The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-04-10
THE SIXTEENTH LEGISLATURE
-DIFPICULTIEs In THE WAY
OF LEGISLATION.

The present Constitution, justly
enough, has been harshly criticize by
members of the Legislature on the
floors Of both houses. Conceived un-
der an unhealthy condition of society,
and chiefly acted for its want of any
thing conducive to good government,
it has been stumbling tiook in the
course of proper legislation. Bang
the prime Law Of the State, TO which
all statute law must conform, it has
overawed ell legislation. and the SIX
teeDih Legislature has therefore been
able to pass no bill not depending
wholly upon this miserable code that
all condemn. Having received the
harshest condsmnstions, and there be-
ing advUsates, even now, all over the
STATE, OF another convention to cure
radical and multiplied defects of the
Constitution in force, 1t is not a mat
ter Of wonder that the Sixteenth
legislature has received It's share Of
condemnation for supposed shoItcom-
ings. THE STATEsMAN, along with
Others, has critIciz I'd the course of the
Legislature, when it should also have
taken 8 more generous view Of the
case and given credit to its members
for a vast deal of labor and toll in
their work OF difficult legislation. Ger
tainly no body ever had such tasks
presented to it. Civil and criminal
codes of forty years growth have been
reviewed and reproduced. Coditiers,
it is true, prepared revised codes, but
these and the old codes have been
compared and the new one amended
by careful, psiDstaking Legislators,
who, through dilligent study, have be-
come masters OF the very spirit and
letter of sll Texas Law. Every law
passed by this Legislature has been
framed, not only On the principles set
down in the Constitution, but with Gp-
piiance to these revised codes, that 1t
has taken toilsome days and sleepless
nights to mature. No body that ever
sat in the Capitol In this city ever
worked with the same zsal as this one;
there was never so much work done
in SO short time; and when we re-
feet that the Constitution places upon
this Jealous labor, this conscientious
toll, the value of two dollars per diem,
decency reyolts at the idea. Why the
Legislature did not adjourn and why
it does not even now adjourn to meet
in extra session and perfect and enact
only certain bills can only be a. cribed
to a false proprioty. The Constitution
declares that regular sessions of the
Legislature shall sit only sixty days at
FIVE dollars per diem pay to members,
thereby assuming that honest men
stepped DOWN and out when its men,
bers retired from the Capitol, and that
subss gently crops of only dishonest
Legislators could be produced in Texas.
The folly and injustice of this pro-
vision is shown by the fact that no
legislative body ever performed the
same amour. of necessary work in
sixty days as has been done by the
Sixteenth Legislature. Given to hard
labor, and being more than an average
body in intelligence, while its mem-
bers are Beyond all question the sober
est and most gentlemany body of men
ever assembled at the Texas capital,
the press and people should be led to
discover its virtues, and not be direct
ed to faults alone that are possessed Of
all men.