Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-10-24
Correspondence.
For the Standard.
Constitutional Amendments.
NUMBER II.

Censors. relates to our State Legislature +
MAKING our elections and sessions OF the c
Legislature biennial instead OF annual,
reducing the number of the House OF
Representatives to one hundred and nifty
members, and changing the basis OF rep
resentation from towns of an unequal size
and population to a more equal repre-
sentation by Counties or districts. 1t ;
would seem to be evident that biennial
sessions, and less number of represent
atives were amply sufficient for all the
purposes of law-making required for this
State. 1t is doubtless necessary that
Legislatures, like the Congress of the
United States, or the Parliament of Great
Britain, having charge of the interests of
great nations both at home and abroad,
should be convoked at least once in each
year. But the situation of small in
land state like Vermont is very different.
All our foreign affairs it belongs to Con-
gress and the federal government to reg
ulate. Nothing remains for our State
Legislature but to attend to our own in
ternal affairs; and can it be necessary to
assemble every year two hundred and
seventy legislators to overlook the affairs,
and legislate for a community;so long es-
, tablished and so quiet and orderly as the
State of Vermont? The fact is, there is
but little for Legislature of this State
to do. Situated as we are an inland
state, remote from the great thorough
fares and depots of the worlds trade, with
no great cities within our limits, no dense
and vicious population to control, we need
but little legislation, and our laws are, or
should be, few, simple and stable.
Our Legislatures in their annual ses-
sions strive hard to do something and
3 keep up the show of legislation. They
while away six or eight weeks in sort
of busy idleness, at an expense to the
state of some thirty or forty thousand
dollars. They pass resolutions instruct
ing our Senators and Representatives in
Congress as to their appropriate duties
they enact laws to preserve the fish in
our ponds, and the robins and bobolinks
= of our forests and meadows; they alter
. the times of the sessions of our Courts
+ from one month to another, and perhaps
n the next assembly alters them back again.
But after all what acts of real Importance
do they pass, or what interest of the
state would suffer if the action of the
Legislature upon that particular subject
was delayed year.
Our Legislature is not to be blamed fol
not doing more, but rather to be censured
for legiSiating too much. There is but
. little for them to do; our statute laws are
= now, in the main, well enough; all we
, ask of our Legislature is to let our law:
alone.
= If, then, there is so little for our Legis
; lature to do, what is the use of having
the regular and stated session oftenel
than once in two years. Should any
: emergency occur that should require :
= meeting of the Legislature, the Governo
:, = has power to call an extra session.
i If the public business does not require
an annual session of the Legislature
there are strong and cogent reasons VIII,
= it should not be held and the amendment
: = adopted. One reason which may be of
fered for the proposed alteration is tn
i, expense of this needless session. TIL
Council of Censors compute the annua
- saving to the state by adopting the bien
NAL session at twenty thousand dollars
and ten thousand more might be save
~ by reducing the number of representa-
tives to one hundred and fifty member:
= making in the whole yearly saving G
= some thirty thousand dollars to the state
, Could not this money be better expend
. ed on our neglected and unendowed col
leges or other institutions of learning. "a
Their than thus squandered on needles
and Improbable legislation. Our las
Legislature was in session five weeks
'e the debentures of the Senate and Hons
Sc of Representatives amounted to abou
~ =. twenty five thousand dollars the salarie
= of the officers and contingent expense
- probably amounted to some five or 81;
thousand more, and what recompense di
= we get? What equivalent services di
= - they render? They passed, indeed, sixt
four acts of general legislation, nine res
oiutlons, and fifty five acts of incorpora
ton, and altered the names of some do7
0i en- individuals; but excepting the az
ne abolishing the right of review. Ian inno
N walton Of very doubtful utilityl wa
> there single act of public importanc
= passed during the whole session?