The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-25

i licking and recklessness would have marked & biennial session. The very infrequency of the meeting of the Legislature made this situation so acute as to be almost desperate.
 The constitutional convention de- clared positively that the Legislature of Alabama should have the privilege of sitting only fifty days every four years. There is hardly town council in Alabama that does not meet that often in every year. If the City Coun- ell of Mobile or Birmingham or Mont- gomery were to meet only fifty times In a period of four years the city would not attend to its business in anything like an efficient way. What a howl would go up if the Legislature limited the meetings of all city coun- cils in the State to twelve a year?
 And yet for Alabama with all it's riches and resources its mineral wealth with problems attendant upon its de- velopment It's great agricultrai re- souces with problems brought about bv their growth. is allowed 40 meet only once every four years to study and solve all these problems? Who expected legislative mistakes not to be made under such condition?
 The whole thing has to be a rush. The committees have not time to con- slider the bills before them, and certain " the average member of the House or Senate has no certain personal know ledge on the bill on which he ia vot- ing. That Is what Is the matter with the present Code Of Alabama It has been found to contain a number of costly and embarrassing errors, not to call them by the legislative slang of 'jokers." The Code was brought in during the closing days of the sessions, It was an immense typewriter volume No matter what the record shows in the House 1t was not read either In the House or She Senate. There was no time. There was not time enough for any man to take a copy to his room and sit up all night and read 1t. The members of the House and Senate had to sit helpless in their seats and take the committeoD word for 1t that the code was all right. Of course there were errors in 1t. Who expected anything else. And all the time the Legislature was busy with other leg islation almost as important
 UndIgested Legislation.
 When an immense mass of undi- gested legislation Is Jumper down before legislator. he can only look heIplessly at 1t and take other peoples word as to it's effort. The closing days of the Legislature when most of the important Legislation is acted finally upon Is 8 feverish and reckless grind with but few members knowing ae- GnFatalv what is Roing on.
 What Tg fhe reinecy? The great mass of the voters of Alabama want to do the right thing. They want fair and accurate legislation. They want to do what Is the best for the state Some of them say on the streets ana in the country roads when this amend- ment Is discussed.
 AkF F- ktoantn1 aFnand- ment. want the Legislature to meet just as seldom as possible If 1t be only ten years instead of every Tour years 1t would suit me better.
 That Is a superficial view, wholly erroneous of a great governmental question facing Alabama. They are supporting the very thing that mas made unwise. and careless legislatlon certain in Alabama. The Legislature has to meet. Now all voters of the State can unite in solving the question what will most reduces bad and thougI- leeislation. Certainly such legislation has been increased by the quadrenniaI sessions with their haste and reckiess- ness. Certainly these evils have been accentuated by the fact that they are unchanged and must remain in force for four years. which is entirely too long for Alabama to endure bad law.
 The better plan Is the two years session. where theEe Is no occasion for reckless haste and where the mem. bers of the Legislature will know what Is in the laws they are passing. The biennial sesion gives the law makers the chance to do his work in an Intelligent and deIiberatte manner. A manner unknown to law making Tn a ouadrennial session and. if a nlis" take Is made the State will not~haVe to suffer from 1t four full years. The Legislature will meet again and the law which looked good but which worked i'll. can be repealed.
 The binnial sessions Is cheaper. it Is wiser. 1t is better in every respect than the quadrennial session which brought our legislative Ills upon us.