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Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Miss Rosa Mund is Engrossing Clerk, John Dawson Speaker of House, Jan. 3, 1923

Concord Woman Defeats O.P. Shell for Office—Selection Made at Democratic Caucus Tuesday Night. . . Fight for Miss Mund Led by J.B. Sherrill, Walter Murphy, Bill Neal and Lindsay Warren

At the Democratic caucus held in Raleigh Tuesday night, Miss Rose Mund of this city was given the support of the members of the House of Representatives for the position of engrossing clerk of the House for the 1923 session of the General Assembly of the State. The actual election of Miss Mund today was but a formality.

For the position Miss Mund was opposed by O.P. Shell, who held the job for a number of years. Miss Mund’s name was proposed by J.B. Sherrill, and other leaders who supported her were Walter Murphy of Salisbury, Lindsay C. Warren, Rufe Doughton and “Ambassador Bill” Neal. The vote was 65 to 29 for Miss Mund.

W.T. Bost in The Greensboro News says of the contest between Miss Mund and Mr. Shell:

Miss Rosa Mund of Cabarrus and Otis P. Shell of Harnett contest for house engrossing clerk. This was a battle royal. Congressman Homer Lyon, ex-Congressman H.L. Godwin, Alf M. McLean and Nat Townsend put in terrific licks for Mr. Shell. Major Walter Murphy, Ambassador Bill Neal, Lindsay C. Warren, Grand Old Man Rufe Doughton and John B. Sherrill led the fight for Miss Mund. Most of the bitterenders in suffrage days were for Miss Mund and many of the liberals of those unhappy times were Shell partisans.

Miss Mund defeated Shell by the overwhelming vote of 65 to 29, and Representative Nat Townsend rose to make the count unanimous in the first big cheering of the first session.

The News and Observer says:

N.A. Townsend represented the name of Otis P. Shell of Harnett, painting a fine picture of his subject’s services to the party and concluding with some resentment of recent press mention of the fact that Mr. Shell’s conduct of the engrossing clerk’s office was the subject of some legislative investigation two sessions ago. He was cleared of the charges.

Editor J.B. Sherrill of Cabarrus, the first Democrat in years to come from that county, presented the name of Miss Rosa Mund of Concord. There was a considerable scramble for the band wagon, with Lindsay Warren, who defeated suffrage in 1920, leading the way and acknowledging the rights of women to participate in the rewards of service.

Sandy Graham of Orange, who was chairman of the committee on engrossed bills two years ago, T.C. Bowie, VanB. Martin, Townsend of Davidson and other seconded Miss Mund’s nomination. It began to appear unanimous. The vote was called and Miss Mund had 65 to the 29 counted out of the hat for Mr. Shell. Her nomination was greeted with a burst of cheering from the floor. Mr. Townsend moved to make it unanimous.

John G. Dawson of Lenoir county was the choice for Speaker of the House, and the other elections were:

Alex Lassiter, Bertie county, chief clerk; D.P. Dellinger of Gaston county, reading clerk; and J.L. Burkett of Randolph county, sergeant at arms. In the senate caucus W.L. Long of Halifax county was nominated president pro tempore. Other officers were:

Principal clerk, Frank K. Hackett, North Wilkesboro; reading clerk, Thomas P. Cocke, Buncombe; and sergeant at arms, W.D. Gaster, Cumberland county.

Cecil Broughton withdrew his name as a candidate for reading clerk during the day.

From the front page of The Concord Daily Tribune, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 1923.

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