Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-07-06
An Evil that may be Remedied.

\ Washington paper iu referring to tue prac- ticc of member, of Coneres leaving their posts before the close of the session, sayo: It |, T very strange way of attending to their duties, by being absent when the most important husi- ness is being transacted.' The President in- sign no b!li without informing himself of is provisions, and requested that Congress would not adjourn go soon after the passage of impor- taut measures, as to deprive him ol an oppor tunity of examining the bills presented for his signature. In all legislative boIes, the most
 important business is deferred till the latter lsrt of a session, and then, m the haste to return |" their homes, the members vote without know what are the provisions of the bill, or drift oi the question before them.
 The practice of leaving the capital before the final adjournment has been common at every session of the General Assembly of Arkansas, leaving barely quorum to transact business. The shrewd msmbers who have some bill they wish to have passed, some line of pohcr they wish the State to adopt, remain aud with very little "log-rolIing" are enabled to accomplish their objects. The greater part of those use less and contradictory laws that cucumber our statute book . those laws adopting policy that afterwards proved detrimental to the interests of the State and those acts so lame at the time of their passage as to require amending and re- amending will be found to have passed during the very last days of session.
 Not only can a few who remain control the legislation but valuable time is lost in making calls of the house. and in sending for absen- t,tees Tn order to have aIuorum present. Then the most important bills are hurriedly read or taeir reading dispensed with, and pushed through without examination; tbe officers are crowded with work and mistakes frequently occur; if measure of importance happens to be at the foot of the calendar it is not reached or is made 10 give way to a little local measure, or private act which some member, assures the house. Is all important to his constituents and will only take a few mi2ues to dispose off, Matters that demand the closest scrutiny are | glos>ed over, the clerks aud employees are urged to the utmost, the executive is scarcely given | time to read the acts placed before him, and one-half the members upon their return to 1 their constituents are unable to tell what has 1 been done.
 The remedy for these evils is simply for the members to remain until the day of final ad- | journment, and, at an early period of the ses- sion to take steps to dispose of all matters as they arise, SO as to make, as nearly as possible. clear disposition of the calendar
 Members, who are appointed on committees, should be taught that theirs is post of duty as well as of honor and failure to meet with the other members of the committee is a breach of that duty In truth, the main business of 1 legislation is done in the committee rooms aud every one who has been a member of leeisla- tive body knows how difficult it is to get full committee together
 l We have no desire to dictate in this matter but feel it to be duty to call public attention to this evil. We would be glad to have the opinions of the Arkansas press on this subject, and ask them if it would not be we'll to sug- gest to the voters to require of the candidates for the General Assembly, promise, that, fl eles ted, thsy will ramaiu at their posts until ! hey finish the labor relui ed of them?