Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-30
Observation-Disclosures 80, 1897.
LEGISLATIVE BLUNDERs.

Hasty or careless legislation IS an eVl
against which all good friends Of the Gen
eral Assembly Of Virginia should war;
il. and there can be no better time to dC
so than upon the eve Of its assembling
Let 1t make a good beginning and we may
rely upon it that its ultimate work will
receive the plaudits of the public.
The general experience, however, is
that DO sooner has a legislative session
closed than the discovery is made that
much of its work is crude, dubious, or pos
itively miscbievous. And yet each house
Is fortified by rules and regulations which,
II observed. would save its reputation and
protect it against the indignant express
sions that are always heard whenever ii
is ascertaned that bad law has been
passed with the knowledge only of few
members.
To ensure caution and deliberation. bills
and resolutions have to be printed and
referred to committees. Then they are
passed after some time has elapsed.
Then, after running the gauntlet Of the
two houses. they go under the eyes Of an
enrolling committee and are by it pre-
scented TO the Governor for his approval
All this machinery was devised for the
sake Of accuracy and elaboration in legis-
lation, but il has not entirely succeeded.
The experience Of Virginia has been 10
worse than that of many other States,
and the experience Of no State has been
worse than that of the country at
large. the work OF Congress having been
just as faulty as that of any legislature.
About the existence of the evil COM
planned of there can be no question.
Now, the important thing is to devise a
remedy. We think that no one who has
any experience in legislation will question
for moment that much OF the trouble
Of which we have spoken has arisen
from the practice of deferring so much
business TO the last five or ten days of
the session. 10 prevent this is no easy
matter yet we shall never be able to ac-
complish the desired reform until legis-
lative work is more systematically done,
and no system worth the name can be
adopted that does not seek TO distribute
work more evenly throughout the session.
so long as the greater part Of n session is
given over to elections, and TO the con-
slderation of private bills, so long will
the sessions closing hours be marked by
hurry and confusion, in which the artful
member will find his golden opportunity
to defeat such measures as could not be
beaten in a fair. open fight. or to work
through dangerous measures.
or course there are many other weak
points to be guarded. In the first place,
every bill ought to be properly drafted.
1t IS not every member. not every old
lawyer even, that knows precisely how 10
draft a bill. Expert knowledge. born of
long legislative experience. is often neces-
sary.
Tho bill that is drafted Alright will be
in good shape when IT is passed--if il
escapes the danger of being inconsider-
ately amended. Many carefully drawn
bills have been wrecked by amendments
that threw their entire machinery ont of
gea~. Each patron must keep ON the look
out fer these dangers. II such amend
ments escape his observation the odds
are they will escape the observation of |
everybody else. 1t Is n case where. II |
you would have your business well at
tended to- you must attend TO II your
self.
1t is not only an injustice TO the MEM |
beers OF each house, but to the Governor |
or the President, as the case may be. |
for all OF the most important business of |
Il session TO be crowded into its last few |
days Bills are then hurried to the Gov
ernor IN such numbers az to make it quite |
impossible for the Executive TO consider
them carefully. SO great has this evil |
grown. many States have amended their
constitutions 10 give their Governors ten
days or more after the two houses have
adjourned In which TO approve or dis
approve bills that may be put into his
hands upon the eve of adjournment
As our Legislature is soon 90 consider
what amendments should be proposed"
TO Virginias Constitution. it might be
well for IL TO canvass the desirabIlIty of
Incorporating into our Constitution like
provision. But mean time, we repeat. we
ADVISE all members 10 take care that their
bills and resolutions are properly drawn.
ana then. 10 watch them az every stage
VI Their legislative progress.
matter how highly one may think