The log cabin Democrat., 1913-01-11
hARDACE AND
OLDHAM SURE
TO HEAD LEGISLATURE
w. F. INCOMES IS HONOR GUEST
AT BIG BANQUET AT THE
MARION HOTEL.

Little Rock, Jan. 11.-Josiah Hard
.age of Arkadelphia will be elected
speaker of the lower house of the Ar
kansas legislature Monday. This was
the chief feature Of yesterdays con
.ferences and caucuses held in and
around the Hotel Marion.
1t was believed early in the day that
Judge Hardage had secured the
'pledges of more than half of the house
membership and when convinced Of the
fact Carroll Armstrong of Morrilton
land s. A. Miller of Pine Bluff prompt
Fly withdrew from the contest. With
Senator w. K Oldham already prac-
Itically elected president Of the senate
and Judge Hardage speaker of the
house, it is believed that both houses
Twill organize Monday and Tuesday
settled down to the real business of the
session.
7 The selection of presiding officers,
fchief clerk and sergeant-at-arms com
pIetes the organization under the
state constitution.
Yesterdays developments in the or
'ganization contests makes it certain
that the balloting for United States
senator for the siX-year term will be-
fgin one week from next Tuesday, as
stated in these dispatches several days
'ago.
Judge w. NJ. Kavanaugh will be
elected senator to fill out Senator jeff
Davis unexpired term, which ends on
March 4. The position is now being
filled by J. n Heiskell of the Arkan-
sas Gazette.
+ While the selection of Senator w. K.
tOldham of Lonoke county for presi-
dent of the senate caused considerable
1su1prise to the vast army of politi-
'cians now in Little Rock, it was
lkno@n to political leaders as early as
| "wednesday night that Senator Old
ham would be elected, unless Senator
Raney would withdraw during the
next "a hours. Senator A. O.. Martins
supporters served notice on Mr.. Raney
THAT unless he withdrew they would be
compelled to go to Senator Oldham,
and they kept their word, as the result
of the caucus shows. The men pri-
marily responsible for Senator Old
hams election are Senators Covington,
Martin, Hughes, Clerget, Monroe
iSmith, Mccall and Calvert. These
[seven senators held the balance of
ipower, and when they declared for
Senator Oldham and entered his head
quarters the jig was up as far as Sen
ator Raney was concerned.
With the senators already pledged to
fSenator Oldham it gave him q votes,
Senator Raney had the pledges of
Is senators, which was three less
than the requisite majority. They
are Senators Wood White, Wasson,
W. c. Rodgers, Christian, Fredell,
Ferguson, Wagner, McBee, Going,
Overman, Lundy, Ashley and Owen,
not counting Senator Raney's vote,
which would make Is. Senators John
: Ike Moore of Helena, Pat Rogers of
: Benton county and Marion Futrell of
Greene were also supporters of Sen
| tor Oldham, but had not arrived in
: the city in time to take part in last
nights caucus.
w. F. McCombs, chairman of the
Democratic national committee, spent
five strenuous hours in Little Rock
yesterday. He arrived in the city
from Howbury, Ashley county, his old
home, at 3 o'clock, and was taken at
once to the high school auditorium,
where he addressed the students of
that school, At o'clock he was the
guest of the Arkansas Press Associa-
ton, where he talked to the editors
for several minutes.
Later in the afternoon he conferred
with members of the Democratic state
committee and discussed, it is believ-
ed, matters relating to federal patron
age from the standpoint of the incom-
ing national administration, all the
members of the committee declining
to discuss what took place, saying