Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-02-20
VOL. 80.
EDITORIAL CoRREspoNDE

everybody connected with the Legis'a
ture. 1t is always the case as the da,
for the final adjourn ment draws near
Monday next at II m. the two House.
have solemnly agreed to put an end tt
the session and return to their constit
uents, and everybody is OF course in 6
hurry and uneasy lest his "little bill
may not get through-and this sug
gests to me that probably it may not be
uninteresting to some of your readers
to know the different steps in this pro-
cess of ''getting bill through" the
Legislature.
In the first place the bill must be IL
troduced in one of the two Houses and
read by the Clerk the first time. On
the first reading the bill passes as a
matter of course, the universal practice
in Legislative bodies being to make no
objection to bill on its first reading.
After passing the first time the bill is
referred to some appropriate commit
tee of members OF the House in order
that It's character may be ascertained
by careful Investigation. These inves-
LEGATIONS by committees are made while
the Legislature is not in session, and
constitute the most laborious part of
the duty Of members.
When the committee have agreed in
opinion whether the bill ought to pass
| or not. they return it to the House with
a statement of their opinion in writing
The bill is then ready to be put upon
the second reading whenever i is
reached in its regular turn. The CT. rk
reads the bill a sec. nd time and i is
discussed and amended so as to meet
the views of the majority of the House
and passed second time. The bill is
then ready for it's third reading, and
when reached in regular order it is
read a third time, amended and dis
cussed if desired, and passed third
time. The opinion of the Committee
has great influence in shaping the
action of the House upon bill, but is
not conclusive.
| When bill has passed the third
time in the House in which it was first
introduced, it must be "engrossed' or
| copied for transmission to the other
! House. The Committee on Engrossed
Bills have 10 examine the "engrossed
bill'', as it is called, and see that it is
an exact transcript of the bill az it
passed, and certify this fact on the bill.
The Chief Clerk certifies on the bill the
fact that it passed in due form. and the
engrossed bill is then sent with writ
| ten message by one of the clerks to the
other House 'sinforming that Honcra-
BILE Body, as the phrase goes, that the
| bill has been passed, and asking con-
currence therein. The original bill
with the amendments, sc. lis preserved
among the records of the House in
| which it is introduced. When the
Clerk with the message and bill reaches
the other House, it suspends business
for the moment, the door-keeper
| announces in a loud voice "a message
from the House of Representatives
or ''from the Senate" as the case may
be, and the presiding officer invites the
messenger to come forward. He does
so and delivers his papers to the pre-
siding officer who rises to receive them.
| The Clerk then returns and the regu-
lar business is resumed.
The course of the bill is now pre-
cisely similar to that taken i'll the
| House in which it was introduced, to
wit: it is read and passed first time
| and referred to q committee for ex-
animation and report, read and passed
second time, read and passed third
| time.
When an enerossed bill has been
passed the third time in one House
precisely as it came from the other
House it is then ready for 'enroll-
ment." The Committee on Enrolled
| Bills examine the enrolled bill and
certify that it is an exact copy of the
engrossed bill as it passed both Houses
and report the fact to both Houses.
the Committee on Enrolled Bills being
composed of members of both Houses.
The enrolled bill. after being reported
Oh by the Committee, is signed by the
presiding officer of each House in open
session and then is no longer a "bill'
but can act of Assembly" in other
| words the law Of the land. It is then
| placed in tho office of the Secretary OF
Ck,to for sofa koaniDo
This is the very simplest way
of "getting a bill through the
the LEGISLATURE. The 'tengrossed bill"
is the copy sert from one House to
the other. The "enrolled BILL is the
COPY deposited in the Office of the
Secretary of State, as the record proof
| of what the law is. This is, in brief.
the history of a bill that has an easy
passage through the Legislature OF
North Carolina. In other States the
| forms and terms are somewhat differ
ent but the substance is the same.
There has been no report as ye',
from the House Judiciary Committee,
| in relation to the impeachment OF
Judge Watts, and as the adjournment
takes place ON Monday it is not proba-
able that any will be made.
The consolidation bill, in its last
shape, became a law some days ago,
and is now but little talked OF. The
bill is indeed law, but whether the
road will be built is by no means SO
certain. The encumbrances on the
North Carolina Road are so great that
it is feared they will form serious, II
not fatal, obstacle to:.the accomplish
ment of the present plan for connect
ing our North Carolina roads with
those beyond the mountains. 1t by
no means follows, however, If this
project fails, that another and by OTHER
IL