The record-union., 1896-06-22
SINS OF LEGISLATION.

The Governor Of New York has just
finished disposing of the bills left to his
mercy by the recent Legislature Of that
State
The result is that New York has now
1,003 laws upon her statute books more
than she had one year ago. The quest
ton IS, who is going to find them? An
other is, how is the average citizen to
know what the law is, since fully one
half Of the new statutes have intimate
relation to. and must be construed with
other laws of earlier existence.
Unquestfonably we are running mad
in the law-Enaking line Is It any won
Ger that there is confusion among court
decisions IN the effort to ascertain what
is and what is not tolerable under the
Constitution of the States and Of the
United States, when from 1900 to
1000 new bills are annually placed
upon the law books Of the States and the
Nation?
Is it any wonder that the courts are
the targets for assault since 1t is simply
impossible for them to harmonic this
vast body of legislation which is In the
main crude and useless. 1t would seem
that if Legislatures assembled once in
five or six years the people would fare
better. If we did not get remedial leg
islation so soon as now, assuredly we
would be more careful as to what en-
actments we made when once we at
tempted to legislate, and we would
learn also the value of content under
the laws between the sessions of the
Legislature.
a correspondent Of the Record
Union has sent to It a novel PROPOSE
ton, which has enough of meritorious
suggestion In it to be worthy Of fair
consideration He would have, by con-
stitutionaI provision If need be, a COM
mission raised, the sole duty of which
should be to receive from the Legisla-
ture, all bills proposed In either house,
and none should be introduced after
thirty days prior to the legal limit OF
the life of the Legislature.
This commission, which should be ap-
pointed by the houses and by the Gov
ernor jointly, and one-half Of which
should be made UP OF Senate and AS
senbly members, should pass upon al
the bills submitted, and throwing out
Implications, reporting upon those
which are useless, and point out what
relation every bill would have If law,
to existing laws.
This commission he would have re-
port upon the advisability of every bill
relating to practice in the courts, crime
revenue and the like. and upon State
policy. Mere administrative measures
he would not send to this clearance
commission, nor bills relating to public
institutions and their management.
He holds that such commission
could pass upon a thousand bills in am
pie time for the Legislature to act upon
all that should pass. within the presen;
limit Of its existence.
While the plan Is novel, and as now
stated not seemingly practical, still Il
suggests ideas that are by no means
chimerica1 nor impractical. It may be
1t should be possible TO so handle thu
mass of measures proposed in Legisla-
lures as to simplify them and cast out
the useless duplicates, and whip the
badly constructed bills into form, an6
correct those clearly in violation o.
constitutional inhibitions. In short. i
ought to be possible to so simplify and
svstematize our methods of Legislation
az to augment the certainty Of the laws
lessen their number and reduce the liza
b,r,tv of their being in conflict with th'
Constitution, and laws that should no
bs amended or repealed Certain 1T is
+bo+ the present committee systems o
o,,r Legislatures do not accomplish th'
- desired. and while these system.
.bo,,,a remain, there might well be an
o.nar and more important body. t.
-Ap proposed legislation into sucl