The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1913-01-07
sPEAKERSH|P IS
STILL UNSETTLED
Race Narrows to Mavxey and Vii.
liams-Two Meetings Are
Held.

Oklahoma City, Jan. AT a can
Gus Of fifty democratic members ei
the house OF representatives held at {
o'clock Monday afternoon, ]. Harvey
Maxey of Muskogee received forty
seven votes as the democratic caucus
nominee for speaker of the house.
AT the same time, in another assem-
bly, room of the Lee-Huckins hotel, al
a meeting of the friends" of II. Fl
Smith of Shawnee and ]. Roy Williams
OF Lawton, participated in by twenty
nine democratic members of the lower
house, it was voted to disregard the
action of the Maxey caucus and to pre-
sent the name of j. Roy Williams fol-
speaker of the house in open session
Tuesday, after the legislature formally
has convened.
AS result of the split in the dcL.o
cratic membership, the speaker3hir
fight will be carried to the floor Of the
house and the eighteen republican
members may have a hand before il
is ended They have caucus can
didate themselves, Representative L
V. Vosburgh of Woodward, and plan
to vote for him on the first ballot, and
il Mr. Maxey is not elected it may be
that the minority will take sides with
the democratic candidate to whom
their preferences incline them.
The speakership bomb exploded
early Monday and some of the pieces
are still flying. John P. Crawford Of
Ada withdrew in favor of Mr. Maxey
of Muskogee about an hour past mid
night Sunday, which means in the wee
small hours of Monday morning.
Race Narrows to Two.
The Smith Williams forces already
had reached clear understanding and
by daylight Monday, the race had mar
rowed down to Mr. Maxey and Mr.. Will
liams, and had become strenuous. The
prominent politicians from over the
state taking hand outnumbered the
legislators.
BY 10 O'Clock the Maxey forces were
SO strong that they began the circula-
tion of petition calling democratic
caucus at 2 O'Clock. By noon, they
had forty-five names to written
pledge to vote for Maxey.
The Smith-Williams forces called a
meeting of friends at 1880 Monday
afternoon, half an hour before the
time the caucus had been called, and
were still in session when O'Clock
had arrived. On the grounds that the
caucus had been illegally called and
was in truth no democratic caucus but
merely caucus of Maxey men, they
refused to participate.
The Maxey caucus, after some de-
bate, and after John p Crawford had
nominated Mr. Maxey and the nomina-
ton had been seconded, then decided
to recess until o'clock and authorized
a committee to seek "absentees" and
invite them to the caucus when il
should reassemble
Conference is Futile.
This committee and the Williams
Smith forces conferred in vain; the
latter refusing to recognize the eau
Gus call as legally made. They pro
posed to check the matter of calling
the caucus up to State Chairman Tom
c. Harrill, saying that if he would call
a general caucus they would partici-
pate.
The Maxey forces contended that
the caucus had been called in the only
way it could that is, by petition signed
by a majority thereof. Chairman HaT-
rill refusedato take hand, saying that
as state chairman he should not take
sides with either faction.
At o'clock then, the democratic"
caucus was again formally announced
as about to meet and about the same
time the Smith Williams forces to the
number of twenty-nine, including these
two gentlemen themselves, assembled
in the banquet room of the Lee-Huck-