The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-01-09
Fight to Deprive Speaker Of the
Power to Choose Committees
Fails BY Narrow
Margin
REP. RIDDLE HAS A
NEAR ENCOUNTER
Sulphur Man Takes Offense at His
Remarks---A Brilliant Debate
Precedes Vote on the
Resolution

Oklahoma City Jan. ga stormy
and brilliant contest over a resolution
which proposed 70 take the power to
name the standing committees from
the speaker and vest it III commit
tee on committees, to be selected by
the house, occupied the second day
Of the session Of the house Of repre-
sentatives
The resolution was defeated BY the
narrow margin Of one vote, the totals
standing As TO II, and the reconsider
alton Of the measure was blocked only
after some lively and strenuous par
liamentary work in which the SER
geant-at-arms had to take little hand.
The resolution was drafted by H. H.
Smith Of Shawnee, and was supported
almost solidly By the legislators Who
had made up the Williams-smith
speakership forces, and also by Is out
Of the 10 Republican minority.
The champions of the resoiation
made y parallel, on state scale,
with tne resolution in the house ol
congress, under which the power to
nana committees, and consequently
throttle legislation, was stripped nom
Speaker Joe Cannon and given to the
congressional committee on commit.
tees.
The opponents Of the resolution, who
included almost every man who had
voted for Representative Maxey for
speaker, and also three Republicans.
charged that it was drafted in spirit
oi disappointed partisanship with no
other intention than to wrest from
Speaker Maxey the powers which the
higher honor justly vested in him
Between these two extremes there
ragged for five hours a debate, which
for force, intelligence and brilliant
speeches, has not been surpassed in
any assembly in Oklahoma since state.
hood, and which aroused repeated and
FREQUENT vigorous applause. not only
from friendly hearers. but from oppon-
ents as we'll
# the 98 floor members Of the house
had entered a general hoax or con-
spiraey to make the speaker show his
mettle, they could not have succeeded
any better than did the parliamentary
battle over the resolution. There were
several occasions for snarp and forci-.
bic rulings, and when lir Maxey re-
fused to recognize J. Roy Williams,
who desired to lodge a motion to re-
consider the vote by which the reso-
luton had been indefinitely postponed.
the latter began to haze the speaker
in earnest.
As soon as a roll call on the motion
to indefinitely postponed was ended,
and before the vote was announced,
Mr. Williams had seen that the resolu-
ton was lost. He jumped to his feet
and changed his vote to aye" the
time honored maneuver by which
friend Of the measures puts himself
into position to move its reconsidera.
ton when defeated The rule Of tho
house is that the losing side cannot
move such reconsideration He then
Iremained standing. waiting for the vote
TO be announced, to be the first catch
the epe Of the speaker
Speaker Maxey understood the ma.
newer. turned his chair and looked
out the east window until the clerk
announced the vote, AS aye. AZ no,
A dozen members were instantly On
their feet clamoring for recognition:
/ Mr. Williams came down the aisle. say
ing "Mr Spesaer, Mr Speaker
Nr Durans Of Durant Who, with
John p Crawford shares the floor
leadership OF the Maxey Crawford Du.
rant forces, has seat Immediately IN
front Of the speakers rostum. and
was recognized when MI Maxey faced
about He got the floor an dimmeai.
ately moved the other tims honored
motion 10 reconsider ana table. hv
which lost measure is buried FOR the
21dap session
4 Amld the protests of the other
continued on naee Il