The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-01-06

organization the state has seen. It
has, to date, been effectively employed
in advancing the program leaders OF
the NOnpartisan movement have been
in the process OF framing for months.
The league leaders realize they aFe
face to face with the supreme test.
They expect to maintain their abso~s
lutte control over the league. and over
the house Of representatives.
The secret caucus is the vehicle by
which they expect to ride through the
session.
Hits Committee System.
The caucus system employed in the
house OF representatives. where the
league is in absolute and complete
control, has destroyed almost to It's
foundation. the committee system OF
legislation.
The caucus system has transferred
the real work Of the legislature from
the floors OF the senate and house. 10
the floor Of the secret caucus, conduct
ed each evening In the leagues leased
hotel, behind closed doors. TO which
only the members who have pledged
to abide by the caucus decisions. are
admitted. together with a favored few
leaders of the Nonpartisan movement
these including A. c. Townley. ID. G.
Coates. Albert Il. Bowen. and two or
three others. p
Rule 10 Absolute.
The rule Of the house caucus -
absolute at the present time.
The first demonstration OF that fact
was witnessed yesterday. when the
house OF representatives rejected the
report OF the rules committee, return
ing 1t to the committee for further
revision. and making 1t the sense OF
the house Of representatives that COM
mittee memberships be limited to nine
on the most important committees
with three as the minimum number.
Such committees as appropriations
Judiciary, state affairs. education, ands
bershiu of from Is to 10. are cut TO a.
maximum Of nine under the ruling.
1t was the ruling OF the Nonpartisan
league caucus, and IL was made the
decision Of the caucus on Thursday
evening. after the proposition had been
placed before a body Of men which
was at first antagonistic TO the scheme
swung to the plan that had been de-
termined upon by the leaders. .,-eer-
1t was in the Thursday night caucusst
and Albert Bowen. chief clerk Of thes
house, was speaking for the reductions
OF the committees.
Big business wants big Committees
That Is how they can work"
HdL WIS one Oh the
Bowen presented. There were oth~s
ers.
c. P. Peterson. Of Towner countya;
strongly favored reducing committeess
to an absolute minimum: President
Townley was strongly for small com-S
mittees.
And finally. when the issue was puS
to an aye and no vote. 1t carried. -
So. yesterday afternoon, the plan
mt aCrOao hauan Tha uosn
was about II to 40, although it was
not announced by the speaker. the mo-
ton to return the report to the conf
mittee for further revision simply beS
ing declared carried. n
Committee Reports Reviewed.
Every report of every committee I'm
the house will first go to the Nom
partisan caucus before being returned
to the house OF representatives.
That has been made very clear dur
ing the series of evening caucuses that
are being held by the league. a.-..
No matter what the issue. it will
go before the league caucus for action
before it comes back to the house.
Three Men in Charge. g.
On the floor of the house, three men
have been placed in charge.
They are Walton OF Ward. Fraser of
Mclean, and Peterson Of Towner.
From one or the other of these men,
the leaguers are expected to get their
cue, and that fact was quite evident
during the brief proceedings of yester-
day when the rules matter was thresiI-
ed out.
Committee of Whole Work.
There is every reason to believe that
the adoption of the small committee
rule will mean the throwing OF a
tremendous amount Of legislation into
the committee of the whole house.