Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1899-01-19
LEGISLATIVE DUTIES.
a Difficult Matter to Select Properly
the Various Committees Revision
Of the Statutes an Important
Matter-House Bills.

i fNSaA~s A31@ y AAC " nAAAAy W
be considered, discussed and done in
a proper manner, before legislation
can be had. The Speaker must have
time to look over and consider the
qualifications of different members
before he can intelligently assign
them to q COMMITTEES for the work of
which they are respectively fitted.
This is huge job. To know 40 men,
what avocation In life each one fol-
lowest home, what peculiar character
istics each has, what adaptation he has
for this or that work, to inquire of
someone who knows these men as to
their qualities, and then assign them
TO a proper committee 10 an undertake
ing Of grave responsibility. With
committees lily adapted 10 their work |
a Legislature 4 destined to fail;s but |
with committees intelligently and dis |
creetly arranged, with q good chair
man, who will push the work, the |
legislative path becomes much |
smoother and the work Of the session |
is greatly facilitated. Therefore, q |
Speaker who takes reasonable time
to make up his committees should not
be oensured.
One OF the most important pieces OF
work which the present General AS
sembly viii be called upon to per-
form, and which can't be evaded, lie
the revision of the general statutes
e work required to be done every ten
years by the state constitution. While
this General Assembly will no doubt
compare reasonably with any Of lie
predecessors in point of intelligence
and real ability, yet there is in the
minds Of many good people the idea
that no General Assembly can do that
kind of work as it ought to be done.
There are many good reasons for this
opinion. Toreyise, codify and arrange
under proper titles, chapters, etc., all
the statutes of the state 10 q work that
but few men are thoroughly oompe-
tent to do. II is q work cailing for
the most painstaking care, far
reaching analysis and effective sym
thesis-the highest order Of adminis-
trative capacity. A member OF
Legislature, no matter hew able he
may be, or how desirous he may be to
do his full duty, cannot give to q re-
vision Of the statutes that patient
study and careful classification de-
manded. II the last Legislature had
taken the question of revision under
consideration and had appointed q
commission OF three or I've thoroughly |
competent men to do this work, up to
this date, and then kept pace with the
acts OF this General Assembly, the
work would have been well done.
Mr.. CLARK, of Audrain, suggested
that commission be appointed now,
to report in year, and an extra ses-
sion be held to ratify, etc. Quite a
number of gentlemen favored 1t, but
It was not pressed.
However, the Senate and House to-
day agreed upon o plan, viz; The
committees of the Senate
and House, acting together, TO revise
aud arrange all statutes relating TO
certain subjects, and turn said revision
over to joint committee on revision,
composed of seven Senators and seven
Representatives, who will supervise
the work, To one who has ever had
any experience in legislative work
the trouble in the way will at once be
apparent, and it will come on In due
time just as certainly as water runs
down hill.
In the first place, there are but few
men, in or out of public life, who
know how to do this work, although
they may be first-class men for rep
life. II the Speaker can
80 arrange his standing committee as .
TO have one single man on each COM
mittee who appreciates the revising
work Of his committee, and can direct |
Its labor, he will do q wonderful
hing. has he material to do that7
Are there In the House twenty-five or
thirty men who can do this work? {
That remains to be seen. II q single
,ommittee's work on this point falls
short, then . whole section OF the re-
vision will have to be done over again.
The joint revision committee, COM
posed Of seven Senators and seven
Representatives, il judieiously select {
ID and made up of men who are will I
ing to give themselves up entirely to
The work of revision, VIII do good
york; In fact, may save the work Of
revision. Your correspondent feels
confident that the committee will be
well constituted, for there is no doubt
Of the fact that each house has the ,
men for it, II they viii consent to let
al other work 60. "There's the rub"
An hour or two per day given to the
work, and no careful thought and In
selligent reflection and consultation
with good men, will dnmp upon the ,
State two volumes OF revised statutes
that will not be worth the paper ,
needed to print them. But let rs all
hope that the right sort OF men will
be placed on this joint revision COM
mittee.
Over 100 bills have been introduced,
covering the whole field OF legislation,
and cutting into nearly every chapter
Of the statutes. No doubt some are
good, some Indifferent and some, per-
haps, not to be desired. When the
committees are appointed next Mon
day or Tuesday each measure will be
referred to the proper committee and
the grind Of the legislative mill will
begin IN earnest.
From time to time your correspond ,
emit will write Of these bills and will ,
try to keep your readers informed as
TO the drift Of legislation.
O. 7. ALLBN.