The Leavenworth weekly times., 1879-02-27

served al Topeka by the nrinS Of 4 six
pouuder both in the morning and evening
in the street near the State H5u-e, and b,
, the running NJ Of the national flag from
the summit Of the cspitol building Their
was a dance At The Opera House in th,
. evening, and the .'Tat,ler," a snsll bu
, very spicy sheet, which began 10 he ISSUED
daily about ten days ago, discussed "hir
birthday" in a vein altogether humOrou.
snd not at all candid.
Speaking of the birthday, viii say that
it Is bus just and proper thai II b ceivbrst
ed. We ought never 10 Culgrcw the habit
OF regarding Washington ~ greet aud
good man. "We are u people yeti and
Was irgisn did quite a. much 10 make Us
people as any man OF his time; possibly
more. There Is one department in the sys.
ten OF government which he, ard his IevcIu-
!ionaTy coaojUtors forgot 20 establish,
in which it il difficult to participate with
out feeling that al is not right. / refer
now TO the legislative department. 1t Is a
| isvorite idea with US AmeTICaEs that that
government is best which governs least =.
and yet "a a people We are never conteuisd
unless we are tinkering 1t the statutes.
either 10 add TO, rrpea! or amend. / do noi
| know, however, that such a STATE oil things
| is 10 be wondered al IN X ausds, or that il IL
10 be deprecated. We are Lot to day what
We will be To morrow. So rapid il our
| growth, 20 great the influx Cf the popula-
| ton; A; all the conditions, civil, economic
and otherwise, under which We sTe living
| ard growing up. are 50 various and varIa-
| bic, that charges and additions must be
made in the statute book. We could not
convenient y di- pen-e with them. Ii IL The
process or method by which We 20 10 work
| To accomplish legislation Ihat ! don't ike.
There is where the great trouble lieF.
| regard legislation as simply ia ihe na-
ture OF business. 1t l. business Of the most
important character, stfsctiu: not only one,
bu; every sitsz-n Of The S,a,e. IL is about
the highest business men are called upon do
Upon is proper per.oTusn'e often deFeads
the stability Of the nation. Tn,ss I.CIs
need buI 10 be stated to impress the ruth.
hat the legislation machinery should run
strictly according 10 gbe rules and priaci-
piles OF business, il OrG'r 10 work out the
beet resslls.
Business cannot lie conducted By 4 mob
Our legislative body is numerically LIo5-
bish, and ~, unavoidably, sometimes are
las proceedings The adjustment OF all
manner Of local interests 10 \ general rule
- impossible; aud 80 also is the cnnsid.ra-
ton OF hundreds Of local st;ers and inter
ests, all in a lev brief days, each interest
being represented by cna or more irdIvIi-
u4l- Wbo can iiiIhusier End talk. lie mo-t
Of the local matters ihal are brought here
should be kept at home 10 b. set;ied 5y
local Irihunais. Our legislative bOCy should
not be- an eltctorsl body, LeJ such iInpor-
tant places ss UGited Slaies Senator and
State Printer be filed hy vote Of all the
people al general election. The isCigI-
ma e business Of the session would not tnsB
be 70 often interrupted by investigation
proceedings, and Inen!b ~ would rot so
much be kept awske o nights out of
anxious aud beuevolsui concern for The
honor and dignity Of fellow membe!s. J his
Il surely v.fy important consideration;
ard then, every man e'CC;od 10 the L'gG-la-
ture, or IN candidacy iur the honor, should
know how much pay there is IL the otiVe
This can't b. known b. any piauof comgu-
tatioD that ii will do TO deFerd UTrn 20
long as there is ssnstCrial ectICI. On iA-
calendar.
4 constitutional convention would dou5.-
less be good thing, even now OF next year.
Ii m. hit result in an improvement q tie
plan Of law making now IN operation,
though ! doubt If, ~ people, W. are yet
ripe enough in civic experience t, mske lhe
most of such an cp7oEturity Tor change sud
reform as such convention would furnish.
l do not, therefore, insist.
| am certain We will have 20 put upwith
a great deal Of expensive and wiIiess fool
2 4
system OF legislative sCtion is adopted |
do not complain, as = mrmb5r Of this Leg
isistuTe, vile lersOrs who have Tever hsd |
any exprTi-Eoe IN Ihis business, and who
know nothing about il, grUuhle At our sp
parent shortcomings; but for 4 pub.icist of |
40 much ability, and of 20 much experience |
in Kansas legislation a. the editor of TIE
ZINES, 10 go for las in such unFpsriDg terms. |
that, insist, is not altogether fair. The |
TINES finds fault with the bill introduced |
y Mr.. Miller providing Tor the fund |
ing of our county railroad Indebtedness. |
OF that bill / will say that it " =
prep7rei by the advice ard with |
the consent of our county commissioners |
and our county attorney. The tax payers |
OF the county st their late Convention en- |
dorsed these commissioners fully and en- |
phaticaIlv, ss also the county attorney. |
How cCu.d we more surely and exactly |
represent the tax payers Of the county than |
by presenting Thee measures which they |
have so fully endorsed? So also Cl the bill |
relating 10 The city government introduced |
hy Mr. Beven. That bin had been pre- |
pared, and had been considered and APP |
proved bv the city council, before il came |
into the h nts OF Mr.. s. ven Ii the bill |
il as obroxious as The TINES corceives il |
10 be-and jI-tly pe-hsps-let the blame |
be placed upon the mayor, the council, and |
others With whom it originated rot upon |
Mr.. Beven, who in ia introduction, acted |
n purely representative capacity. Ard |
may well add right here. that all the bills |
that have thus lar been introduced b. |
Leavenworth memberT, this session, have |
been 80 introduced. They have been pre-
pared BY the county commissioners or with |
their appreciation, "a measures best calcu- |
lated in their estimation to belp the county |
out of It's financial difficulties. This Is |
true Of all the bills We have offered except |
general funding bill introduced early in |
the session by Mr. Lsgate. Pin this fact
up in your sanctum Mr.. Editor
The amount of literature providing for |
the funding of municipal indebtedness,
which has been ordered printed by the Leg
islature, would alone make book of for |
midsble dimensions No bills for the |
funding of individual Indebtedness have |
yet been introduced. There is no relief |
from that form of Indebtedness but by OBJ |
servsnce of the rigid maIims Of economy |
laid down By Poor Richard. Even the sv-
erage Kansas legislator has not hit upon !;
any other plan, unless the preservation Of |
the ample snd generous exemption lava
which We have, are to be Considered as il |
,ha, lire of policy.
/ have it from a member of the House, |
who is deeply in the investigation interest, |
tina. e. startling Developments" may he look |
ed for when the committee comes in with |
Its finsl report. There NAV be something |
in this gentlenan's vaticinations, although |
the investigation Just now is proceeding |
very quietly, and without creating any
visible discomposure in any quarter toward
which suspicion has been most pointedly
directed.
Mr.. Smith, of the telegraph Office, sill i
refuses to produce the kilograms wanted,
and is still in the custody OF the >eargesnt-
st-Arna. J. A. 3.
WfcGed Fer slersy men.
LII. L. III