The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-02-13

Since the legislature convened near
ly 500 bills have been introduced in
the two houses. Aside from the dup
licate measures, and bills bearing q
similarity to each other, which are
either unfavorably reported or re-
turned in the form Of substitutes, 1t Is
fortunate for the people of Mississippi
that very small percentage of the
pending measures will be enacted in
to law. The legislature has been in
session four weeks, only half dozen
measures have been signed by the
be in readiness for his signature with
in the next ten days. The promptness
with which the working committees
have squelched the life out of a large
majority of the bills introduced is a
highly gratifying indication that the
people of the State will not be OPP
pressed with burden Of useless new
laws when the legislature adjourns.
1t has been the history of legisla-
lures and lawmaking bodies since the
beginning of time that some members
are imbued with the idea that they
must be continually introducing bills.
Their work is of the class that
amounts to nothing, a1d is worse than
useless, for it becomes really PERM
cious and develops the demagogue OF
the most dangerous type. 1t can be
safely asserted that 80 per cent of the
bills offered in the two bodies since
the legislature convened have no more
place on the statute books than they
would be entitled to in the Bible.
They cover almost every phase of wis
dom AID unwisdom, imbecility and
corporate favoritism, and serve only
to illustrate the freakish intellect or
cupidity of their authors. 1t is there
fore doubly fortunate at this time that
Mississippi has legislature which is
being conducted by men Of sense and
business sagacity. Unquestionably
the personnel and standard of the
body is higher than it has been for
many years, and while some laws will
probably get on the statute books be-
fore the end of the session which
ought, not to be there, the general
trend of legislation promises to be
prudent and conservative.
TWENTY-FoURTH DAY.
The legislature was a dull attrac-
ton today. The senate adjourned I'M
til Monday, and the house spent the
entire morning with local and private
legislation, it being custom to set
aside this day for bills of this nature.
The house galleries were deserted
during the session, and many mem
bers were absent from their seats,
having either left for their homes or
being confined in their boarding
houses with bad colds and la grippe,
resulting from the spell of severe
weather.
The joint legislative committee of
twe1ty-four members appointed to re-
district the Circuit and Chancery
Court districts of the State, has thus
far made but little progress with the
undertaking, which is of rather stu
pendous nature.
One plan suggested to the commit
tee, which is attracting much atten-
ton, proposes the formation of thir-
ten Circuit Court districts, an increase
of two over the present number. This
plan has o1e very commendable fea-
ture, in that it does not place any two
circuit judges or district attorneys in
the same district. 1t is as follows:
First -Tishomingo, Alcorn,
Prentiss, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe,
Chickasaw and Lowndes.
Second District-Pearl River, Han
cock, Harrison, jackson, Greene a1d
Wayne.
Third District-Tippah, Union, Ben
ton, Marshall, Lafayette, Pamela, Tate
and DeSoto.
Fourth District-Lehore, Sunfower,
Washington, IssaQuena and Sharkey.
Fifth District-Pontotoc, Yalobusha,
Grenada, Calhoun, Carroll, Moltgom-
cry, Clay and Webster.
Sixth Dfstrict-Wilkinson Amite,
Franklin, Adams, Jefferson and Clai-
borne.
Seventh District-Holmes, Madison,
Kinds and Yazoo
Eighth District-Rankin, Scott,
Newton, Winston, Neshoba, Leake,
Attala and Choctaw.
Ninth District-Warren.
Tenth Observation-Disclosures KEN
per, Noxubee and Oktibbeha
Eleventh District-Tunica, Quitman,
Coahoma, Bolivar and Tallahatchie.
Twelfth Distrmict-Copiah, Lincoln,
Pike, Covingto1, Lawrence and Ma
rion.
Thirteenth District-Simpson, Jas
per-, Smith, Clark. Jones and Perry.
After the introduction of quite
number of private and local bills the
house, without the transaction of any
other business, adjourned for the day
TWENTY-FIFTH DAY.