New-York tribune., 1878-02-19
BIENNIAL LEGISLATITE SESSIONS.

Connecticut Legislature 10 examine ana report
upon the whole system of public expenditures
In the State, with a view to retrenchment and
a more economical administration of State af-
fairs, recommends, among other things, the
adoption of n Constitutional amendment pro-
viding for biennial instead of annual ses-
sions of the Legislature. They estimate
the saving in salaries, public printing,
legislative expenses, etc, to be not less than
$4,000 per annum, while the total expenses
of the elections in the odd years, amounting
to about 100000 more, would be also saved
for other purposes. Simply as a matter OF
economy, they consider the subject worthy the
serious attention of the Legislature. The total
expenditure of the State is we believe, some
where IN the neighbOrhOod of 81, ,00O,-
OOO so that the proposed change would
effect direct saving of zig per cent,
while the saving of election expenses in
the alternate years, averaging $4,000
a year, gives per cent additional, making a
total reduction of 12i2 per cent per annum.
The question, of course, is whether the annual
session is worth what it costs, or whether the
State can afford to dispense with it. The Com
mission have viewed it simply in the light
of economy, and in that view they unhesitat-
ingly recommend the change.
Desirable as it is to cut down in all State
Governments all unnecessary expenditure. and
TO administer public affairs with the strictest
prudence:and economy, that is by no means
the only or the strongest argument in favor OF
the suggestion of this Commission. We are
quito confident that the measure would re-
dound to the public good, even if the imme-
diate saving in dollars and cents in
the expenditure of the session could not
be traced and pointed out. For who
ever knows anything about tho methods
of our legislation and the manner in which
Legislatures are run. knows that there are a
thousand ways in which a Legislature costs a
State money, that do not appear in any form
in which they can be directly traced. The
amount of money saved to the State by the
omission of one session of the Legislature each
two years cannot be fully computed by esti-
mates from the figures in sight. Legislatures
are not only an expense in what they directly
absorb themselves, but they are much more
costly in the facilities they render Others for
tapping the treasury i'll one way and another, and
in establishing leaks OF indirection. II Is not
necessary to point out the methods and prac-
tces by which these things are done. They
are of infinite variety. and tho ingenuity OF
man is under constant draft to increase them.
Each year brings new schemes and fresh in
ventlons, whose only purpose is to tap the
public till. To discover and expose them is
useless the fertility of the cOnspirators out
runs cxp0sure, and before the last scheme has
been uncovered there's new one on foot.
The only remedy is TO take away their only
IN. freac for at 1.aaf
half the time by limiting the Legislature to
biennial sessions.
More than this, tho States are all statute
ridden. In all of them there is an accumula
ton of rubbish on their statute books. in the
shape of crude and imperfect and mischieyous
legislation, which it would be for the public
good to have wiped out entirely, and
swept out into the limbo. They are the
work Of annual legislative sessions, of
Legislatures that believed it WAS their
business to make laws, and SO made
them in the most prodigal manner, whether
they were needed or not. OF the work
of our own State Legislature each year, how
much is there that is really needed 7-how
much that we would not be better without
Is the infnitcsmal proportion of our annual
crop of legislation that is really practical and
wise worth anything like the cost of it 7 Is it
not, indeed, more than a hundred times
outwclghed by the damage which comes to
every public and private interest from
crude and hasty laws, and the disadvant-
age of being exposed to the operation
of capricious and uncertain legislation
The connecticut Commission seem to us
to have taken a step in the right direc-
ton in the recommendation Of biennial ses
sons. 1t is commendable not merely upon the
score of economy, but for many other reasons.
Twenty -four States now have biennial leg
islative sessions, to wit Arkansas, California,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois. Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky. Michigan. Mississip-
pi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Caro-
lima, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Texas, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
And New-York would be wise to adopt the
some nlan