Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1895 — TOPICS OF THESE TIMES. [ARTICLE]

TOPICS OF THESE TIMES.

A LEGISLATIVE SUGGESTION? • ; No. matter which political party may carry the Indiana Legislature, . its term is too short for efficient and in aH things work. The Lterm-now <?otisists of sixty-onedays. Of these from five to .seven are passed before the’body can appoint its committees and organize. Of these also at least eight are Sundays. These counting three days of the closing of the session, a holidav or I wo, and_a more or less number of Saturdays, leaves less than forty, days to work. To say that bids may be introduced, . considered in com - mittee. read three times and passed without limit, arid within the needs, in’ that length of time anyone with an experience in the work will say is an impossibility. lam of the opinion that one of two remedies ought to be permitted by the consitutfori. -First, pay Representatives and Senators not so much per day for so many days but a fixed salary per year, and permit sessions to continue as long as the work remains unfinished. Or, second, have two sessions of sixty days each, an intcrval of some months intervening between the sessions. At the first session bills may be introduced, considered and ’ advanced as far as third reading, but under no circumstances are they to be passed. At the second session no bills should be introduced except by unanimous consent, and even then cannot be passed. All bills'that had reached third reading at the first session might be.further considered ind passed or defeated. If a method such as this were adopted each lawnaker would have opportunity of Studying all measures; and, what is >f as great importance, be able to iscertain the wishes of his constituents as to the various measures. More than eleven hundred bills were nfroduced. Many of them were lengthy. Altogether they affected almost avery T interest and industry. L'o say that the average man, or the istute man, could determine without error which measure was needed ind which wasMhltended to benefit She few as against the many is simply preposterous. I anticipate that I Shall not again be a member of the Indiana Legislature, but in the hope , that thr.ee who may follow me may oave greater advantage in this respect than those who have preceded, ind in the interest of fewer and better laws, I hope the years will not ae many when a change will be made is I have suggested.

W. H. LEEDY.