The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-01-02
Mathers Is
Selected
as Speaker
Members Not Held by Cau-
Gus Selection if They Feel
the Corporations lnflu-
enced Organization.
Saunders Senate Leader
BY T.. {. POWELL.


Lincoln, Jan. .-tSpecial.-Repub.
lican members of the lower house of
the state legislature. on the fifth bal.
lot in caucus tonight. made A. n.
Mathers. banker of Gerlng, the ma.
iority party nominee for speaker sf
the house.
Mathers selection gave apparent
general satisfaction and threat OF a
bolt. which might have imperiled re-
publican organization Of the house,
disappeared with announcement of
his victory.
The decisive ballot gave Mathers SO
of the 81 votes cast, with Grant
Mears of Wayne county polling 81.
First Ballot.
On the first ballot the vote stoodi
Mathers. 20; Mears, II; r. B. Dysart,
Omaha, II; Daniel CARRIER. Red Cloud.
6. CARRIER withdrew on the third
ballot and Dysart on the fourth.
simultaneously. republican majority
senator's met and nominated Senator
Charles l.. Saunders OF Omaha for
president pro tenn of the senate, vir-
tually by acclamation. Clyde Barnard
of Table Rock was nominated for Sec
retary of the senate. 1t will be his
fourth term in that office.
One woman won a place among the
legislative officers, the first time that
a woman has been so honored. Miss
Frances Sturmer, for the last three
months assistant secretary of state,
was nominated by the republican
house caucus for second assistant
clerk of the lower house, winning
easily over three opponents.
Democrats Of the house met infor-
mally and listened to addresses by
Governor-elect c. w. Bryan, who APP
peared with a jaw swollen out of
shape because of an liberated tooth.
and by Arthur Mullen Of Omaha.
They decided to ask for four-ninths
representation on all committees.
Representatives from the Second
congressional district, embracing
Douglas, Washington and Sarpy coun-
ties, refused to concede the demand
of Howell forces that they re-caucus
and upset the selection of Dysart and
George Dyball as their representa-
tives on the committee on committees.
Howells supporters professed to be
satisfied, however, that the outstate
selections gave a preponderant vote
on this important committee in their
| favor.
Committee on Committees.
Other district selections for the CON-
mittee on committees were:
Third: George Stats of Fremont;
Allen G. Burke of Bancroft.
Fourth: Earle c. Smiley of Sew.
ard, Harvey Essam of Beatrice.
Fifty: r. r. Vance of Hastings,
w. F. Wood of IIaigler.
Sixth: c. l.. Miner OF Ravenna,
Ross Amspoker of Springview
j. Reid Green of Lincoln was chair.
man of the caucus and was elected
chairman of the committee on COM
mittees. Oswald Keifer of Superior
was secretary of the caucus.
Mathers. the republican choice for
speaker, is a banker who came up
from the ranks. AS stste university
student. he worked his way through
school by washing dishes in a restau.
rant.
Frank Corrick of Lincoln, shier
clerk of the lower house in 1921, was
again elected to that position. He
polled so votes, with four for c. J..
McConaughey of Seward.
Other house officers picked by the
republican caucus were First as
sistant clerk. r. w. Bass of Broken
Bow: second assistant clerk. Frances
Sturmer of Beatrice; sergeant-a
George Bivens of Hastings; assistant
sergeant-at-arms. w. w. Cole of
Neigh.
Minor senate officers picked by the
senate caucus We're: Assistant secre-
tary, ii. L. Wright of Seward: sec-
ond assistant secretary, Fred e. Nc.
Farland of York: sergeant-at-arms. L.
S. McGinnis of O'Neill; assistant ser.
geant-at-arms, w. +. Johnson of Clay
Center; chaplain, the Rev. A. A. Cress.
man of Crete.
Victory for Howell.
The selection of speaker by the
! republican house caucus occupied less
than a half hour, once the balloting
began. Amicable proceedings in the
house caucus followed a day of
| iumors and conferences, centering
about United States Senator r. b.
Howel's insistence that the house.
organization be friendly to progress
sive legislation" While Howell was
currently reported to favor Mears for
the speakership. Mathers' selection
was declared entirely satisfactory by
4. J. Lamb of Tecumseh. who ap-
peared in the caucus as the Howell
spokesman. Howell was particularly
anxious to defeat Dysart, who OPP
posed the Howell Omaha municipal
electric light bill in the 1921 session.
Howell forces considered that they
had won a victory when they gained
the unanimous adoption of n resolu-
ton presented to the caucus by Lamb.
The resolution recited charges that
for 2U da t,s e