The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-07-25
LANCER SOL0NS TO
RETURN TO House
AT CALL OF CHAIR
Committee of IS Is Named to
Prepare Matters for As
sembIy Probe
GIVEN SUBPOENA POWERS
Many Feel Show Is Over, Chief
Difficulty Is Mastering
Quorum
GIVEN SUBPOENA POWERS

members attending the pretended
session Of the state legislature were
on the way home Wednesday with the
exception OF the special house COM
nittee appointed to conduct an In
vestigation into the trial and convic-
ton Of william LANCER and Of charges
o. graft In the state government.
The committee was appointed late
Tuesday by Mrs. Minnie D. Craig.
speaker Of the house. following adop-
ton Of q resolution granting it auth
ority to act and to subpoena wit
nesses, books and records.
The house then recessed to meet
again upon call Of the chair, this call
to be made only after five days no.
tice.
The general feeling Wednesday was
that the pretension Of holding spe-
clal legislative session is definitely
over and that the men who had fos-
tered 1t had taken the best way out
t. save their faces as best they could.
Some members Of the house who
claimed to know asserted that not
more than 40 votes could be mus
tered II resolutions were presented
to impeach state officers. Many said
they felt 1.-The show Is over"
The reason for this belief lies in the
difficulty which the legislators had In
mastering q house quorum Monday
and Tuesday. They failed Monday
when S. was the best they could do,
barely succeeded Tuesday when 81
finally were rounded up.
Are Getting No Pay
They are getting no pay and do not
expect that any will be available. With
the exception Of those who were fur
nished transportation here by state
officials working for Former Governor
William LANCER, they have had to
bear the cost OF getting to the capital
tl:emselves-and they win have to pay
the cost Of going home.
As result, many indicated that
they will not come back. Even some
LANCER supporters admitted that the
whole business was fiasco and they
want no more Of 1t.
How many of the committee Of Is
remained in town to take up the du-
ties assigned to that group was not
definitely known. The group met
Tuesday night, appointed q sub-com-
mittee to decide on procedure to be
followed in subpoenaing witnesses and
records, and then some departed, leav-
ing the subcommittee to carry on.
This group, too, may run into diff
ficulties. No money was appropri-
ated to finance its activities. and
even if there had been they couldn't
get it because state officials are re-
fusing to recognize the alleged special
session as legal.
Unless only persons who are willing
tn recognize the authority of the COM
mittee are subpoenaed, there is the
possibility that q court test may be
made Of the legality Of the whole
business. This has been carefully
avoided by supporters of william
LANCER, promoting the session, but
has been hopefully sought by friends
Q! Acting Governor Q. H Olson. The
Olsonites are confident that, II the
matter is brought to issue, they would
win despite an opinion by Attorney
General p. O. Satire tnat the house
has the right to convene itself to sit
as court Of impeachment.
Still another factor hes to do with
paying the mileage and costs Of wit
nesses. When q subpoena is issued.
the witness has the right to demand
his mileage to the place Of hearing,
and he Is entitled to witness fees. The
law does not contemplate that he
shall leave hts home and place Of bus
iness without compensation.
All Of these things were factors In
leading to the belief that the pre-
tended session had fallen Of its own
weight. One observer characterised
the move as one to back out Of the
fight still calling names"
Peterson ID Chairman
Chairman Of the committee Of is is
H. T. Peterson Of Mountrail county, =
member Of the LANCER executive COM
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