The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-10-30

ity, and IL would be enacted and enforced
at q great saving OF expense to the state"
We believe it is true that, In the mat
ter of ability, Legislatures under the
biennial system have ranked as high as
under the annual system. Some ex-
ceptionally creditable Legislation, in
various departments of the state gov
eminent, has been enacted since 1870.
There has not been better work in law
making than the corporation tax law OF
1882, measure originated, perfected
and passed at the session of that year,
or the grand list law of 1880 and the
supplementary legislation of 1882. 1t
would be easy to enumerate other good
laws formulated and passed under the
system and custom now prevailing.
But there has been much crude legisla.
ton, and there may be under any sys
tenn. The biennial system and the
one.term rule undeniably favor haste
and crudity, and lack of system and
continuity in law-making. While legis-
latures since 1870 have probably not
been lacking in "the old-time standard
of ability" the one term rule has de-
prived Legislators of the experience
which is the necessary accompaniment
of ability if reasonable degree of ef-
ficieucy is sought. The remedy at which
the Phonir hints, sustains the conten-
ton of the WATCHMAN that any sub
stantial and permanent reform in law
making can come only through constitu-
tional amendment. The achievement OF
that which is desirable in this respect
cannot be safely left to the caprice of
custom or law, written or unwritten.
State government to-day is very
largely the management of great
business corporation. The people are
the stockholders, the legislature the
board of directors, the governor and
his fellow officials, the executive of.
6cers. No business corporation of any
magnitude would decree that its d.
rectors should meet only once in two
years to consider its affairs. No cor
poration of sane business men would
biennially turn out its board of directors
and elect new ones in their places. No
corporation of intelligent men would
constitute board of directors of 274
stockholders. The number would be
uuwieldly. 1t would be fatal to a
harmonious, efficient administration
of the company's affairs. And what
can be said of the incongruity of
the thing, if, board having been
so constituted, there was added a
rule decreeing that new directors
should be elected biennially and
that the board should meet for the
transaction of business only once in
two years Simply to state these
things to rational, practical men is to
show their folly and utter absurdity
from any point of view.
The state should constitute its legis-
lature, its board of directors managing
its affairs, in such a manner as, first, to
fairly represent the electors, and, sec
ond, the size of the body and the fire.
quency of its meetings should be set
tied with due regard to sound business
principles and practices. And these
vital matters should be placed far be-
yond the whims of caucuses or con-
ventions, or the tyranny of custom, or
capricious legislation, by making them
a part of the constitution. The reform
of existing evils in the legislative system
would thus be deep, thorough and abid-
ing. The cure would begin at the
bottom.