The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-19
STATE LEGISLATURES.
How Often Sessions are Held anc
 How Members are Paid.

Little Rock Gazette.
 Of the forty-ive States in the Union, thirty-three pay legislators per olem and twelve pay fixed salary. average length of the session In those States that pay a CT diem is sixty-three days and fraction. Arkansas pays CT diem of $6 and the sessions last rom l ninety to 11O days. The highest per diem is $S, and is paid by California and Ne vada. The lowest Is s. and is paid by Kansas, Oregon and Vermont. The long est sesion held by Legislature whose which is the average length of ths session in Michigan. The shortest is forty days, in Oregon. South Carolina and Wyoming.
 Now, as to the States that pay Ia fixed year, which is paid in New York. Penn sylvania pays s1,500 a session, but the ses- sions are biennial. while New York's are annual. Furthermore, the New York Leg islature is in session not to exceed II0 days, while the session in Pennsylvania lasts five months. The lowest salary Is $lJO per session, which is paid in Maine Where a fixed salary is paid the sessions are not limited. The longest sessions of salaried Legislatures are in Connecticut where the sessions last from five to six months, and in Illinois. where they last from three to six months. The shortest session is ten weeks, n New Hampshire.
 Of special interest to Arkansas just now are the compensations paid Legislators in those States that have the fixed salary system.
 Massachusetts, Illinois. Ohio. Pennsyl- vana and New York pay Legislators sai- aries of from $750 to $l,50O. but these States are much wealthier and more pollous than Arkansas, whose population is l3l1,- 564. Iowa. with population of 22h, ,So3 has biennial legislative sessions and pays members of the Legislature $5o0 per term. The average length of the sessioas is ninety days.
 Mississippi, with a population of 1,551, 270, which is more inhabitants than Ar kansas has, adopted a new Constitution in 1890, and under it pursues the follow ing plan as to sessions of the Legislature ana pay of its members. The Legislature meets in quadrennial session, say, in 1900 The average length of the sessions is three months, and the salary of members is $4O0. In 1902 the body would meet jn quadrennial special session, which shall not continue longer than thirty days, lI- less the Governor shall extend the session for a specified time. For attending q spe- cial session the Legislators receive per diem of $5.
 New Jersey, with a poulation of 1,SS3,- G69 has annual legislative sessions which last from eleven to fifteen weeks, all though during the first six or eight weeks the weekly sessions usually comprise about one day. The salary is $500 for the term.
 Wisconsin, with a poulation of 2,069, ,042, has biennial legislative sessions. whose average length is 1C0 days. The salary is $500 for the term.
 The question has often been asked in Arkansas since the discussion about amendment No. began, what about spe- cial sessions if Legislators are paid in fixed salary. AS has Leen pointed out, in Mississippi a salary Is paid for reg ular sessions and per diem for special ses- s!ons' In Illinois each Legislator Is paid $l l,G0O salary for each regular biennial session. if any be called.
 All States except Delaware and New Jersey pay their Legislators mileage.
 Of the forty-five states, only one, Ala bama, which has quadrennial sessions In Mississippi the regular sessions are auadrennial, but special sessions intervene so that the Legislature really meets pl- ennially Counting Mississippi, all the States hold biennial sessions except Ala bama quadrennial and Georgia, Massa- chusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and South Carolina, whose sessions are held annually.
 In Michigan the salary of members of the Legislature from the lower peninsula is B per day, while that of the members from the upper peninsula may be raised to S5 per day. -
 In Missouri the Legislators receive $S a day for the first seventy days of each session and $1 day for every day there after, except during sessions for revision of fine statutes, when they receive D a day for the first 12O days and $1 day for each day of service thereafter. In Texas the per diem Is 30 Tor the first sixty days, and after that S2 day,
 In Utah the sessions usually hold short time after the sixty-day limit but no compensation Is paid after sixty days.
 Many States pay the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House a higher compensation than Is paid the