Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-01-23
AWAITS ACTION
OF COMMITTEES
Legislature Passes No Bills in
First Two Weeks,
SENATE'S DOORS ARE CLOSED
Several Executive Sessions Held 60
Consider Appointments of
Governor Burke.
Especial Correspondence.

Especial Correspondence.
Bismarck, N. D., Jan. 2O.-The thir-
teenth assembly of the North Dakota
legislature has finished its second
week, and neither branch has passed
one bill. though there have been in
troduced eighty-three in the senate
and eighty-nine in the house. Every
one of these bills are in the hands of
the various committees, and only
one has been recommended for pass
age and that was House Bill No.. 1,
rel. ing to the summoning of Jurors,
which received a favorable report
from the committee on judiciary.
!. i. !.
The senate, which has less than
half the membership of the house,
has made slow progress so far. On
the first day of the session Governor
Burke, before leaving the executive
office, sent the senate two sealed COM
munlcations, which were presumed
to pertain to the confirmation of the
appointment of the present members
of the tax commission and board of
control created at the session of the
legislature two years ago. The SEN
ate has held three executive sessions
which are supposed to have been for
the consideration Of those communi-
cations, the last executive session be-
ing held Saturday afternoon. and
which lasted for over a half hour,
and during which considerable dis
cussion was had, but as yet no pub
lie announcement has been made as
to what n senate has done pertain
ing to the communications.
4 X :.
Just what the present status of
affairs may be relating to the senate
action in ratifying or not ratifying
the appointments made by former
Governor Burke on the state board
of control and state tax commission
is a matter OF conjecture. Whether a
state tax committee longer exists also
is a matter of conjecture. According
to law, unless members of the state
tax commission appointed to fill a
vacancy are confirmed by the senate
before the ''lird Monday in January
they automatically lose their jobs.
The question of interest, therefore,
is whether the present commission
was named to fill a
1t has been the general belief that
the question of confirming the mem
bers of the tax commission, named
for two, four and six years, respec-
lively, was the only matter of vital
Importance, as the terms of the mem
b ,rs of the board of control expire
in June. 1t develops, however, that
the present term of the penitentiary
warden, Frank O. Hellstrom, expires
about a month earlier, and the ap-
polntment is subject to the decision
OF the board of control. Therefore
there is far less likelihood that the
courtesy Of confirmation will be ex-
tended the present members of the
board.
!. !. !.
The eighty-three bills introduced
SO far in the senate have been re-
ferred to committees, but none of
them have been reported back for ac-
ton. The majority of these bills are
with the committees on judiciary and
state affairs. which committees have
had several meetings and it is likely
numerous reports will be forthcoming
within the next few days.
= x !.
During the past week special rep
r~esentatives have ben here to inter-
est the members in the proposition
OF having the state represented at the
Panama exposition in 1915. Some fine
illustrated lectures have been given
In the state exposition building for
the purpose of encouraging the legis-
lature to make an appropriation pro-
Vldlng for an exhibit. Representative
Streeter on Saturday offered a prop.
OSltiOn to the house in tho shane of