Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-01-10
CONSERVATIVES
ARE IN CONTROL
Rep George w. johnson Is Named
Speaker of the House by 80
to 40 Vote.

The 1885 legislature got under way
Tuesday noon and Immediately or
ganized both houses in control of the
conservative group. with Rep. George
w. Johnson of Duluth, being chosen
speaker of the House and a commit
tee on committees being chosen in
the Senate to take away the assign
ment of committees by the lieutenant
governor. The action by the senate
followed the conservative custom
starting with the 1881 session, to or
ganize the senate, taking away this
prerogative of the lieutenant COVER
nor of many years standing.
The vote on the speakership in the
House was so to 40 for Johnson over
Rep. Harold Barker of Elbow Lake,
the liberal candidate. The vote in the
senate was 43 to % for organization
of that body by the conservatives.
However. even though the conserva-
ives did organize both branches it is
no criterion that they will Illustrate
the passage of all progressive legis-
lation, but rather it is expected that
there are enough progressive minded
legislators in both houses to pass
some pretty good progressive legisla-
ton.
Several speeches were made for
both candidates for the speakership
in the House with Reps. Mark Nolan
and Charles Wangensteen of the
Range country, taking a leading
part, while in the senate only one
speech was made from the floor
with the exception of the remarks
made by the newly sworn lieutenant
governor, Hjalmar Petersen. and Sen.
w. B. Richardson of Rochester, who
was selected as president pro TEN.
The one speech on the organization
of the senate motion for a committee
on committees was given by Sen. Vic
tor Lawson of Willmar, a Farmer
Laborite and follows:
LawsOn's Speech.
"Mr President and Members of the
Senate:
1--WE are about to take the first
important vote of the session. The
result may be more far-reaching than
what some of you think Our honor
able president is the third consecu-
i've Farmer-Labor lieutenant COVER
nor that the people of Minnesota have
ordained to preside over the Senate.
Some day the progressives are going
to organize this Senate.
THE group of Farmer-Labor and
other progressive senators who are
virtually concerned about the proper
consideration and passage of laws
that will be constructive and for
ward looking to meet the needs of the
people and the crisis confronting
them, and for that reason feel con-
strained to vote no upon the reso-
luton now before us, have asked me
to state briefly the reasons for so
doing.
I'VE are not going to deny the right
of the majority of this Senate to or
ganize its committees. While it is
true that the Constitution of the State
does designate the lieutenant COVER
nor as the presiding officer. and such
position does carry with it some pre-
negatives given him directly by
vote of the people of the state, yet in
practice no lieutenant governor has
ever made a successful attempt to
override the wishes of a majority
of the senators. He has always con-
suited with the members of the body
and his assignments have usually
been such as were satisfactory to the
members controlling the Senate. That
has been true in the cases of Repub-
lican lieutenant governors of the past,
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