Journal of the House of Representatives of the Regular Session of the Fifty-Eighth Legislature of the State of Texas, Volume 1 Page: 8
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8 HOUSE JOURNAL
Mr. Secretary of State, Distin-
guished Guests, Fellow Texans, and
my Fellow Members:
A great American once said "for
a democratic government to prosper
and grow, we must have honest and
efficient leaders." We are faced to-
day with the duty of selecting our
leader for this House, this Session,
to lead us and guide us during the
turmoil, the trials and tribulations
which befall us during any legislative
session. I have served for several
sessions now and I have seen several
Speakers, and many candidates for
that revered office. We were indeed
fortunate when our founding fathers
saw fit for the House to elect its
own presiding officer from among its
membership. You know, I think
every Member who has served has
a desire to be Speaker, I know I
have, and yet we have to face the
fact that from 150 of us only one
can be selected, only one.
We therefore have the tremendous
responsibility to the people of the
State of Texas and to our constitu-
ents in our own districts to select
the very best we have-we must
select a member who can unify this
House, all 150 of us, and you know
what a task that can be, for we come
from 150 different areas and prob-
ably have 150 different philosophies
and yet from these he must weld,
as is proper and fitting in a demo-
cratic form of government, a work-
ing majority of its members.
I come from South Texas, an area
where the people want and demand
honest and efficient government and
leaders. We feel certain that we will
receive that and more from the
gentleman whose nomination I am
about to second, for I have observed
him for several sessions and I know
that he will make a fine leader and
an honest and efficient Speaker.
Mr. Secretary, the members and
people of South Texas who are in-
terested in honest and efficient gov-
ernment, through me, second the
nomination for Speaker of the House
of Representatives for the 58th Leg-
islature of our distinguished col-
league, Byron Tunnell, who will lead
this House for a better State and
for honest and efficient government.
The Honorable Jake Johnson of
Bexar County was recognized by theChair and seconded the nomination
of the Honorable John C. Alaniz for
Speaker of the House of Represent-
atives.
The Honorable Gene Hendryx of
Brewster County was recognized by
the Chair and seconded the nomina-
tion of the Honorable Byron M. Tun-
nell, speaking as follows:
Mr. Secretary of State, Members of
the House of Representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
As a freshman Member of the Leg-
islature, I am extremely proud of
having the opportunity to second the
nomination of the next Speaker of
the Texas House of Representatives.
When I became a candidate for
the Legislature about a year ago, I
knew little or nothing about the
selection of a Speaker, and I knew
absolutely nothing about any Member
of the House who aspired to the
office of Speaker. It was somewhat
surprising to me, out in the isolated
Big Bend country, when a deluge
of telephone calls and personal visits
on behalf of various candidates
started piling in. I might add here
that the man whom I have the privi-
lege of seconding, never called me,
nor did he ever charter an airplane
and come to West Texas to solicit
my vote. He didn't charter a burro
either, and that's the only way you
can get to where I live.
After some investigation on my
part, I became aware of the fact
that my vote in the Speaker's race
would be one of the most important,
if not the most important vote, I
would cast in the House. Therefore,
I decided to make a thorough in-
vestigation of every person who was,
or who might conceivably become,
a candidate for Speaker of the House.
I studied voting records which
were compiled by various organiz-
ations, both Liberal and Conservative.
I contacted my colleagues in the radio
and television industry in the candi-
dates' home districts. Business men,
school teachers, attorneys and many
others were questioned.
Finally, I talked with many of
you Members, people who have
served with these men and have seen
them in action in this Legislative
body.
After the investigation was com-
plete, it was obvious to me that I
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Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives. Journal of the House of Representatives of the Regular Session of the Fifty-Eighth Legislature of the State of Texas, Volume 1, legislative document, 1963; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth193870/m1/12/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.