The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-07
STATE LEGISLATURES,

tinually abused. 1t cannot see that such
bodies have deteriorated in any marked degree,
nor has any legislature 'yet gone so far in
the enactment of bad laws as to destroy or
Immediately damage the we'll being of State
Still the fault-fnding goes on, and from the
moment they get to work until they cease
their labor, charges of imbecility and rascality
are hurled at their devoted heads. To be a
legislator is now to be victim of censure and
ridicule. The result is that he who has gone
up to participate in the councils of the State,
returns to lay down gladly the authority which
his fellow-citizens, thinking to do him great
honor, conferred upon him. 1t should not be
So A seat in the law-making body of State,
the area of which is larger than the dominions
of some great kings of Europe should be
worthy the ambition Of any honor-loving citi
zen" Such is The Currents view of the
services and abuse of legislatures.
The Current lays down false premise
which inevitably leads it to an erroneous con-
clusion. Tt is not true that vicious charges
are made against legislatures 'from the mo-
ment they get to work" The press has too
much at stake to stultify itself by condemning
in advance anything so uncertain State
legislature. Made up as they must be of
materials selected largely at random, and
often for reasons other than their fitness for
+ba ca,.;orc xvorl- of law akino q lapslature
is an unknown quantity until sufficient time
shall have elapsed to determine whether the
business element or the vicious or imbecile ele-
ments shall prevail. The curses brought
down upon the devoted heads of legislators
do not evolve from tradition, nor are they
heredity, natural affection attendant upon
the place. Generally the trouble lies in some
half dozen ullnecked members, whose heads
rise like sugar-loaf from their shoulders.
If these gain the ascendency in the conduct
of business, then is that particular legislature
cursed indeed, and with good reason. 1t does
not require vicious legislation to damn a leg
islative body any more than it takes aggres-
sive 'cussedness" tocondemn man. There are
men who are worthless because they are loaf
ers, and there are assemblies of men of no
acco unit for the same reason, because of the
obstruction of few members. Indiana is
cursed with just such legislature at the
present time. 1t has not passed bad laws,
nor has it gone forward to the enactment of
nece ssary legislation. The "ornery" element
is in the ascendency-men who would be ex-
pensive to the State at twenty-five cents a
pute by frittering away valuable time, by
senseless speeches, by dilatory tricks,
and motions to adjourn. Counting no.
toriety they seek occasion to be
criticised, and then have opportunity to take
up more valuable time by "denunciatory"
speeches in reply, and in every instance of this
kind they succeed only in establishing their
asininity and in wasting still further time and
money.
The sitting Legislature here has grown into
disfavor because of the fact that it has not
earned its salary, nor has it sought first and
foremost the general good The regular ses-
sion was ample for the transaction of all legiti
mate business, had the time been properly
employed Instead of transacting the work
of Importance, and for which it was necessarily
chosen, those bills that must be passed in
order to save the people inconvenience and
extra expense were put off from time to time,
while week after week was wasted purposely
by tricks, with which the average legislator is
familiar, until, at last the regular session ex-
pired and an extra one had to be called at an
additional expense of from $50, 900 to $50, 900,
and this, too, at time when the State was in
the market to borrow money The Legisla-
ture then showed that its purpose had been to
force an extra session, for it had no sooner
been organized than three whole days were
squandered il an adjournment. The body
should have adjourned three weeks ago, and
could do so tomorrow night were it intent
simply and solely on doing its duty.
1t is no sufficient apology to say that legis-
| latures now are no worse than those of the
past. They should be better. The days of
bartering in coon-skins have passed away, and
with them coon-skin statesmen and coon-skin
| legislation. There are many excellent and con-
| scientious men in our Legislature, as there are
in all legislatures, and it is misfortune that
incompetent and scheming fellowmembers
are in such force, or are allowed to take prac-
teal control of business. There are men in
our Legislature who have wasted thousands
of dollars worth of time, and who should
never be sent back to disgrace their constitu-