The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1916-02-04
|BYRNE CALLS
EXTRA SESSION
Primary Emergency Prompts
Governor to Issue Call.

South Dakota's first session of
the legislature was officially sum-
moned by Gov. Frank NJ. Byrne
late Saturday when by virtue of
the power vested in him as chief
executive, the governor formally
called the lawmakers into extra
ordinary session to convene at 10
O'Clock a. M. Tuesday the Sth of
February.
The legislature is summoned to
amend the primary law so as to adj
vance the date of this year primary
election in order that South Dakota
republicans may have full pri--
mary expression of choice of dele
gates to the national republican
convention at Chicago OH June 9TH.
The law fixes the primary election
date for June 9th.
From the tone of the letters re-
ceived in answer to Gov. Byrne's
inquiries it has been apparent for
several days that the extra session
is, in the judgement of the MEM
bers of the legislature. the proper
solution of the primary tangle. Be
fore acting Gov. Byrne wrote each
member and large majority of
them urged him to call the extr a
session.
A majority of the letters receiv-
ed are in effect pledges that no leg.
islation will be attempted to save
the necessary amendments to the
primary law to make it operate in
time for the national republican
convention. In his call Gov.
lByrne declares the present primary
law to be defective for conditions
existing this year, and proclaims
an extraordinary OCCASION which
demands legislative action.
Promptly at 10 O'Clock Tuesday
morning, February Sth., Speaker
Charles A. Christopher of Sioux
Falls will cali the house of repre-
sentatives to order Simultan-
eously Lieut.. Gov. Peter Norbeck
of Redfeld will formally convene
Ithe senate. The senate will pro
badly Immediately repair to the
house chamber where Gov. Byrne
will address the two bodies in joint
session OH the defects which he as
governor will urge them to correct.
The organization of the legis
lature obtained in the last regular
session continues as rule during
extra sessions.
The defect in the primary law
which makes an extra session nee
essary is in that portion of it which
. seeks to insure the primary me
thod of choosing delegates to na
tional conventions against embar
, essment iii case national conven
/. ton should be called before tn
primary date, or SO sooa after
that the operation of the presiden
tial primary would be impossible
n The law specifics date in April il
e such emergency, but in the weak
ness of this provision is that it doe
IL not indicate who shall declare TIL
II necessity of the extra primary lloV
does it clothe anyone with power I
>. demand local election officials I,
IS prepare for such a primary, ane
# further, the registration provision
u of the law which were designe
III expectation vi june ~ lHldl
/. were not made adaptable toan e,
,s t,a primary election. Thus a pr
>, vision of the law which was col
sidered as minor feature and us
:, full only i'll case of an altogether u
: likely emergency, was not tho
ouehly worked out by framer
' The fixing of the national CO
ls vention date the day after I
- South Dakota primaries sudden
" gave the emergency provision +
10. sition of first Importance in Sou
Dakota politics and under scruti
10. ii was found lacking in essent
particulars. The law will