The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-01-10
INDEPENDENTS ] / ! \ ] !
: WIN F'lGl|,H||''FF0R
COMMITTEES
Maddox Rules l e Their Motion
Out Of Order, But Appeal
From Decision Wins Out

Battering through barrage Of OBJ
jections end counter moves, che Inde-
pendents took the last step to make
! their control Of The senate complete
Saturday by sheating Lieut.. Gov.
Walter Maddox, presiding officer, of
nil control Of committees and elected
their own standing committees.
Nonpartieans, led by Senators D. H.
Hamilton, McHenry county; Ole Et-
testad. McHenry county; and G. Pat
terson. Renville county, stiffly Oppos.
ed the majority. The voting, with the
excepH0h' ~ O.. A. Olson, Bdrleigh
county, who left. the Nonpartisan
ranks during the session to cast his
vote with the Independents, was on q
solid rerty basis.
At the opening Of the session,
Lieutenant Governor Maddox pre-
scented his assignments Of standing
committees to the senate. A storm Of
protest resulted when J. E. Stevens,
Ramsey county, moved that the as
signments be tabled.
Senator Hamilton declared that
stevens motion was out Of order, but
Maddox, after statement explain
ing that In effect he had already lost
his "prcrogativc to name committees"
ruled that the motion was in order.
Made IN Protest
"Thcse assignments are made mere
~ in protest, both for the present scs-
sion and those in the future, Of tho
chairs losing. of its prefogatives.
However, this body is supreme in it.
self and the motion is in order" Mad
dock said. -. =" Y.
Senator Ettestad, who criticized the
Independents for their use Of their
One-vote majority, and Senator Pat
tcrson, who termed it is absolutely
unconstitutional and without any
principle at ALL" attacked the motion
to table Maddock's appointments, but
the motion carried, 26 to 20. The
customary alignment Of 25 to "a was
broken when Senator Olson Of Bur-
leigh county voted with the majority.
He gave no explanation Of his vote.
Senator p. J. Murphy, Walsh coun-
ty, reported the nominations made by
the cammittee on committees, con-
trolled by the Independents, and NOV
ed their adoption,
Maddock then sprang surprise by
declaring that 1--WE all realize this is
breaking precedent, and the motion
is out Of order"
0SCI8l0W ApRS0bS0 10 9OOH
The presiding officer was overruled
after Senator Murphy, who said that
1T was the first time he had done
so, appealed the decision of the chair,
terming it as unjust. The vote was
ton. and Patterson had further pro-
tested.
Murphy for the second time moved
HIT %hn {pv@s - "a
adopted, and invoked another series
Of protest and counter moves by the
Nonpartisans.
Senator Peder L. Hjelmstad. Walsh
county, Nonpartisan, moved that the
appointments. Of committees on APP
preparations, cities and municipal cor
porations, and insurance be consider
ed separately from the list, but with
drew his motion when Senator Pat
terson, in a lengthy talk. challenged
the validity of the committee on COM
mittees' report, asserting that it was
unconstitutional and broke all prece-
dents in the senate. Hamilton sup
ported Patterson and charged that, as
the lieutenant governor, who was APP
pointed on the committee but refused
to serve, is not q member Of the SEN
ate, the committee could not be con-
stitutional.
Hamilton's speech drew the Tire Of
two Independent senator's, Joseph 6.
Forbes of Richland county, and MUIR
ply. Forbes declared that the ma
Jority should rule and that the rules
of former senatorial bodies are not
binding. ~.
That Maddox was made . member
of the committee merely as . cour-
tesy. and did not affect its validity,
was Murphy's statement. "He didn't
act on the committee and knew his
place when he didn't" he concluded.
Patterson countered with . motion
that the committees assignments also
be tabled, but the motion was lost.
1 The senate then approved the as
Hgnments Of the committee on COM
mittces, q to %, the Independents
vote being further augmented when
p. q, Satire, Steele county, N0npartt-
san, Joined Olson of Burleigh in vot-
ing with the majority. Satire ex-
planned that he did so because it was
'nq longer Of any use to continue the
On motion Of. Senator Frank +.
Ployhar, Barnes county, o clinchcr
clause was added to the adoption,
which made the majOrity's assign
mcnts of committees final.
Ployhar then moved that COM
mittcc be named to confer. with
similar committee Of the house to1
arrange joint session to hear an adj
dress by E. l.. Harding, former gov
ernor OF, Iowa, the AFTERNOON Of Jan
uaryFf4. Ployhar, Hamilton and MUIR
ply were named. It'll
4 snnsko Donnasfo