Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-03-03
G|BBENS Bill
S1|RS UP Fight
House Wouldn't Stand for One
Senator From Each County
n:1l

.v.#
Bill.
IT'S absolutely absurd, unfair and
Vicious" said Treadwell Twichell in
discussing s. B. ~23, Gibbons, which
bill relates to the number Of sena-
;ors and representatives and to the
senatorial districts. 4
The bill came up in general orders
in the house yesterday afternoon and
|had a great, deal more support than
it was thought possible for it to pull.
Forty-eight lined up for the bill and
Sc against it.
'Twass No Joke.
Until yesterday it was commonly
supposed that the bill was a joke and
that the house would turn it down
without any argument, but its sup
porters put up a strong fight and
made things sizzle for awhile.
"This bill would change the funda-
mental laws of government" said
Treadwell Twiche.l in arguing
against the bill. Il challenge any
man on this floor to show me where
its parallel is in any republic of the
world.
1T violates the sacred principle OF
representation of the people accord
ing to their number and not accord
ing to county bounds.
ut stultifies the members of this
house who stand for it, because of its
damnable unfairness. I'd like to have
some man get up mere and tell me
what justification there is for 1t.
Let's vote it down as a bad dream
put in by someone for a joke"
Smith For It.
Representative Smith Of Ward con-
tended that this was a perfectly good
bill and Bul nett of Trail said that
he could see nothing unfair about it.
Bur nett suggested passing the meas
ure and letting the people have their
say about it.
Sherman Hickle of Mercer, Oliver
and Dunn, was one of the most ar
dent supporters of the bill, although
A. G. Divet of Richland stated to the
house that Hickle was just Joking
that he had said to Divet after the
bill was up before the house commit
tee on apportionment that he was
merely Jumping into the thing to
see the sport go on"
Hickle ''made a break" when ne
waxed eloquent on the poor, abused
little counties and their longing to
be represented by just as many SEN
ators as the big ones. He touched on
the new county of Sioux and suggest
ed that even an Indian senator from
that county wouldn't. reflect any dis
credit on the body across the hall.
Trying II On the Dog.
Treadwell Twichell got the floor
again long enough to say thai 1t
seemed to him like q case Of try
ing it on the dog"
Dixon of Rolette, Carney of Viii
liams and Mckenzie, and Batter also
supported the bill. Batter was the
one who moved to recommend the
bill for passage
The Joker In the Bill.
l.. l.. Twichell of Cass and A. NJ.
Thompson of Ward pointed out the
Joker in the bill. The bill not only
provides for one senator from each
county but also for n representa-
tive from each county.
Divet of Richland also pointed cut
this joker and showed how it would
act. He stated that it had taken him
some time to convince him that there
was anything serious attached to the
bill--that he had looked upon it as a
joke from the start.
But in view Of the fact that there
were a number who were apparently
serious in supporting the bill he
pointed out that 1t not only would
regulate the senate representation
but that it would regulate the whole
legislative assembly.
Should it pass two legislative as
semblies and be adopted by the peo-
pie, he said, there would be two SEES
sions made up by one senator and
one representative from each county
and such an assembly would make
the legislative reapportionment.
kellogg of Morton said that there
was no inequality in the present re-
presentation to justify this bill to
pass ard said thai representation &C.
cording to population was the only
fair way.
l.. l.. Twichell's motion to indefi-
ritely postpone put an end to the
bill.
Two Other Bills.
The committee Of the whole recon-
mended two other bills to pass. They
were:
s. B. 1877, defining the crime OF
rape: and S. B. 1856. relating to the
disposition of road taxes collected by
the county treasurer.
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