The Portland daily press., 1877-02-06
Biennial Sessions.

On questions relating TO government human
opinion is always in a state of slow but con-
tinual fluctuation. No principle has been so
long assented to as TO be beyond the reach of
change. No length of time, no extent of
acquiescence, either by nation or by the
whole race, can give us assurance that any
particular idea even when it has been carried
into successful practice may not be peremp-
torily called upon to give reasons for contin-
ued existence other than the long consent
of mankind. Sometimes these challenges to
established opinion are the results of advanc.
ing knowledge and are signs of increasing
wisdom. Sometimes they are only indica-
tions of confused awakening from what some
one calls "the slumber of decided opinion"
by which is meant this state of things. After
contest, long or short, over a probable
opinion there comes time when one side or
the other sensibly predominates. Then per-
haps decided majority adopts the opinion,
carries it out in institutions; opposition,
which has become hopeless, stops, and the
prevalent opinion, having ceased TO be dis
cussed becomes with the succeeding genera
tions an article Of faith and not matter of
reason. The succeeding generations are of
the same belief as their ancestors, but have
forgotten why. After time plausible rea-
sons against the existing order of things are
presented and have undue weight until full
discussion brings to mind the reasons which
prevailed long ago. Among these confused
awakenings from the ''slumber of decided
opinion" is the constitutional amendment for
biennial sessions and elections now proposed
to the Legislature, As the result of the
most thorough and exhaustive discussion of
democratic principles in 17Ss, the time when
the Federalist was written, all the states but
three went yearly to the polls. Connecticut
aud Rhode Island went half yearly, and
South Carolina alone every two years. For
more than half a century the State of Maine
has had annual elections. If Hanything seemed
established by unquestioning acquiesence it
was yearly sessions of the Legislative. And
yet it is now proposed without discussion for
the Legislature to take measures for chang
ing the fundamental law of the state so that
both state elections and sessions of the Leg
islature shall take place only once in two
years.
In this revival of the South Carolina idea,
none 0f the old arguments in favor of pro-
longing the power Of the representatives can
be urged for the new plan, and all the old
objections so successfully presented a century
ago are still valid. A century ago the argu-
ment for the South Carolina idea was that
it was but just to the representative himself
that he should have long enough lease of
power TO show the people what he was, that
he should stay long enough to be judged, not
by single act which might be an accident,
but by series of acts which might show
Fitness or unftness of character. The people
too, it was said, would gain by it. They
could more intelligently re-elect their repre-
sentatives, for they would have given them
fuller and fairer trial. Another strong ar
gument was that the tenure of Office ought to
be long enough to ensure experience, to en-
able the representatives to acquire full
knowledge of their business and how to do
it. Such tenure too, would give more free
dom of action to intelligent men and render
them less liable to be swerved from just
opinions by the whims of their constituents.
All these arguments the present proposition
abandons. A legislator elected for two
years, but who exercises his functions on
only one of the years, is obviously no better
off in acquisition of experience, in knowledge
of his business or in the display of his quail
ties than if he were elected for that year
alone. He gets no more experience, knowl-
edge, or appreciation on the part of the peo-
pie, and the people on their side have no
more chance to see whether he is good man
to take into permanent service, or bad man
to be hereafter rejected. And there is this
disadvantage, that with the desire which ex-
lists for Office, the legislator of every other
year will have less than half the chance OF
ever getting back to give the public the bene.
fit of the experience he has acquired.
While the old arguments in favor of bien-
nial elections are thus seen not to be applca-
Bile to biennial sessions it s still the fact that
the old objections hold against both. One
thing to be guarded against in every form o
government is bribery of the representative
While it may not be true that every man has
his price yet it is true that some men have.
So far as they are concerned the only ques
tion is. can anybody afford to pay the price
If legislature can pass law which will last
two years it is obviously worth more to inter
ested parties than one for the continuance o
which they have got to fight next year. 81
on biennial basis they can pay more for
vote or for "infuence;" and if the bribet
| legislators constituents suspect him the,
must endure him for two years at least, an,
| while he may not sit at another regular ses
sion, yet if any exigency arises on the Of
| year the bribed and unworthy member vii
| still represent an unwilling constituency. II
a few words the two year rule renders tn
member more liable to be bribed and les
liable to be punished for it. The constituen
is, by one-half, deprived Of the power to pu
out bad and incompetent men both as pre-
punishment for past treasons. This matte
Of bribery has hitherto been of little conse
quence, but as the wealth of the State in
creases and becomes more concentrated, W
shall find ourselves needing all our safeguards
Since eighteen hundred and seventy years O
christian civilization have not prevented Wm
M. Tweed and have left Oakley Hall unpun
ished. we would do well not to act as if W
considered corruption a lost art. Bennis
sessions also render it more difficult for th
people to improve their Legislature by choo.
ing men to their liking, men who have show
themselves more fit, according to the consti
uents idea of fitness, which is the ultimat
standard. This is in addition to the difficult
of removing bad men already spoken o
Biennial sessions also prevent the grievance
OF people from being listened to and, if nee
be, redressed oftener than once in two year
On this point, however, more hereafter. S
extensive were the evils our ancestors for
saw in any departure from annual elections
that they condensed into one sentence the
aversion and fear, and hold for maxim tn;
"achere annual elections end tyranny begins.
We have lived so long under repablica
| Government with no tvrannv hut tho .vrann