The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-01-01
OPENING SESSION
Of LEGISLATURE
PROMISES FIGHT
Governor Takes No Part in Bat
tie for SpeakerShip of
House.
M'CRAY PREPARES MESSAGE
Organization Main Business
Thursday Members
Arriving.
MORAY PREPARES MESSAGE

the opening Of the seventy-third reg
ular session of the Indiana Legisla'
ture Thursday. Members were eX-
pected to begin arriving in Indianap-
oils tomorrow for the activities pre-
Iiminary to the opening.
With the arrival of the members.
the speakership fight is expected to
get well under way. The speaker will
actually be chosen at a meeting of
the Republican members Of the House
Wednesday night. There are numer
Gus candidates in the field, but thus
for the contest has not attracted the
usual attention.
Governor Not Active
Governor NIcCray has announced he
IS not participating in the contest
and members of the Assembly say they
see no evidence of interference on the
part of the administration. Two years
ago the Governor virtually dictated
the election Of John +. Mcclure of
Anderson.
Among the House members more or
less active in the speakership contest
are Oscar A. Ahlgren of Whiting,
James I. Day Of East Chicago. J.
Glenn Harris of Gary, L. A. Pittenger
of Selma, Raymond c. Morgan of
Knightstown, William r. Phillips of
Glenwood, Asa Smith of Indianapolis
and Luke W. Duffey of Indianapolis.
Pittenger and Morgan may take the
lead in the caucus voting.
Contest in Senate
In the Senate, the principal contest
win be over the selection Of a presi-
dent pro tenn, who serves as majority
floor leader. James J. NeidI of Lake
County is the most talked of candi-
date. Nejdl, who has been in the
Senate for several sessions, has been
known as a Senator with a mind of
his own. He has frequently voted
against the wishes of the Admins
tration and of his own party. The
probable election of Nejdl has been
taken by many TO indicate the drift
of feeling in the Assembly, even
among Republicans.
The Marion County delegation has
pledged its support to Senator Win
field Miller as president pro TEN.
Senators William Swain of PendIeton
and Harold Van Or1nan of Evansville
also have been mentioned
Committees Chosen
Joseph NJ. Cravens Of Madison In all
probability viii be reelected Demo
cratic floor leader in the Senate. era
vens has served in the Legislature
twenty years. Walter s. Chambers
Of NouroaSfTe r,,ot,a IIv- Mill -, ,,,v,o7
Democratic caucus chairman
Next to the election of officers. the
naming of committees viii hold the
center of the stage at the opening of
the session. Lieutenant Governor
Emmett f. Branch already is work
ing on the Senate committees. There
always is a lively scramble for de
sirable positions
/: The two houses will convene
Thursday and go through the forms
OF organization. already decided upon
at the caucuses the night before. Fol
lowing the organization. they will go
into joint session in the House of Rep
Tesentatives to hear the message of
Governor AIcCray.
Governors Requests
The Governor has been working on
this message for some time and is I'M
derstood to have it near completion.
1t is understood that, among other
things, he Will ask for an appropria-
ton of 81, 900, 600 to be applied to the
cost of erecting the new reformatory
at Pendleton and for a tax of two
cents a gallon on gasoline for road