The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1914-10-29

consider the last bill introduced
and would give it 10 days for con-
sideration of the last bill coming
from the other House and every |
member would then get some OPP
portunity to study every bill.
You say, What difference
would this make?" This differ
ence: You read, every session, of
the disgraceful scenes that occur
in the capital on the last night
when bills by the hundred are vot-
ed on so fast that there is no op-
portunity to respond to roll call,
and the vote is a farce: when the
clock is turned back hour after
hour to permit the session to con-
tMue in violation of the constitu-
ton, when men are howled down
and denied the opportunity to pro-
test that their vote has been
wrongfully entered. The worst of
it is, the newspapers do not tell
it half as bad as it is. At the last
session. the Absent-Voter Bill was
voted down under mistake that
it was the bill providing for sill
yer service for the battleship
NorthfDakota. and it took the
united effort of twenty strong men
and the speaker to get order en-
ouRh to point out the mistake and
get a new vote. when the bill was
carried.
This condition comes about by
reason of committees holding
back bills until the closing days
and each House sending to the
other a large number of bills in
the last two days of the session.
The House voted on upward of a
hundred bills the last day of the
last session: or. to be more cor
rect. its records show they were
voted upon: in truth. it was all a
senseless tumble of roll calls i'm
which no one voted at all. but the
clerk called an arbitrary result
vote. The Speaker of the House. an
uncompromising opponent of wo-
mems suffrage. stands recorded as
voting for it.
With the rules changed as I
suggest. there would be sufficient
time to calmly consider each bill
on its merits and either pass or
defeat it before the closing davs
and have all bills passed by the
two Houses in the hands of the
Governor early enough so that y,
could act upon them and the
have them back early enough to
put them to another vote and
pass them. if desirable. over the
Governors veto. AS it is. all these
bills rushed through do not get
back to be acted upon after veto.
and the whole legisletiv power as
to them is thus turned over to the
Governor, where it does not be-
long.
Why will it be difficult to bring
about these changes? Because the
confusion of the last day is the
opportunity of the lobbyist and
those serving private interests
because it affords the much
sought opportunity of passing bad
laws and defeating good ones. My
mission. if elected. will be the re-
form OF these rules. I may not be
able to bring it about. beca it
will be bitterly fought: but. until
someone puts his shoulder to the
wheel and starts the movement. it
will never come. If ! can get in the
entering wedge that later leads to
the reform, my efforts will not
have been lost.
I trust you now see that I am
not seeking this place heedlessly
or without purpose. but deliber-
ately to enter into fight for what
believe must come before the
legislature can get away from its
closing-day disgraces and get
down to q basis where the ordi-
nary member can take his part in
deliberations and truly express
his Judgment on every bill pre-
sented.
Respectfully.
n nTVET Il