New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-29
THE NEW RULES or THE ASSbnDLi.

THE NEW RULES or THE ASShnoLi.
The Assembly of this State is to be congra1-
uIated upon the rules for its government WHICH
will 90 into effect at the next session. ~
was generally conceded that the old rules, as a
whole had outIived their usefulness The new
ones are well calculated to expedite business
and at the same time TO insure its transaction
with increased orderliness and efficiency. In
a letter. which is printed on another page, our
Albany correspondent discusses the subject OF
the rules, and points out the most Important
changes that have been made.
The peoples idea OF tirst-rate session OIL
the Legislature is session which is al once
short and sufficient; long enough to secure uho
passages Of all the measures which cannot DC
DELAYED in justice to the public, ana SNORT
enough to shut out legislation which can Just
a. well as not 60 over or go under mat sorV
of session is hardly possible unless the legs
lative rules, and particularly the Assembly
rules-the Assembly being much the larger
body of the two-are the best that can be de-
yised Perhaps the most important OF the new
rules is the one which provides for COMMITTEES
on Legislation, charged with the duty of seeing
that all bills that come up for consideration
are verbally, constitutionally and otherwise
correct. The Assembly has to present TWO
standing committees on bills-the CommllVee
on Engrossed Bills and the Committee on ne
vision. Ii is made the duty of the former 10
see that all bills which have beer passed TO
third reading are correctly engrOSSed-that Is
engrossed in the shape in which they ieiU INC
Committee of the Whole 1t is made the duly
Of the latter "to examine and correct all DIS
which are referred to it for the purpose Vi
avoiding repetitions and unconstitutional pr0-
visions insuring accuracy in the text ana refer
ences and consistency with the language OF eA-
listing statutesn Under the new rules the Com
mittee ON Legislation will SuperSede the Ooln-
mttee on Revision, and besides discharglng the
duties of that committee will report whether
the object sought to be accomplished Can DC So
cured without a special act under existing laws
or without detriment to the pubic interests ~
the enactment of a genera! law" ms conl-
mittea would be still more valuable II 1t were
reouired To examine all bills after they nave
been engrossed for third reading An eA-
animation of the session laws oil 1908 or VI
any previous year demonstrates the Necessity
of this general revision. In it's absence all Sor'S
of errors of spelling, Of grammar and OF con-
struction creep into the laws
Another excellent result accomplished by the
new rules is the fuller information which Is
secured to the public in regard to the true III
wardness Of the bills that are introduced Inc
greater the publicity the fewer the Jobs states
men given to log-rolling will be panied to see
that hereafter the roll of absenteeS Is to be
called only once. Under the old rule, which
allowed the absentees to be called an indefinite
number Of times, much valuable time was
wasted, and wasted generally on bills which
had no sufficient excuse. Still another sensible
and much needed rule is designed to discourage
filbustering 1t provides that a member who
refuses to vote on pending question shall be
declared in contempt. If the Legislature OF
1890 does not give good account Of itself the
fault will not be with the rules.