Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-01-08
when THE LAW
MAKERS Meet
THIRTY.EIGHTH GENERAL AS
SEMBLY CONVENES MONDAY,
JANUARY 18TH.
WILL BE AN IMPORTANT SESSION
The Democrats Special Legislative
Representative Starts Service to
Cover News OF Session.
(By Ex-senator G. L. Caswell.)

(By Ex-senator G. l.. CasWell.)
Des Moines, Iowa,
January 4, 1919
Now comes the law makers. Not
only the state of Iowa, but half the
states of the union are to become
blessed, or possessed, with gatherings
of statesmen elected by the sovereign
people of this free and self-goyerned
land to represent them in considering,
selecting, developing, butcher1ng. or
passing laws to govern and direct the
| rest OF us. 1t is going to be the writ
er's duty and responsibility to observe
all the sessions of the Iowa law max
ers at this session, sift and winnow
| the chaff from the real news OF the
| occasion and bring to the readers OF
this paper in as interesting and salts
flying manner as possible what they
most want to know concerning the
session. ..eg.
The second Monday in. January Is
the date set for the opening of the
General Assembly, and on Monday,
January 18th, the Thirty-Eighth
General Assembly will convene at the
state house, as we believe, facing the
most momentous problems in the re-
construction period after the war that
any assembly has faced since the old
fellows Of 1865 tried to forsee what
we of this day would find to be their
wise and careful judgment.
What Difference About SpeakerY
The press each day now teens with
gossip and more or less political
dope that is neither warranted nor
loaded with consequences of vital i'm
portance to the people. For instance.
what difference is it going to make to
the. people Of Iowa who is elected
speaker of the House of Representa-
tices when this legislature convenes?
Yet all you see now is that so-and-so
has the forces of the House all lined
up to put him across, and that other
statesmen of ambition are entering
into combinations to see that he does
not become speaker
A speaker of the House presides at
the meetings of that body, ostensibly.
but his duties as such presiding officer
require him to be fair and to be guild
ed by rules laid down by those whose
hair is now whitened by many years
of action, or who have long ago gone
to report to the Master Mind of the
Universe. Should he try to set aside
such rules he would be torn as by a
pack OF wolves or banished to shame
even as the kaiser who recently sought
to rule the world.
The speaker is, however, a power
more in his relation to the makeup
of the House committees. He ap-
points them. He doesn't always Sc
| lect them. Some times he has it hand
ed out to him on a cold shovel just
whom he shall appoint to head certain
| important committees, else he will not
be elected speaker Instance a recent
session of the House wherein outsid-
ers-men who never were and never
| could be members-were said to have
dominated and directed certain COM
mittee appointments. Thank goodness,
the outlook is far more honorable in
the present contest for speaker.
If Arch w. McFarlane of Waterloo
is chosen to preside in the House;
or if F. S. Finley of Mt Pleasant,
Henry county, gets the place; or if
the throw Of the political dice should
elevate Representative T. p Harring-
ton of Algona or John M. Wormley of
Plymouth county to the speakership,
in either case we believe the House
would be independently handled from
the chair, and, within views Of certain
obligations not at all dishonorable.
would have its committee chairman
and experience, and not because GER
tain men stand opposed to certain
road legislation or willing to hand out
certain state jobs.
Shall we prognosticate in this in
troductory letter? Very we'll, leave
it to you, dear reader: McFarlane. able
md experienced as a presiding Of
ficer pro tenn last session, is said to
claim AZ Republican votes pledged to
his election as speaker. If he goes
into the Republican caucus next Sat-
urday with that many votes, they con-
troll the caucus There are los mem
bers of the House, 90 of whom are
Republicans Forty-seven is over half
of 92-McFarlane is chosen But
suppose Finley and Harrington and
Wormley happen TO have 81 votes al
together on the opposing ballot of the
caucus They think they will have
that many, sure. The question then
is where those votes will go on the
break. It's a wise man who keeps his
pledges and stands hitched. but there
are few men who will stand hitched to
any old post!
But, as stated above, what's the diff
ference to the state at large, just so it
is a man with brains and ability and
desire to do right who is chosen
speaker. The members of the House
really control and they are the ones
collectively who must be blamed for
the success or failure of the session
they represent.