The Daily Alaska empire., 1946-03-04
C0FFEY AGAIN PRESIDENT OF TERR. SENATE
Upper Chamber in Speedy Organization . Com
 mittees Selected

Moving with the smooth preci- sion of a Man O'War, Alaska's Senate today reached permanent organization IT minutes after the Rev Willis R. Booth had delivered the opening prayer and Secretary of Alaska Lew M. Williams had convened the body.
 Named to succeed himself as President of the Senate was Ed ward D. Coffey, of Anchorage who held the Senate gavel during the regular session of the Seventeenth Alaska Legislature. Tn turning over the chair to Coffey. o. D. Coch- ran of Nome, President Pro-tem, declared that Coffey had again been chosen to lead the delibera- tions of the Upper Chamber be- cause of his fine record at the pre- vious session: that his selection again now expresses the commen- dation of this Senate.
 Two Senators were absent at ll:50 o'clock this forenoon when the gavel in the hands of Secre- tary Williams fell to convene the Senate in extraordinary session: Don Carlos Brownell of Seward and Howard Lyng of Nome. Fol- lowing roll call, the solons in were affirmed in the brief Territorial Oath by Judge J. w. Kehoe. ioj lowing which Sen. Coffey. seconded by Sen. Tolbert Scott, placed Sen. Cochran in nomination for Presi- dent Pro-tem.
 Jesta Young Secretary
 With nominations then closed by unanimous consent. Sens. Coffey and Scott escorted Sen. Cochrane to the chair. Jesta Young was nam ed Temporary Secretary. later to be confirmed as Permanent Secre- tary.
 Sen. Coffey was proposed as per- manent President by Sen. Norman R. Walker, seconded by Sen. Frank Gordon. By unanimous consent, the nominations were closed and Cof- fey was unanimously elected Presi- dent of the Senate. He was escorted to the chair by Sen. Andrew Ner- land and Allen Shattuck follow ing which he announced the Sen- ate as organized at l2:07 pm.
 First Clash
 First clashing of the gears came after the body had resolved itself into a Committee on Committees with Sen Cochran again in the chair.
 Sen.s Walker proposed a list of as- signments to Standing Committees which was seconded by Sen. Shat tuck. Sen. Andy Gundersen then asked unanimous consent to adop- tion of the motion but objection was raised by junior Republican Sen. John Butrovich.
 Sen. Gordon then took the floor to seriously object" to not being consulted as to his wishes in the matter of assignment to commit tees. Decrying what he called high handed procedure" Gordon offered an amendment to the mo- tion: That all committee chairmen at the previous session be re-as- signed to those posts. For the sake of argument, he said, Sen. Butro- vich seconded.
 On voice vote on the Gordon no ayes" were heard. but a roll call vote was asked, which showed Sens. Steve Me- Cutcheon, Butrovich. Nerland and Gordon voting in favor The mo- ton lost.
 Coming back to Walkers original Butrovich moved "a call of the Senate which Sen. Shat tuck questioned as being out of order in Committee of the Whole. The Butrovich motion was ruled out by the chair, without appeal to
  the ruling.
 Wanted Atty. Gen.
 Sen. Gordon then requested that the Attorney General be called for his opinion as to whether a sena- tor may be required to serve on committee to which he has not been consulted as to his appoint ment. Quoting the old adage about leading horse to water, Chair man Cochran ruled the request out and ordered the roll be called on the Walker motion. The four ayes" on the amendment were the only mo" heard on the motion. which was adopted. 10 to 4, ? absent.
 Following the vote, the Commit tee on Committees arose and re-