Arizona republican., 1911-05-19
One Purpose of Gov. Wilson
 in Northwest GAS UAL CONF ERENCES
Governor Meets Democratic National Committeeman His View of Duty of Americans to Whom the Presidency Is Offered.

Portland. May Ex-Governor Wood row Wilson of New Jersey. who ar rived here early today. spent the afternoon in conference with mem- bers of the democratic national com mittee from oregon. Washington and Idaho Governor Wilson said he in tends to devote the most of his time to study of the oregon plan for primary elections. especially as to the way they have worked in this state He said he heartily indorsed the principles of the oregon system. although he is not willing to admit that it will work as successfully in all parts of the country as it appears to have worked in this state.
 Governor Wilson avoided a discus sion of politics and in answer to a point blank question as to whether he is a candidate for the presiden- tiaI nomination on the democratic ticket. said: "I shall certainly not seek the nomination. but no man is too big to refuse it"
 Tonight Governor Wilson was the guest of honor and principal speaker a mercial club He said in part:
 Tt is natural that the people should distrust anything which they do not understand. anything which they feel is full of privacies and cOncealments. and it is probable that one of the chief reasons why in recent years they have shown so much distrust of their legis- lature iS that our legislative methods are so full of ambushes and cOverts and iungles. The people feel that they do not know exactly from whence legis- lative measures come. that they do not know by just what influences they are pushed or by just what persons and forces the legislation which they most desire is prevented.
 The fact that in our constitution making in this country we have every where gone more and more into detail is undoubtedly an evidence of the fact that the people are not willing to leave the things about which they are most concerned to the discretion and action of their legislatures. our constitutions. therefore. are overloaded with what may be called legislative detail: meas ures which have nothing to do with the general structure and action of govern ment. but which are made parts of a constitution in order that they may be free from uncertainty and change. Our constitutions are always adopted by referendum. and one of the methods by which all our states have sought to ob- tain the referendum has been by put ting as much as possible of legal regu- lation into the constitutions themselves which must be submitted to popular vote It would be a great benefit both to our legislatures themselves and tO the whole people if our methods of legislation might be simplified and made more public and open so that everyb body might know at each stage of legislation just what was being done and who was doing it.
 EVERYBODY" LEoISLATES.
 As a matter of fact it is a very con fused and almost necessarily private process. When one asks who drafts the measures which are submitted by the hundreds to our legislatures the answer must be Everybody The bins intro- duced are by no means confined to those which are drafted by members of the houses Indeed it is probable that in every legislature the number of bills drafted bv the members themselves is very much smaller than the number drafted by outsiders. They are drawn up. most of them, in lawyers offices here. there and everywhere. for the pur- pose of accomplishing every sort oi object sought by individuals or by o,rounS of individuals or bV organized business interests of one kind or an other. Such bills are introduced by members of the houses by request ol else are taken over by them as theii own and introduced without any indi- cation that they come from outside quarters.
 When they come to be considered it is only a bill here and there that is debated in public upon the floor O either house Our legislation is as a matter of fact chiefly done in commit
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