Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-09-12
THE COMMISSION IDEA Is
GROWING,

The efforts of THE WASHINGTON .
STANDARD to stimulate a discussion of
its proposed reform of this states leg
islative system by the adoption of the ,
commission form in our state govern
ment, are bearing fruit. Sentiment |
in favor of some radical change from |
the present system is growing |
throughout the country" says the Ia |
coma Tribune in again discussing our
recommendation, land the suggestion
is being very generally dis !
cussed" 1t continues:
In practically every state there is a
protest against the inefficiency of state
legislatures. Following the recent ad-
journment of the Illinois legislature,
after a continuous session extending
over six months, a Chicago newspaper
made this summary of it's activities:
"Electing speaker, three weeks;
idleness, one week; electing two Unit
ed States senator's, five weeks; attend
ing the Wilson Inauguration, two
weeks; organizing and getting down
to business, two weeks; committee
hearings and reading of bills. four
weeks; passing rs per cent of its bills,
four weeks; passing rs per cent. Of its
bills, two weeks"
This is very fair description of the
work of the Washington legislature at
its recent session, eliminating the SEN
atorial election feature and shortening
the period to 60 days instead of six
months. The proportion of time vast
ed in non-essentials is about the same,
and that is true of practically every
legislature in the country. There is a
sentiment in favor of the old plan of
representative government established
by our fathers, but waste Of time, ex-
travagance, personal politics, cumber.
some and half-baked laws and the null
duplication of needless and useless stat
utes are a country wide complaint and
the conditions appear to be getting
worse instead Of better.
Some reform in state legislative
methods must be adopted, but there
will be great opposition to the comms-
sion plan among the politicians who
will view with alarm the prospect Of
losing jobs for themselves and their
favorites when once q state govern
ment Is placed on q strict business ba-
sis. With smaller, more broadly rep
resentative legislative bodies, there is
no doubt that we should have fewer
and better laws and less labor for the
courts in interpreting them.
Much along the same line is a COM
ment that appeared in the Friday Har-
Dor Journal last week, indicating that
the country newspapers Of the state
are beginning to take up the discus.
sion of the question. Said the Jour
nal:
At the conference Of governors, held
at Colorado Springs last week, quite a
number expressed themselves in favor
Of abOlishing the present mode of leg
islating by large body composed of
two branches. Sentiment in favor of
substituting a commission form is
crystalizing rapidly and 1t will only
be q few years before the new idea
takes root. Electing and paying the
expenses of two large bodies, only to
have few of that number controlling,
and those few controlled by special in.
terests, does not appear like the best
way to accomplish things. Anyhow,
the general public couldn't be much of
loser under the proposed method.
We are very glad to see this discus.
sion taking place. Though 1t may not
mean immediate action toward a re-
form which seems inevitable and
which we believe is demanded by the
fearful inadequacies Of the present
system, yet it paves the way for the
progress of that reform and hastens
the day when we may expect it to
come to pass.
We are coming to it. slowly, perhaps
but surely. The seed is being sown
the idea developed. Sooner than we
expect it may burst into bloom. May