Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-02-20
THE LENGTH OF THE SESSION.

The Patriot devotes its leader Of yesterday to q
criticism on the length Of the session It thinks
that the Legislature win not adjourn before the 10th
Of March; snd proROunOes this length Of session in
one place unusual and in another place unnecessary
There is good deal Of humbug in this matter, ss
discussed By the Patriot We think 1t very likely
that the sessions Of our Legislature might be some
what shortened. But If is equally reasonable to
suppose that large majority OF the members would
rather be a. home than in Nashville and that their
anxiety 10 adjourn is quite as great as that Of the
Patriot to be rid Of their presence.
The PatriOt, in the article to which we are refer
ring says; That the present session Of the Leg.
islsture, win have been an unusually long one On
this point We show this: that the House yesterday
passed q resolution to adjourn on the 18th Msroh
From the 9Th October to the 18th March, both days
inclusive, deducting twelve days during which the
Legislature was adjourned BY joint resolution, is
one hVsdrsd and forty-Hins days.
The Legislature Of 1854, met on the Sd day Of
OctObeF, and adjourned on the 9th day Of March
length Of session, one hundred dtortyfoar days.
The Legislature Of 1866 wss in session one
kindred and fly JfOs days.
The present session will not, then, be unusually
long" but win be shorter than the session Of the
Wing Legislature Of 1854, and shorter than the
session Of the Know Nothing Legislature Of 1866.
So much for hat point.
The Patriot has been very badly informed in rsls-
tion 30 the labor on the Code. 1t says:
''There is 8 systematic attempt being made 70 re-
eve the dominant and responsible party Of the odum
which will inevitably attach to the unnecessary
length Of the session. II is said that the Revised
Code Of the State is the great consumer Of time; and
behind it the democracy are skulking, already for
protection. The people well know, however, that
this is but poor shield IL is well known that for
several years the State has had under pay able and
competent RevisOrs- The ReVisors have performed
their duty, and reported the Code at near the begin
ming Of the session as ready for Legislative action
The two Houses appointed joint committee to
examine the same, and see that it is faithful
cOdifcatOn Of existing laws. This committee has
performed its duties with singular assiduity and
fidelity thus relieving the Legislature Of the great
labor incident to that work. and the latter has had
nothing do but to hesr it read three several times
This necessarily occupies from three quarters TO an
hour and half each day, much less time than is
spent each day in windy discussions points Of order
SO. The waste Of time can not be saddled on the
Code"
Take the admission Of the Patriot, that the Code
necessarily occupies from three quarters to an hour
snd half Of each day suppose the session hold
six hours each day, and the average time occupied
by the Code to be hours here, then is One-si1th
Of the time Ofthe Legislature necessarily devoted to
the Code Ons-siE'h Of one hundred and forty nine
the whole number Of days of the sessions TWEEN
ty-6ve Deduct 25 from l49, and wshave l24 days
devoted to other business; less time than has been
occupied BY any other Legislature for years.
Without, then, going beyond the Patriots sdmis-
siOns we utterly demOIisb that papers attack on
tbs Legislature
But let us look little further in the PGfri0Fs
statements about the Code The Patriot does not in
least ezsggsrate the labor Of the committee to whom
it was referred They have worked night and day.
We do not eEaggerats when we say that no previous
legislative committee ever devoted ODe-half the time
to any subject of legislative action that has been
given to the Code by the committee having it in
charge They have frequently worked till midnight.
And yet, in answer to q resolution Of inquiry, by
the Senate, some time SINCE the committee reported
the opinion that il would take them until the 2Olh
Of March to complete their lsbors Does the Patriot
comprehend how eaectualy this statement explodes
al it has said this subject? That, even If the
Code had been adopted without reading in the
Legislature, the committee could not have been
ready to report upon it? By a degree Of labor
which ought not to be ezsoted Of any committee,
hey will be through sooner than they hoped when
hey fixed the 2O,h, and the Legislature will there
FORE it is nov thought be able TO adjourn the 18th
March.
At issue, then, with the Patriot, we say
l. That the session, closing March Is, will not be
unusually long, the two preceding sessions having
been longer.
, That it will not be unnecessarily long, because
'bs committee on TIE Code could not have cousluded
tlsir labors sooner.