next to the speakership.
In the house in the last few days of the
session there is always a rush on the
part of members to get their bills up
for passage. The legislators usually
daily along for six or eight weeks and
then crowd into the last few days the
actual work of the session. To give
some semblance> of order and to get
the work out, it has been the custom
to permit Of no measure being report
ed from the committee, from the calen-
dar or orders of the day. unless called
up by the Rules committee. This will
be the program again this year.
Tuesday was bill day in the house,
and more than two hundred measures,
providing for everything under the
sun were offered by the members. The
senate has no bill day, every day being
bill day, but no bills were offered dur
ing the first week OF the present ses-
sion. The sessions were mostly de-
voted to the routine of organization
and adjournment was taken on We'd
nesday until Tuesday, each house wait
ing for the appointment of the COM
mittees. But the house members had
their chance on Tuesday, and they
took prompt advantage of it to pour
into the hopper bills for many things.
Every plank in the Democratic plat
form will be carried out if the bills
introduced all pass, for a bill was of
cred carrying into effect every plank
in that platform. AS there was little
difference between the Republican and
Democratic planks the minority, the
Republicans, will offer much the same
bills as the Democrats. 4
Both parties are pledged to prison
reform. and the leaders of the Repub-
lican minority have said that they will
back up the Democrats in the proposal
to take the prisons out of politics. Just
how they are to be taken out Of politics
is what is causing the talk. The pres
ent prison commissioners say that
they are not opposed to taking the
prisons out Of politics, but they do not
think it would be carrying out the
Democratic platform to transfer the
patronage Of the prisons from the
men who now control it to the op-
posing faction in the Democratic
party. They say that they are willing
to do what they can to carry out the
Democratic platform, but they differ
with the other side as to the methods
that are to be employed
One side wants the prisons placed
under the control OF the governor.
giving the governor power TO appoint
prison commissioners, instead of hav-
ing them elected by the legislature as
at present. Eli Brown, chairman OF
the prison commission, says this
would be turning the patronage, which
is taken away from his board, over to
the other side. The commissioners
say that they would be willing to have
the people elect the commissioners as
the railroad commissioners are elect
ed, by districts. 1t is regarded as prob
able that the friends Of the prison
commissioners will try to get through
bill making the Office of prison com
missioner elective by direct vote of
the people. The state would be divid-
ed into three districts, probably so ar
ranged that no Republican could be
elected and an election had every
four years to choose each commits
sioner.
In the fight over the speakership.
IT was charged that Mr. Schoberth, Of
Woodford county, was the candidate
of the prison commission, and that he
was representing them. 1t was also
charged that the lobbyists" were be-
hind Mr.. Schoberth. This was denied
with vigor by Mr.. Schoberth and his
friends who asserted that he and HIS
friends were pledged to carry out the
planks in the Democratic platform.
Mr.. SchOberth went down in defeat
with spunk, and showed that he can be
a good loser by the smiling way he