The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1951-01-10
(Third Of a Series)

4 Phe twentieth Territorial Legis-
lature will convene on Monday,
January %, probably at 10 am.
The members will locate the places
to hang their hats on the subse-
qnent 81 working days of the ses-
sion. They will pick their desks and
swivel chairs in the House or Senate
and, after some preliminary hubbub
and confused bustling around, they
! will humble the words of the re-
quired oath of office They will
then receive their bulky three
volume sets of Compiled Laws of
Alaska and. after some more chatter
and aimless wandering. they will
get down to the first important
business-organizat
This consists mainly, as with any
organized body, in the election of
officers and the naming of commit
tees.
The officers of the House of Rep
resentatives are the Speaker and
Chief Clerk. plus an assistant clerk
or two, sergeant-at-arms, door
keeper and messenger. In the Sen
ate the officers are President and
Secretary. along with the same
subsidiary officers as the House.
Each house has also q chaplain,
elected from outside the Legislature
and generally from among the cler-
gymen of the city of Juneau.
In actual practice the Speaker
and President and sometimes the
other officers and even the COM
mittees are frequently picked in
caucuses before the session is con-
vened. aff ~.
Even in that event there will be
the prescribed formalities x the
election of Temporary Speaker
and Clerk in the House and of a
President pro tenn and Secretary
pro tenn for the Senate, and formal
nomination and election from the
floor
| But it is not always so cut-and-
dried and now and again the spec
tators are treated to an open and
prolonged battle, with all of the
agitated whispering, the corridor
caucuses and the promising and
pressuring that make legislative
sessil "A one of the big shows of the
year.
Party Zines Followed
Generally speaking, the two
houses have followed party lines.
That is, the Speaker and President
have been members of the party
having the majority membership in
the respective houses-when there
was majority.
There has not always been ma
jority. In the first three Legisla-
lures, back in 1918, 1915 and 1917,
there was a good deal of political
variety in both the electorate and
the elected in Alaska.
The House in 1918 had seven Nom
Partisans, four Republicans, two
Democrats, one Independent, and
one Progressive. There was also
one vacancy, as C. Mulally, elected
from the Fourth Division, did not
show up to take Ibis seat.
The first House elected Repubh--
can Earnest B. Collins of the
Fourth Division to the Speaker
ship. In 1915, when the balance of
power was held by the Non-Parti-
sans and Independents with six
members each, they again elected
Collins to the chair. To this date
he is the only man who has twice
been Speaker of the House.
Luther C.. Hess, Fourth Division
Democrat, became Speaker in 1917
when the Democrats held seven of
the 16 House seats. The other nine
seats were filled by four Republi-
cans, four Independents and
| Non Partisan.
AWO AIRY OyStCm
Since 1917 there have been no
Progressives or -Partisans in
the Legislature and only handful
of Independents. Either the Demo-
Gratis or the Republicans have held
clear majorities in the House and,
except in the 1947 House, they have
been decisive majorities.
[ In 1925, however, when there
were 10 Republicans and three each
Democrats and Independents, G. H.
Wilcox, Third Division Democrat,
was elected Speaker. In every other
session since 1917 the majority
party elected the Speaker. In two
sessions, in fact. it could not have
been otherwise the 18th and 10th
House of Representatives contained
not a single Republican or INDIE
pendent
While the Speaker has usually
been a man with at least one legis-
lative session behind him, freshmen
legislators have been by no means
left out. Since 1913. when of neces-
sity a first-termer was elected,
Luther c. Hess, e. j. White, Sumner
S. Smith and R. c. Rothenburg have
been named Speaker while serving
fho;,- f;rct tor,x,c ", tho TaOic1ot 11ra