The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-03-09
VOLUME 20.
The I.egIslarure.


legislature Is closed, or ought to be.
The fifty days for which the mem-'
bers could draw pay expired last
Tuesday. If this legislature has left
behind IL any impression uron the
people it Ia to be thankful that they
voted to adopt the biennial system.
We do not remember to have heard
of q session so utterly devoid of
beneficial results to the people of
Kansas az that of the present year,
except the one ended q year ago.
The session OF 10 injured the State
intellectually, materially and neral
ly. This one was vastly better than
that, but has done nothing to COM
pensate the people for the 100000
it cost. We have read the proceed
ings In vain to find some measure
advocated and adopted that would
cause the people TO remember 1t
with some degree of gratitude.
There is q mere chance that some
thing may be done the last days Of
the session. Out Of the published
list of lhirty-six bills, that have
passed and been approved, thirty
two are local bills to Vacste alleys
and streets, change names. grant per-
sonal privileges, etc. We regret to
say that we believe the State has
not been benefited to the amount
Of dollar. No act has been passed to
better the condition of the people,
or to further their interests There
was an unusual number of men of
ability and good standing in the
body, and we are surprised at the
result. We think one important
fact lie demonstrated, and that is
that the body is too large and un-
wieldy. Seventy-five members of
the House and twenty-five Senators
would do much more work, aud do
it great deal better. We have
made the bad mistake of increasing
the number of mem bers to one han
dred and alphabetically twice
as many as there ought to be. II
one hundred OF the best men in the
body which has just closed its SEES
sion, could have done the work, it
would have been done better and
much more good work would have
been contaminated. The legislature
is loaded down with men OF ignor-
aDce and small cslibre, who hinder
progress, and act from motives of
prejudice and jealousy. They are
simply clogs oil the wheels of legis-
lation. There is another class which
is worse, q set of political mendi-
cants and demagOgues, who care for
nothing save to make what pOliti-
cal capital they can for themselves.
No word so we'll describes them as
that one of recent southern coinage,
bulldozers." This class infiict ev-
cry assemblage, and cannot be got
rid of entirely, but the last Kansas
legislature had too many of them.
They talk entirely to make a noise
outside, and care for nothing else
II the noise results in their personal
profit. They are worse on the State
than the grasshOppers. They pirate
themselves hoarse about the dear
people. BY this sign the people
should know them. Whenever q
man has TO be eternslly telling about
his devotion to the interests of his
constituents, it is time to watch
him. He is fraud aud humbug
Such talk is intended to tickle the
fancy of people who don't see
through demagegus's motives.
The race ought to begin to thin
out in Kansas. We have been cursed
by them long enough. The last
Legislature was such an improve
ment on its immediate predecessor
that we have hope.
To cum up, we are more than ever
thankful that we are not to have q
session next winter. The public
has cried for rest, and they will
now have it. One session in four
or five years would be plenty il
they are TO be such as we had this
and last winter.