The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-26
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.


Year after year the dissatisfaction of the
people with the Legislature increases. AT
the close of each session there is invariably
the same disappointment at evils which still
remain unredressed at public demands,
which are wholly overlooked, and fortunate
indeed is the General Assembly which ad-
journs without loud complaints of positive
injury inflicted. The most cursory examina-
ton of the laws as soon as they a~e
published and distributed reveals crudities
and inconsistencies which would be laugha-
bic if their results were not often so disas-
trous to the people. At the last session
bill was passed requiring that all legal pub
LEGATIONS in Indianapolis should be made in
one of the daily papers of that city. This
was done upon the representation that the
weeklies were journals of small circula-
ton, and that publication in one of them
was means of concealing re cher than COM
munieating to the public the proceedings adj
vertised But as soon as the law was passed
a great clamor arose from the bar and peo-
pie of that city that the provisions of the
act required publication not simply once
in each week but every day during the num-
Der of weeks prescribed by law. This would
make the expense of advertising often greater
than the entire amount involved. The cry
arose that the bill was "a job" on
the part of one of the leading
dailies. Now, the cry of ''job" and ring"
will frequently stampede Legislature where
the known existence of both will be wholly
inefficient without the clamor. So the rules
were suspended and a new act was passed
repeating the obnoxious law. But now the
people of Indianapolis were in worse fix
than before for the repeal did not revive the
original act and it was found that there was
no law providing for any kind of publication
in that city, and the rights of itgants in all
cases where this was necessary we're totally
suspended 1t was just at the close of the
session, but something heroic must be done,
so. a third law was enacted, under a unan-
imeus suspension of the rules. declaring that
the original law was still in force. A COM
parison OF the three acts is a severe criticism
of the utility of our legislative bodies. In
this case these absurdities worked no further
harm than the useless waste of little time
and little money. But suppose the errors
of the first and second laws had remained
undiscovered. How is it when the evil is not
il with the celebrated whistle law of four
years ago, when every railroad company in
the State was required by statute to make
itself a nuis nee to the whole community?
How was it with the decedents' estate act of
two years ago, under which the expense of
collecting a small claim against an estate was
generally greater than the claim itself?
Yet the most serious blunders OF this kind
are not usually the result of any evil inten-
ton. Corrupt many of our legislatures
are, there is much more evil entailed upon
the community by their blunders than by
their crimes Our worst laws are more fire.
quently the result of haste and mprovidence
than of malice aforethOught. And, to any
one who is acquainted with the mode in
which the fabric of our laws is woven in
these factores-here the raw material is
thrust into the machine at one end and ma
nipulated in the various processes required
for the manufacture of legislative act-will
scarcely be surprised at the crudity of the
product Indeed the wonder is that it is
not greater. Let us look in, for moment,
at the various proceedings of our State Leg
islature. Our constitution. to provide
against this very haste and improvidence,
has prescribed that every law shall be read
three separate times, on three separate days,
before each house, before it shall be passed,
unless two-thirds of the house otherwise di-
rect. But this provision is wholly made
ouate, The oral reading of long and com
plicated bill, even if listened to with the
most careful attention, will fail to furnish
any complete idea of its contents To un-
derstand its effects it must be studied in con-
pection with the existing law; each section
must be compared with every other clause,
10 secure uniformity, and. with the limita-
tons imposed BY the cons titution to see that
no part of the fundamental law is violated.
70 do this, upon bare monotonous reading
af the bill by a clerk who has himself
4 fort lfo Pet ri
rpauses and emphases in most inappropriate
places, is wholly impossible. even if the bill
were in fact, read three times rs the consiitu-
zion requires. But in point of fact, no such
reading occurs. During the time, which. by
legislative fiction is supposed to be devoted
to this purpose, the greatest confusion pre-
vails Constituents and friends of the MEM
bers are sending in their cards. and request
ing personal interviews in the lobby, and are
inpatient and dissatisfied ii their matters
are not attended to at once. Half the MEM
hers are absent the rest are answering their
correspondence at their desks, while the
three or four who are really attempting to
listen are prevented by the universal hubbub.
Finally the clerk begins to skip whole
sections at a time, or, perhaps, he will read
the first three or four words of each clause
and omit the rest altogether, when his mon
otonous voice ceases, and the chair an
nounces the first reading of the bill" The
probability is that not more than three or
four members even know the subject, and
not one understands It's provisions. except
possibly the member who introduced IT,
The house being thus fully informed of the
character of the proposed legislation, sends
the bill for consideration to one OF its stand
ing committees. In the case of nine-tenths
of the laws passed in a session, this is the
only place where any real consideration can
be devoted to them. That is to say, a COM
nittee of six to eight members is the real
body which determines on the advisablity of
the greater part of our legislation. Some
times that committee will consist of the
most incompetent men in the whole Leeisla-
ture Sometimes, as IN of the judiciary
committee, the amount of work submitted
to them is so great that it is subdivided,
and each committeeman has special charge
1 l. L: IL.