The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-12-24
The LEGISLATURE

We are not in full accord with
some of the Vermont newspapers
which have been so insistent that the
legislature adjourn and get home.
We believe a large majority of the
members of the legislature would
be very glad to get home
and attend to their private bust.
ness, that it would be distinct
financial advantage to them to do so
This belief convinces us that the
members are acting from sense of
duty t. remaining at the capital.
Therefore the men who are making
these personal sacrifices should have
the sympathy rather than the jiblng
of the states leading newspapers.
We do regret, however, that it is
necessary to prolong the present SEES
sion any further. Three months
seems like ample time for the com
mittees to give full consideration to
the matters before them and to en-
able the average member TO decide
how he is to vote on all of the impor-
tant measures. II they have made
up their minds 1t should be short
work to finish the business before
that body.-St. Johnsbury Caledonian.
The legislature has been in session
precisely sixty-five days The first
half of that time was of mighty little
value except in the way Of prepare
ton. A conglomerate mass nearly 800
men mostly strangers to each other
and strangers to the job they have
undertaken, cannot begin intelligent
work off hand and they are
not to blame because they
cannot. The voters of the
state are responsible and should ac-
cept the responsibility instead of try
ing to saddle it on the legislature.
With month or so allowed for get
ting the legislature into shape to do
actual work it is proper to assume
that the legislature has had some for.
ty days to consider the eight hundred
bills that have been introduced and
making over $500 printed pages and
covering all branches of state COVER
nment corporation grants, corpora
ton control and town aud individual
rights and interests Could any one
man even read and pass an inteli-
gent opinion on all this mass of mat
ter in the time expired. let alone
800 men doing it?
One other thing enters into the
matter The last day for the gener.
al introduction of bills was Nov. 8.
On that day nearly 200 bills were
handed to the revision committee and
probably $50 more have been gotten
in by general consent or through
committees since that time. These
bills should have been presented
weeks earlier and the legislature is
blamed for the delay, but should it
be? During the last two days for
'the introduction of bills the writer
received seven requests from people
at home to have bills introduced and
since that time he has received five
more. Other members have had a
similar experience. Are the members
wholly responsible for the length OF
the session or is 1t partly the folks
at home? The most vociferous kick
we have heard about the time taken
by the legislature was from man
who on Dec. IL sent to the statehouse
and asked to have introduced bill
covering radical change In state
policy and law.
Anybody who says that the pres
ent legislature has not worked hare
and faithfully is not familiar will
affairs at the statehouse this fall
There are scores of men in III,
House and Senate who have worked
beyond their strength in trying to d,
the work we'll and to the honor of tn,
state. These men are probably NOR,
anxious to get the work completes
than anybody else for they recogniz,
the feeling that exists among peopl
not familiar with conditions at tn
|