The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-01-15
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able in the wings were the paid lobby
lists who visit every session to pass
the wassail bowl to thirsty legisla-
tors and teach newcomers the ropes
and how to vote. Dan Kelly, of the
Anaconda company in Butte and Roy
Glover, the new ACM legal assistant,
were much in evidence Monday after
noon. OF course, both Kelly and
Glover explained they had just drop
ped in for a few minutes, but they
managed to get some good blows in
Also present were Al Wilkinson and
Billy Rae, both well-known company
lwheel-horses and Howard Toole of
Missoula and Bill Jameson of Billings
both high-poWered railroad attor-
neys Another lobbyist much in evil
dence was Grover Stevenson of the
Montana Petroleum Industries com
mittee.
George O'Connor, the 32-year-old
flash from Carbon county who was
named speaker of the house, APP
pointed his committees and was round
| ly applauded for the quick manner in
which he had disposed of this job.
In general, the committees are about
what one would expect, but it is hard
to accept the appointment of Bill
Castles as head of the labor commit
tee, but even that may work out all
right The committees are the most
important part of the session, for it is
! in them that legislation is approved
or killed, and it is very seldom that
an adverse committee report is segre-
gated and acted upon to permit recon
sideration of the measure. In this
regard, it might be pointed out, that
it is really too early to pass on the
quality of the legislature inasmuch as
little of tangible nature has been
accomplished AS soon as the bills
go into committee and the commit
tees disposition is reported, then a
fair indication of how the session will
stack up can be obtained.
Already, many of the house commit
tees had started work and were inter-
viewing state officials. The house |
appropriations committee which de-
cides how much money should be
spent, was already hard at work at |
the end of the week, and the univer-
sity presidents, institution heads,
state officers and bureau chiefs were
being called in to explain their re-
quests for funds
One freak bill made its appearance
early. That was the proposal of Sen.
Leon Olmstead of Sweet Grass county
to place Cascade county in the first
congressional district instead of the
second district. This attempt at ger
rymandering" seemed to have one OBJ
the second district and placing them
in the strongly democratic first dis
trict. With the bulk of democratic
votes moved out of the second dis
trict, it would be easier for the repub-
licans to elect a congressman from
the second district.
A bill designed to repeal the So
called Hitler bill'' will be introduced
by Senators Mike Mulholland of Sill
yer Bow and Quincy Moss of Flat
head The Hitler bill, passed in 1887
gives the governor power to hire or
fire all state employees except elected
officials and their staffs. The pro-
posal to repeal the bill is similar to /
a measure introduced last session
which was defeated. The bill as in {
troduced last session gave the power t
Of hiring and firing state employees |
to the State Board of Examiners, I
which is composed of the governor,
attorney general and secretary of 1
state. Inasmuch as at the present Y
time both the attorney general and I
the secretary of state are democrats, t
It is doubtful if the republican major