The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-16
LEGISLATURES AND, BEDBUas.
Resolutions That Did Not Get on the
Illinois House Journal.

The session of the Illinois legislature
just ended, in which the democrats for
the first time in a good many years had
full control, was signalizcd by the APP
pearance of new tenant in the state
house at Springfield This was nothing
less than The celebrated bedbug. This
member of the genus cimicid8, and
known to scientists as the CimCX-lectuld-
RUS and described as three-siXteeuths
of an inch long and of a rQundish, de-
pressed body, was never known to have
made the Illinois state house its home be-
fore the past winter. Its advent is eX-
planned by the Chicago Inter Ocean on
the ground that the ianitors, clerks, and
even some of the state officers, have used
the committee rooms us sleeping apart
ments
The pest became so unbearabe while
the legislature was in session that a series
of resolutions on the subject were Of
fered in the senate. They were not en-
tered upon the pages Of the senate's jour
nal of its proceedings, but a verbatim
copy of them was taken at the time, and
is as follows:
Whereas, 1t has been alleged that the bed
bug has taken possession OF the committee
rooms and the state house, and
Whereas
The Junebug has the wings Of gauze,
he lightning bug the flame
The beuOug mas no wings at all,
Bat ne gets there just the same And
whereas
THE Junc0ug leaves the last of June,
The lightning bug in May
The bedbug takes his bonnet of
And says j We come TO stay
Whereas, His presence has caused much
discomfort and disturbed the Stun oers of the
committee clerks and members OF commit
tees; therefore be it
Resolved. That the presiding officer Of the
senate is hereby authorized and directed to
appoint a discreet and aOle-bOdied person at
the salary of ninety cents a day to the office
of "bed6ug inspector whose duty it shall Ue
to eXtcrnnate the said bug.
The bugs didnot care for the resolu-
lions and they are there still. And their
presence suggests how they might be
made useful. There has always been a
popular complaint of the length to which
the sessions of legislatures are drawn
Ou5, This dissatisfaction was never more
freely expressed than this year As the
Mobile Register said; ANY ono who has
access TO the leading newspapers from
every part of the Union cannot fail to DO
impressed by the practical undnimity
with which they condemn the character
and work of the legislatures Of their
respective states. No matter what may
be the political complexion of the lcgls-
latures, whether democratic, repaDll-
can or pOpulist, the general judgment as
expressed in the newspapers seems TO
unite IL verdict OF %ldrlng incompetent
cy or wholesale corruption" But the
question of how TO shorten the sessions
and compel The statesmen TO go home be.
fore they have uone TOO much mischief
has never been satisfactorily solved,
and legislative sessions have come TO pa
looked upon as one of the necessary re-
suits of original sin.
But now comes in the bed bug. 1t IS
not known whether Mr.. Noah had par
aboard the ark, although it has been gen
orally supposed that Mrs. Noah had sew
eral pair in the oli-fashioned joint bed
steaos IN use before the food. If now the
descendants Of this Mount Ararat variety
can be used to shorten legislative sessions
they will solve the queries Of why they
w.re created ana why they were pre-
se-.cd wncn n good many apparently
more useful animals were drowned.
y saw YOU yesterday with Col. Drier; don't
you-er-und him sort Of q spOngeE
,ut at all A sponge Will take wa'SE'