Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-04-12

NI Is MANNNAA NNAtN ttNf lf'NA'Af At+'.+tNA !
dis,rnst anything which they do not
understand. anything which they feel
Is ful Of prvacios and oonoealments.
and it is probable that one Of chief
reasons why IN recent years they have
shown 50 much distrust OF their les-
islaiures is that our legislative meth
DDS are 30 fun Of amhushcs ana COW
crts and iungles The people feel .
that they do not know by just what .
influence they are pushed or by just
what persons and force the lcgisla-
tion which they most desire is pre-
vented
The fact that in our constitution
making In this country We have ey-
ervwhere gone more and more in'o
detail. from revision to revision Is
undoubtedly an evidence o. the fact
that the people are not willing 10
leave the things about which they
are most concerned 10 the discretion
and action Of their legislatures. Our
constitutions are Therefore overload
ed with what may Boz called lorisla-
tive detail measures which have
nothing 10 do with the general struc-
ture and action Of government. uHt
which are made parts OF coustitu-
tion iu order that they may Doc fire.
from uncertainty and change our
constitutions are always adopted hy
referendum and one Of the methods
by which all our states have sOllht
90 obtain the referendum has been
by putting as much as possible OF
legal regulation into tho constitu
lions themselves which must be- sub
mitted TO popular vote 10 would be
great benefit both 10 our legisla-
lures themselves and 10 the whole OF
the people n our methods Of legisla-
ton might be smpIified and made
more public and open so that every
body might know at the stage Of leg
islation Just what was being done and
who was doing a.
Yelled Processes ~ Legislation
~ u VlhAAfN VI ANN lN ~ a. f'tf 'fff
fused aud almost necessarily private
process. when one asks who drafts
the measures which are submitted by
the hundreds 10 our legislatures the
answer must be Everybody The
bills introduced are by no means con
fined TO those which are drafted by
members OF the houses Indeed 90 is
probable that In every Legislature the
number Of bills drafted by the mem
beers themselves Is very much small
or than the number drafted by out
sidcrs They are drawn up, most Ct
them. In lawyers offices here there
and everywhere for the purpose Of
accomplishing cycrv sort of object
sought hv individuals or hy groups OF
individuals or hv organized business
Interests of one Kind or another such
bills are introduced hy the members
Of the houses nv request" or else
are taken over by them as their own
and introduced without any indica-
ton that they come from outside
quarters
when they come 90 Dee considered
4 is only a bin here and there that
IS debated In public upon the floor OF
either house our legislation Is as
a matter Of fact chiefly done ia com
mitteo rooms Sessions of lcgisla-
tive committees. except when they
consent 20 hold public hearings and
occasionally arrange 10 hear argu-
men, hy outsiders are private and for
the most part confidential u Is
ouctic 10 reveal vhat took place In
committee Bills are smothercd by
the dozen after getting into commit
zee ~ the members Of the committee
Hscl' do not wish them reported out
for action by the HOUSES Those
which are reported ont are generally
aCc"rtod by the houses n the author
ty ~ the committees which report
hem and are passed for the most
part almost without Comment or else
rejected equally without debate
sinister rri,a,N
70 Is aasg to s.e tHa' th, .ham'-
tcrisrc feature af a" fn.s method Of
legislation .s pr.u.. 'o NOT mean
thar fH, r..a. H .H ..... g.. 1suD-
crate It .nru. ... H. .He system
itself ouf ot tHa multitude of bills
20 Do handled rI -.. inevitable
hast, Boo baudirr Thorn H"f often
This privacy is mad, POSI-, of OBJ,
most sinister fashion for private end.
and undoubtedly constitutes the main
opportunity for those VINO wish .,
work schemes oj their own and gee
legal regulations which will serN'
their own purposes The pClitIcu
machine. when n controls legislation
can operate successfully only iu pr.
vate. The minute what is going OF
becomes public n becomes impossible
20 carry Il out Similarly, when bu
commercial or financial interest
have schemes OF their own 20 worl
through legislation privacy is indis
pensable What they wish 10 d
could not be done In the open with