OCR Text |
Show UTAH LEGISLATURE 15 DEADLOCKED FORTY-SIX MEMBERS OF HOUSE EVENLY DIVIDED IN EFFORT TO PERFECT ORGANIZATION. Democrats, Progressives and Socialists Social-ists Combine Forces and Will Not Recognize Republicans' Choice. The forty-six members of the lower house of the Utah legislature are taking tak-ing less interest than usual ' these days in the European war, as they are having a small sized war of their own a bloodless one, but nevertheless a bitter one. The representatives are evenly divided di-vided in this contest, both factions insisting in-sisting that the men ot' their choice shall be seated as the officers at the present session. The result is a deadlock which precludes pre-cludes the possibility of anything being be-ing accomplished at this session until it is broken. The members of the senate are simply sim-ply marking time, awaiting a solution of the difficulty and the formal organization or-ganization of the lower house. Until this is accomplished there can be no business transacted by the lawmakers. At the opening session of the legislature, legis-lature, on January 11, the Democrats, Progressives and Socialists selected Parley P. Christensen, Progressive, or' Salt Lake county, as speaker of the house, while the Republicans decided upon L. R. Anderson of Sanpete county coun-ty as speaker. Both factions claim that the organization organ-ization perfected by its members, twenty-three in number, is the legal organization. But twenty-three members does net constitute a quorum of the house, and as neither faction will concede that the other has legally perfected an organization, or-ganization, no business is being transacted. trans-acted. The followers of Christensen and those loyal to Anderson met on Tuesday Tues-day and Wednesday in separate sessions, ses-sions, and recessed without result so far as legislation is concerned. On the opening day of the session the fusionists selected their officers, perfected a temporary organization, so they claim, named a committee on credentials, excluded two Republican members from voting pending a de cision on the contests which the fusionists fu-sionists claim has been made against their being seated, and were well on their way to organizing the house before be-fore the Republicans had discovered what was happening. Then the Republicans left the house chamber. Several hours later the Republican members returned, took the oath of office and participated participat-ed in some of the proceedings. Then they retired to one corner of the chamber cham-ber and chose Mr. Anderson as speaker. The Republicans refuse to recognize Mr. Christensen as speaker, while the Democrats, Progressives and Socialists Social-ists refuse to recognize Mr. Anderson as the presiding officer. Efforts are being made to straighten out the legislative tangle, but it may be several days before this is accomplished. accom-plished. Both factions held sessions ' of the lower house at different times in the house chamber Tuesday afternoon. after-noon. The fusionists, acting on the assumption as-sumption that they were the house of representatives, transacted some business and proceeded with the work in hand, naming committees and sending send-ing communications to the senate and the governor in a manner such as would be the case were it conceded that they did constitute a quorum of the house. The Republicans merely met in the house chamber, called the roll and adjourned. ad-journed. The Republicans, however, stoutly maintained that L. R. Anderson, Ander-son, who acted as speaker of their session, had been regularly and legally legal-ly elected by the vote of the house. No cognizance was taken by the senate of either the fusionist house of representatives or the Republican house of representatives, with the result re-sult that about the only , business transacted in the upper house was the reading of the minutes of the first day's meeting. On the Republican side of the house the veteran members of the legislature include W. C. Horsley of Boxeldei county, who has served two sessions as state senator; C. R. Mabey of Davis county, serving his second term; Thomas Sevy of Garfield, who was i member of the first state legislature; Wilford Day of Iron, in the house for the third time; L. R. Anderson of Sanpete, San-pete, Asa R. Hawley of Sevier, C. L. Warnick of Utah county, who was a member of the Idaho legislature twe years ago; J. L. Van Waggoner of Wa satch, J. J. Barker of Weber. An equally imposing array of vet erans will lead the youngsters on the other side. They include Samuel Oldham Old-ham of Cache, William O'Neil of Dm chesne, F. B. Hammond, Sr., of Granft Heb'er J. Meeks of Kane, C. M. Croft of Morgan, Byron D. Nebeker of Uintt., David H. Morris of Washington. As soon as the legislature gets under un-der way, Senator Willard S. Hansen of Box Elder county will introduce in the upper house a resolution providing provid-ing that legislators introduce only bills with which they are thoroughly familiar and in sympathy. i |