Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-04-15
An Extra Session of the Legisla.
ture.

Both houses of the State Legislature have
agreed to hold an adjourned session, COM
mencing in January next. There never was
SO great a political failure as biennial ses-
sions Of the Legislature, have proved in
Ohio. Every Legislature, we believe, with
one exception, has disregarded them, beth
Democratic and Republican, by holding an
adjourned session the year in which it was
contemplated to have no session by the con-
stitution. The practical effect of the clause
in the constitution requiring biennial Legis-
latures and biennial sessions has been to
deprive the people of the choice of the Leg
stature every year. That is all. We have
had exactly as many sess ons as we had
under the annual provision OF the old con-
stitution. A provision thus evaded and dis
regarded by al. parties, and which 1t has
been found impossible to carry it into prac-
tice, must be .unsuited 10 the recurrence
ments of the State, and the sooner it ia got
rid of by amendments to the constitution the
better. The amendment, if submitted alone,
and not mixed up with party projects and
schemes, would doubtlessly succeed BY an
overwhelming majority. - Cincinnati En-
quirer;
Just SO Mr.. Enquirer. We fully incur in
the above remarks and hope an early oppor-
tuni,y will be presented to amend the Con-
s%titution in this respect. A Legislature
once in two wears, in a large and growing
State like this, leaves State officials to con-
stitute the Government, Executive and Leg
i~slative. 1t might do in these old and
finished up States Ike Rhode Island and
Maryland, but even there it is not tolerated.
Annual and short sessions are what are
wanted Cleveland PLaindeaLer.
We say lust So" too. We quote the
above for the purpose, chiefly, Of vindica-
ting the action OF the republican Legislature
in holding an extra session., and IN passing
an amendment to the Constitution, and SUBJ
hitting the same to the people for their
ratification, TO the same effect. No man
acquainted with the politics of Ohio can
forget the viralence and abuse heaped upon
the Republican Legislature by the l~ocofoco
papers and by aspiranIs for office, for hold
ing an extra session and for submitting to
the people the proposition to amend The
Constitution so as to make annual sessions
an imperative duty. More than twenty
members of the last Legislature were de-
ieated because they voted for the amend
ment, for the resolution to hold ali extra ses-
sion. The majority Of Democrats in the
present Legislature is owing entirely to
those votes. The people were Promised by
the Democrats that the public business
could be done up in sixty days, and they
were told also that there was no Lecessity
fur an extra session. What has been the
factt
The Legislature-W it'll a Democratic ma
Jority in both branche5-has been in session
nearly one hundred days and they have
passed by nearly a party vote, a resolution
TO hold another session next winter; and we
have in addition thereto, a confession o the
part OF two of the most influential papers OF
the party, that annual sessions are nee es.
sary, and that the constitution should be 60
amended as to make it imperative to h old
them, and also that the Legislature should
be elected every year. Now, We agree with
every word in the paragraphs quoted above
Tney express precisely what we expressed
last year, when we advocated annual ses-
sions, as proposed by the amendment 10 the
constitution. We are in favor of annual
election of members of the Legislature
and il an amendment of this sort should pc
submitted to the people this tall, w believe
it would be adopted by nearly a r.-limous
vote. Coupled with it should be a propo-
sition TO elect members OF the House and
Senate ty single districts. This, too, the
Cincinnati Enquirer will go for, when, in a
year or too, TIE Republicans of Hamilton
county send to the Legislature an unbroken
delegation. Mark that.-O. s. Journal.