The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1905-06-24
CONSTITUTION
SHOULD Be REVISED.
Legislature Wastes It's Times In
UnimpOrtant and Local
Enactments.
Lansing, June 10, 1905.

Lansing, June 10, 1905.
At noon OF Saturday, June 18th,
the gavels of the presiding officers
of the two houses struck the knell
Of the departed legislature OF 1905.
Both on Friday and Saturday q "ses-
sion" was held. when the ''houses"
we're called to order, though no
members were needed to attend, the
messages from the governor an
nouncing approval OF bills were read
to the empty seats, the proper en-
tries we're made in the journals by
the clerks, mo quorum" was an
nounced, and adjournment declared
sine die on Saturday in accordance
with a concurrent resolution OF the
two houses q fortnight before. The
lieutenant governor, because OF ILL
ness, did not appear, and President
Protein Glasgow discharged the
duties of the place. All Of the i'm
portant bills in which the people of
the state at large are interested
received the executive approval, the
most important of all OF which may
be pronounced the Heald act, pro.
viding for a popular vote upon the
proposition to assemble q conven-
tion to revise to constitution. How
that convention is to be constituted
is to be determined by the legisla-
ture, after the people shall have
ordered it. That is, the legislature
to be elected in 1906.
1t looks as though the repeal of
the fifty-day limit for introduction
of bills had given good account Of
itself. Fewer bills were introduced
thar in the last legislature, and
more were passed. Up to the 25th
of February, 1903, when the fifty
days from assembling of that leisla-
ture expired and no more bills could
be introduced, the number entered
upon the calendars of the two houses
was one thousand seven hundred and
six-five hundred and sixty
seven in the senate and one
thousand one hundred and
ninety-nine in the house. At the
same time this year, with the limita.
tion removed, the numbers we're one
hundred and seventy-three in the
senate and three hundred and
seventy-two in the house; and at the
adjournment, June 7th, the total
number was thirteen hundred and
sixty-four, or four hundred and two
less than two years ago, maintain
ing relatively about the same ratio
in each house, twenty to twenty Eve
per cent less than the former mum
bers. And, while this is the case az
to bills introduced, comparison o.
bills passed reverses the result ant
shows about q hundred more enact
ments than under the old plan. Tht
J enrolled acts now number sever
J hundred and twenty-ivevtwo hun
dred and thirty-four in the senate
and four hundred and ninety-one. il
the house, against one hundred ant
, seventy-three and four hundred ant
forty-two, respectively, before, al
} increase all together Of one hundret
, and ten, or eighteen per cent oveI
! the legislature Of 1908.
| When we examine the bills tina
were brought before the legislature
as to their character, it may seen
that an even greater diminutioI
might have been desirable: and l
something less than the fifty-tw'
percent which got through has
reached the statute books, the valu'
OF those books TO the state nigh
have been quite rs great as It is now
This is not Q reflection that the bill
we're in themselves bad, but that th'
system Of the legislation, the metho'
. OF legislation into which we hav
fallen, are bad, and must bear ba'
fruit. OF the thirteen hundred Ant
! sixty-four bills. no less than fv
J hundred and seventy-four we're TO
, laws not applicable to the state o
Michigan, nor 70 the people Of tn
} state, but to small sections; for Their
} we're that many local aad specia
} bills, applying to single counties, Q
/, towns, or school districts, or 3
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