The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-10-09

STATE POLITICS.
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The volume of laws enacted by tn
Michigan legislature at this year
session, which closed April 20, has re
Gently been issued by the state print
ers. Ii makes 772 pages and contains
400 laws. Miles of stun has beer
printed and oceans of hot air spouteI
here in our dear old peninsula com
monwealth in the last decade about IN,
dangers from undigested legislation
This warning comes mostly from thos,
who were born TO believe that only leg
islaturc assemblies composed, as FOL
instance is our present one Of hotel
Keepers, dry goods dealers, black
smiths, lawyers, saloonkeepers, mer-
chants. contractors farmers real cs-
tate agents, printers, cigarmalicrs.
| broomhandle makers, editors, school
teachers, insurance agents, locomotive
engineers. doctors and some others.
fairly representative Of all elements
Of our citizenship can grind out safe
ly digested laws.
Now, as TO whether all of our ~
pages Of the 1918 legislature mado
laws were properly digosted before
put upon the books. Tho legislature
session began Jan. /. Tho last bills
were passed and the legislators went
home To stay on the afternoon of
April 20. Both houses had been in
session SIS days. OF the 400 acts there
were signed by the governor but 90
up TO the morning of April II. The
state constitution says, article ., sec
ton 80: If any bill Submitted 10 the
governor for his signature) be not re-
turned Uo the legislature) by the gov
ernor within 10 days, Sunday excepted,
after II has been presented TO him (by
the legislature) 1t shall become a law
IN like manner as il he signed il UNI
less the legislature. by adjournment.
prevented its return, in which case i;
shall not become a law"
Therefore, if his constitutional
mandate was obey ed-and there is no
reason TO doubt IL was-the legisla-
ture passed 60 bills--thc first 81 work |
ing DAYS of the session and 347 during |
The last % session days Although ad- !
-
three Sundays during the first % days |
Of April, 50 the number Of working |
lays were %. Inasmuch as the gov
'rnor cannot delay signing Il bill moe
han 10 days, as per the constitution,
Il is apparent that the legislature had
'eady for his approval by April only
he 90 bills that he had approved up TO
april IL. a computation by the same
method shows that during the last 20
lays of the session the Legislature
passed and sent to the governor for
approval 2SS bills as against II9 during
he FIRST 10 days of the session.
1t is true that good deal Of lcgis-
ative work is done in committees, ana I
hat good many of these 2SS bills
assed in the closing 10 days had been {
possession OF committees several I
weeks. But il is also true that scores !
f bills are held in COMMITTEES every ,
ession until the last few weeks. Then +
ley are dumped into the Senate ana | Y
nc House. Nine-tenths OF the mem +
ers know little or nothing abou, q
nc merits Of these bills. on the j
ords of few members that thsv i.
re ali right the nine-tenths vote for i
lem, although occasionally logrolliu. "a
'av DC resortcd To. You vote for nv T.
u ana I'll vote for yours and if Won I,
Dnt ask any questions about my bin is
won't ask any about yours. II all II
Us a bearing on the question of what 4
lc safe and sane in politics. as dis u
nguished from what the brainstorm. Il
$ regard as well digested legislation. b,
here Is, in every session, a Httl. C.,
lnch OF cut-ups, particularly in the
ouse who, when the rush begins i'm $,
g linal month. are every day busiN ii,
costing. as they come UP, all sorts Of I'll
lis. by hcaving waste paper baskets cl
II Wads OF paper and other recepta. an
rs Of intellectual thoughts at the 30
ads of members who are sincerely Gu
ing by participating in the debates civ
keep the run OF bills that are crowd an
one after another. Because of this no
'thod, entirely apart from the pcr- in,
mel of our state legislatures. the ira
re voters may be grateful that G., ,yi
my good laws, as for instance were sol
acted at the late session. gct upop
; statute books while the uumbrr tic
vicious laws sncakcd through, ar. is
most hesi'sioLe uantity.-Dctroit pen
WIS. ma.