Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-02-04
Bisanial Sessions


Biennial Sessions
We are NJ, among the number who arr
always ready to throw up our hat. and
hurrah f,r every Executive recommendation
that turn. M, even Il IL come, from PARTY
friends Il ia duty devolyin. on the GOV.
ernor Of the State. % make such rec1mmep.
dations rs he judges will BE- ior the interest
OF the people. in communication. h,s annual
message 10 the legislature IL is. then. ~
the legislature and the people 20 Judge Of
the wisdom q such Recommendation. and
act accordingly. Gov Morrill, ia b.s h.,
annual Address. recommends biennial in.
stead Of annual session, Of the legislature
His reasons are thrceoil. It,. Abduction
Of N, public expenses. 81, The proposed
change Nill involve -, legislation, and
tS'tiy, stop agitation. 1t Us Tor a lev
moments look At these three propositions iu
the order in which We have introduced thrm.
First, then, =. to the comparative czycus.
OF the two .ys'sm. \ reduction % c1psu.
ses b. % cour,, desirable. la1s. upon thc
people are always onercu', especially when
portion thu. drawn from thclr pocket,
might be saved, bya morcrsii public c,on.
uny. w ~ in flr ccOnguy 30 the admin.
is,ra,iou Of every department. Of our STAT,
government. viii anything &C. saved ia tle
long run, 60 u'e common Ihras,.l By
the proposed change? Under our present
arrangements. We have an ag1l1' session ,'
our legislature, which j. necc,sar,,y attend.
ed with tho ordinary ezlrn-e, incident,
thereto. At Gr,t view, Proposition g.
abolish oH.-lg.f IT thc.' session. would seem
20 carry with d; a large reduction Of ,hr
public expense. several State. in the UuIpu
have tLi' proposed system ,u opera.
ton and 9, them we look ilr a practical
solution Of the question o. q reduction iu
the pubiie expense. Biennial session. are
subject O. tvo c1n',u- .ner. l,,lr known O,
us as a State. First, they indirectly cause
hr:, number OF ,I',l sessions. aud ,ecpui.
a .ubs;;ut, under ths nam, % "al glra,,f'
sessions, frequently ',ss. ,leir place. In the
last number oi the New York rriluus i. the
following item OF news.
ApJ0rEVyENr OF Tur T1sp, LrGpt,.
IrEE. Elt1 houses % the legislature al.
burned on Saturday O. meet again 1n the
4,h MONDAY IN Npycub.r uaEt. TIE recess
now taken /, strong indication %, the ne
eSssiiy 0t annual sessions.
In addition to this, tho's State. which
bold their sessions hiennalIy rro.gng them
beyond ;as ordinary length OF annual $50
siOns. II legislature meet. only once in
two years, much OF tie hu,in,s, that urI,.
manly zoe. over by "p1s,pouemeH; 20 the
next legislature" pa. 10 b. transacted
Take the increased length of biennial ses.
sioa-, and add % this the extra and adDuru-
sd ssss.JU, they indirectly bring about, the
sAyius ia c1pens, will amour, IN our JUG.
meni To mere tribe. Tie only sure r1y' 90
resucs az sIpsass Of legislation, o., 70 hmii
h1n % ofrfaiH HsEibsr Of days. In our
own State. City OF sixty DAYS session of the
Legislature, annually, j. long enough %
transact all the business that ought to De
done. and DO It well
Tue next reason urged 10 favor ol the pro-
pO.,i chang, i thas there will De under d,
Is,i legislation. We do not understand thi,
10 follow a. a necessary result. You pack
the legislation Of two years into one, aud
there would be- the same reasons operating
that We noS have. O. "enlci, revise, amend,
explain, define, simplify, and repeal. with
only this difference. that the crist being
doasls. would require a corresponding
length Of time in passing through ~. hop
per. LIT legislature meet only once iu
two wears. composed as it always j. in our
own State Of a large majority Of new and
inexperienced members, with the accumula.
Tel bushes. Of two years Before IL. and who
believes there would b. any less zeal 70 les.
isla,e than there now is. Instead Of an in
creased aversion O. NEEDLE with statute laws
and existing regulations, there would be
.' hot haste" q show the "iOsyd0m" Of the
past, that wisdom had not died with IL.
There q, reason which suggests itself %
every intelligent mind the moment be be.
&c. to investigate thi. subject, why We
have so much ,Amperins with our statute
Laws every year-why every legislature Is
."snsagea foil one.fourth Of the year IN en-
acting, re,l.ins. amending, explaining. de-
snips. Simplifying and repealing." IL Is
found in the men who compose the LeS'sla-
turs.-,hs men seat there by che people
n the peopl. ,end men to the Senate and
the House who are ambitious to engraii
cone Of their o,sa risdOn into the public
stock. and for this purpose load down al
mos, every committee with " orders" in