Telegram-herald., 1889-12-04

-s-&lslle and s1lle et Us predecessors.
E2.tors slO havs had n0 mere exper-
elce Ia legislative 8cIk than l4d many
II the members anen Gaey NeEe elect
ID, feel coaeeLeat 70 crtezs, give aa-
wee and Deer BIZ personal e0Etact
ald experience SKA past N.chigan
Leg slallles have convinced us that ed
Tors make 10 better laR-1aSers gener-
y teaa nlea engaged ID other aYoca-
ions. ~ iaet, taey are seldom ,o good 4s
many Others. IL almost every other
profess ou. 4 man masses specially of
subjects, and studies tnem closely ana
exclusively, thls accu.toulng himself
To Gloss. accurate thought Ca the
contrary al ed lor, 1rom The = ieuess
" hls hela of thought. must necessa-
-lyle more or less superficial
blt ,ne COlhle HIth STATE leg. station
generally IS that there Is zoo much APP
7 prentice work n Il. Men who may he
good workmen in other cal.ngs are al
0ace set - wosk AZ tine delicate bus
ness Of law-msklng, without any preyi-
Gas praclle-l experience and often with
. out even any theoretical knOwledgc.
They nnd themselves IN new situations
I and confronted With strange questions.
Even L their IDEAS are good. the modes
of procedure and practical application
T Ot those Ideas are unfamiliar. Some
times ara ul- k.lltulness Ia the expires
son OF their IDEAS in clear, unamb.gu-
Gus language hinders their usefulness
F But the most common failing and the
most unfortunate, as well as the most
difficult 10 remedy, Is the lack of even
q far understanding of the jurisdiction
I VI the legislative department of the
>late-a practical familiarity with the
scope, as vel as the limitations, of leg
slative authority. Whatever bright
ness OF intellect, whatever skill in prac
/ lce member. may possess IN their own
lines of work, the great majority Of
them enter the legislative halls and
take their seats as mere apprentices,
instructed, however, with the most inn
pOrtant interests of Their masters, the
people. They are paid apprentice
wages, 50 that, even after 4 man has
gained little experience that might be
valuable to the state. he can not afford
10 come back another session. Under
I these circumstances the members as-
I scmble and commence work. They are
blamed for not plungng Immediately
into the most perplexing problems
of legislation during their apprentice
ship, and they are blamed for not work
| ing faster while learning their trade.
When some piece of work, which
they have done under these adverse
circumstances, comes up before the
judicial department for review, jus!
note the contrast. The very question
which apprentice legislators could spare
but little time to consider, is argued
pro and con by skilled attorneys.
Learned Judges, who have spent 4 life
time in judicial Investigations, turn
that question over and over, perhaps
for weeks or months, comparing and
measuring it with all the authorities
massed in the State library. At last
the startling discovery IS made that the
Legislature has made a mistake. The
/ Supreme Court has taken the snuff
and every country ed d.tor who knows Is
much about law and the Constitution
as a goose does about It's grandmother
and every corner grocery statesman
who didn't get sent TO the Legislature
sets up a sneezng that threatens to dis
locate ms neck.
Weinsistupon it, that in general, the
Legislature does the very best it car
under the circumstances. The remedy
+ lies not IN cuTsing the Legislature, bur
the circumstances. So long as our leg
islators are TO be selected from tht
people generally, without especial refer
encc 20 class, trade or profession, tht
best way OF securing good lawmakers
would be to raise the standard of edu
cation IN this line generally among toe
people. More practical attention
should be paid to 10 in schools. If til,
state says 10 every citizen alike, "W,
may want you at some time to mak'
our laws" then the State should see 4
it that ho is fairly we'll equipped 70
the work. y little theoretical instruc
ton, by some teacher who has no prac
tlcai know edge, Will not alone suffice
bat there should DE some definite IN
struct.on impaired, by personsOf actua
experience. as 20 how a State an,
all its varied interests and department
are managed. such instruction c0ul.
be given by the older pupils, by judges
attorneys. and public men, IN the shap
of short % - or lectures. Tt seems a
those topics which ht our boys an,
r,rls t0 me. the duties and responsible
ties eft Citizenship are worthy of q
much attention as the more ornamenta
studies in the curriculum.
C1Ars -rpTrKLHs knows p thing OF
two bes des sugar. He wouldn't hav
anything O. 10 with the sugar tr1s.
aud SD t1e sugar trust determined E,
p have something 70 do WITH him. Al,
itd.3 But 10 wishes nOw 10 hadn't
They tired % corner all the domest
nlolasses sugar. so that Clans couldn'
got any % start h.snew refinery w.th
lWust was the surprise and disgust o