Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1917-02-02
EXPLAINS
CAUCUS ACTION
Representative Hussman Tells
How Laws are Made at our
State CapitaI--How Forces
Oppose Each Other.
Boise, Idaho, Jan. %, 1917.
Editor Winner:


Editor Winner:
The legislature has now
been In session three weeks and
have during that time had an
opportunity to get fair insight
into the workings of legislative
body.
The first two days were the
most strenuous and l will be
frank to admit that one-haif the
time | hardly knew what was 60
ing on. Events followed each
other so closely and every move
made by the majority was so
hotly contested by the minority,
and everything was so foreign to
me that | am not ashamed to say
that | hardly knew what I was
voting on. But, of course, a new
member is not expected to know
or do anything but follow the
Bell Wether and to support his
motions, and this l did loyalty, of
course. OF the few members
that served a previous term most
of them tell me they had all they
could do to keep their files up to
date and that the first term a
man is not supposed to have any
thing to say except to vote.
Arriving at Boise we were be-
sieged by applicants for positions
as clerks, copyists, pages, etc.,
collectively known as attaches
and numbering some twenty in
the House alone, and besides Sc
lecting these we had the selection
of the Speaker, which was the
most important of all.
These positions are considered
strictly party plums, to be dis
tributed by the party control and
by order of the party caucus.
There was not much trouble in
making these selections in our
party caucus, but on the floor
every position was contested by
the minority who thought that by
putting up a good fight they
might divide US on some of the
positions and came nearly doing
so in one instance, but long as
the Democrats held together we
could do as we pleased, whether
it was wise or not. But we have
an able corps of attaches and
everything is running along
smoothly.
It is hard for a new member
and an amateur politician to con-
cede to caucus rule and the legis-
lature being composed largely of
new members, the leaders have
had their hands full in holding
them to this time worn method.
I came here with firm determi-
nation not to abide by the caucus
rule and wishes and did on one
occasion refuse to abide by it,
but now regret that l didn't.
Many readers may not be ex-
actly familiar with what is meant
bv caucus rule, and l therefore
hope they will bear with me while
7 explain as briefly as possible,
Whenever either party goes into
a special meeting of members Of
their party only, which is gene
rally held in the evening at some
hotel. it is called a party caucus
Here are discussed the bills Of
laws that the party during cam
naign times and in their plat
forms agreed to give to the peo
ple if elected to office. Here
again, l will have to plead m!
dereliction as a politician, because
I didn't read the Democratic
platform until l got to Boise, al
though l was elected on tha
nlatform, so didn't really know
inst what was supposed to d.
do to prove my democracy until
read this platform. l wonde
how many democrats in Idah'
county have read this platform
(continued on page o.