New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-29
LEGISLATIVE INCOMPETENCE.

The refusal Of the Georgia Legislature to
take any action to relieve the State from the
disgrace Of the convict-lease system, the iniQui-
ties of which aroused such indignation among
the people and led Governor Atkinson to draft
a plan Of reform, is striking object lesson
in legislative Incompetence. Unfortunately 1t
is not an isolated one. Year after year we see
Legislatures In different States playing with
serious problems in utter disregard OF public
interests and in seeming security from public
wrath.
Georgia has been for some time indignant
over the barbarltes practsed In the convict
camps and universal demands have been made
for reform. The Governor took up the lues-
tion and high hopes were entertained that the
blot on the reputation Of the State would be re-
moved But when the Legislature assembled
and took up the question: 1t did so only to re-
veal its utter incompetence. 1t Will neither fol-
low the Governors lead nor adopt any plan or
It's own So 1t has undertaken to make farce
Of the whole subject by providing for verbal
exposition by each member Of his views and the
combination of those views into bill. There Is
not the slightest reason to hope that majority
can be brought to agree on anything and there
is every prospect that the atrocities Of the con-
Wet camps will continue indefinitely
OF course the people themselves are to blame
for this state Of things, or at least they will be
If they fail to hold these incompetents TO
strict account The chances are however, that
they will forget all about 1t and send these
same men back to Atlanta, or others Of the
same character When election time comes
the air will be full of shouts about Democratic
principles" or "Populist principles" and the
1.-TWO cott wi no
ten. 1t is interesting to observe that promi-
nent Georgian has just begun a campaign for
office on platform which commends lynching
at the very moment the Legislature finds itself
at sea over the prisons. Where such a cam
paign is possible it is no wonder that human
ity has little influence over lawmakers.
But while Georgia's case Is bad. the s!tua-
ton is only to n degree different in many
other States. Pennsylvania recently gave an
illustration OF unwillingness or inability TO deal
with financial problems and the people OF New
York have long been familiar with Senators
and Assemblymen who at Albany were utter
" regardless Of the demands OF the people.
And really there was no reason why they
should be regardful Of the people The voters
whom they had fooled time and time again
still voted for them like sheep. because the
boss nominated them, and It was no wonder
that they regarded their representation Of the
people as a mere fiction and devoted them
selves to the work Of the boss. When they
Would vote for peculiarly outrageous measure
there would be nine days Of Indignation and
threats TO retire them, but that was all. And
when a man stood out and did represent the
honest sentiment Of his district he could not
be sure that the good citizens at home would
not find it too much trouble to support him.
and so premium was put on incompetence and
subserviency. II we are to redeem our Lcgsla-
lures we must begin by holding them to strict
account. Only by showing them that trickery
and machine rule will not be forgiven and that
independents will not be deserted can honest
legislation be secured.