The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-02-05
BIENNIAL SESSIONS.

Of this paper, and in that case he
will not be held responsible for
them, but they are the opinion
of one who has thought the sub
iect over well and come to the
conclusion that biennial sessions
would not be wise. Further, in,
asmuch as this is not an article
catering to political favor, and
we are not afraid to differ with
people lest we offend some voter,
we can certainly claim the right
to sincerity of opinion, even
though our views NAV be adverse
to a prospective political move,
ment for biennial sessions in the
coming campaign. Therefore
some reasons are in order.
Someone in the House has IN
troduced a bill providing for an
amendment to the Constitution
of 1895, to be voted on in the
next general election, whereby
it is proposed to have biennial
sessions, and the members be
allowed to receive pay for fifty
days, instead of forty days, as at
present.
Our first objection to the meas
ure is that we regard it a politi-
cal hobby-horse for politicians
and especially candidates for the
general assembly to ride into
Office on in the approaching pri'
mary. One provision Of the
proposed amendment is that II
will not take effect until after
1904, thereby not affecting mem
bers of the House of Represen,
tatives who are to be elected the
coming summer, but at the same
time will give them a supposed
popular measure to go into the
campaign on, and let those be
affected who shall be elected af-
ter 1904.
Our next objection is that the
Constitution has only been adopt
ed a few years, by perhaps the
ablest body of men who have
ever assembled in the State, GER
tainly a more able body than any
general assembly which has con-
vened since then, and the funda,
mental and bassic principles OF
government which they laid
down for US in the form of a
Constitution should not be tam
pered with so quickly for the
sake of experiment, when the
probability of our betterment is
so remote. AS a matter of econ,
omy oi-ennial sessions, we be-
lieve, will be a mistake. Georgia
and other States have tried the
plan only to discover that it is
unwise. It was a declaration in
a Colonial bill of rights of ours,
and is today part of our decla.
ration of rights. that the general
assembly "ought frequently to
assemble for the redress of griev'
ances and for making new laws
as the common good requires. ~
1t might be argued that since
the adoption of the Constitution
of 1895 many laws have been
passed which are unconstitution,
al and worthless.
Granted. That of itself is the
strongest argument against bi-
ennial sessions, because mistakes
when made should be corrected
as quickly as possible.
The recent failure Of our jury
laws to stand the Constitutional
test in the courts, whereby juries
were set aside and great expense
incurred, the circuit courts could
not move, jails throughout the
State became and are now full tc
overfowing with prisoners who
could not be tried, and civil dock.
cts have become so congestec
that extra terms of court are
necessary in almost every coun.
ty-these are some Of the reasons
why annual sessions are neces
sary. Were biennial sessions
in vogue. and had this been an of
year, there would have been nc
possible way out of the governor
calling an extra session to pro
vide new jury laws. We cannot
foresee all, nor even such emer
gencies. Nor do we see how any
satisfactory scheme can be ar
ranged for levying taxes ano
providing revenue with which tc
run the government, as the peo
pie would never agree to be tax
ed by other than their represen
tatives in the regular way. Con
sidering the possibility Of unfore
seen disaster and Providentia.
happenings, and greatest of al
the failure of many of our laws
to stand the test of the courts
we do not see how we can gel
around holding sessions as we
have always done. If we have
biennial sessions then specia
sessions will be frequent, and as
these will be unlimited in dura
ton the theory Of economy goes
to the four winds, especially
when we remember how tena
ciously the members now swing
on for the full forty day limit al
four dollars per day. These
views may sound ''fogyish," but
we had about as soon be possess