Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1912-11-01
DISGRACEFUL SCENES IN
MONTANA LEGISLATURE

For complete understanding Of the
manner In which the combine and It's
lobbyists pass laws in Montana, the
following account of the last day OF
the last legislative session in that
state, 1911, is reproduced. 1t was
written by Mr.. James W. Scott, ex-
perienced and capable in legislative
reporting. and as reliable and trust
worthy a neWs-writer as was ever en-
ployed on any newspaper
1.-THE closing scenes of the Montana
legislative session this year were
marked by even more fragrant disre-
gard OF law, order, decency and COM
mon sense than have characterized
preceding sessions. Spectators in
either mouse during the last day, eve.
ming and night of the session, who had
not had previous experience with Mon
tana legislatures, were astounded at
the spectacle presented. The feature
that made them gasp was the reckless
and abandoned manner in which bills
We're railroaded through the legisla.
tive process.
This desperate and unsecmly strug-
gle to perfect in twenty-four hours leg
islation that had been dallied with for
lwo months is one Of the most dis.
graceful delinauencies of the Montana
lawmakers. The present legislature
was one of the worst offenders in
years. This legislature passed 223
bills, and ia of these were rushed
through on the last legislative day
At least sixty or seventy of these bills
We're not conveyed to the governor
till after midnight of the last day when
the power ol the legislature legally to
enact laws had expired by the opera
ton Of the organic law
when a legislature comes to its
last day with two or three hundred
bills undisposed OF, and undertakes to
pound half OF them through both
houses before the session concludes.
it simply delivers itself to chaos. The
work OF the house and senate on the
last nights included both chaos and
| pandenonium. All day bills were
!; rushed through committee Of the
whole and third reading In both
hOus $. without knowledge or under
standing on the part OF anybody as
to the merits ol any OF them. All
rules were disregarded. To make mat
ters worse than usual this session,
, the joint assembly absorbed the time
from noon till evening. and an eve.
ming recess took the rest of the time
| till ten o'clock.
Prom ten o'clock till one the next
morning, an hour after the Legislative
session had legally ended. the same
ieverish. roaring mill Of reckless legis
lation was kept going at top speed
The committees OF the whole and on
third reading were alternated with
committee reports, which were adopt
ed without consideration, bills being
advanced for consideration. considered
in the committee Of the whole ant
passed ON third reading in 4 perfer1
stream. while perhaps not five pei
cent Of the members in either house
even caught the numbers Of the meas
ures. much less the titles.
This part Of the work was con
cluded some time after one O'Clock
and the sixty or seventy bills tina
had piled up on the army Of enrolling
clerks by that time was SO great tina
those workers were unable to finisl
enrolling them till O'Clock the mex
morning. More clerks than ever be
fore employed struggled with this
overwhelming mass of work. and al
though they toiled at top speed, the!
were given bills and more bills bey0nt