The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-26
A DEPARTMENT FOR THE AID OF
LEGISLATORS.

LEGISLATORS.
The Legislature OF Wisconsin is the
model for State lawmaking machinery
and its distinction is largely due to
most efficient department established
for the assistance OF legislators-the
legislative reference library.
This library is a bili-drafting bureau
administered by experts in every type
Of legislation, where all the information
on any legislative subject may be had
for the asking. Legislators can ascer-
rain what every other State or county
has done on a specified measure, now
i. worked out and what changes are
needed 10 make it operative or
successful. and how TO word 1t, In the
light of interpretative court decisions
10 make it invulnerably constitutional.
OF 1000 bills presented TO the Wisconsin
Legislature last session. 1850 were
drawn by the library experts.
Here a great service is performed. The
farmer, the grocery man, the doctor. the
country lawyer. the manufacturer the
business man, come to the Legislature,
in nearly every case graphing UMPIRE
paredly with the problem of making
laws that represent all phases OF indus
trial life. A decade ago the simple legis-
lation of the time could easily be shaped
by these men. but now the great prob
lem of the railroads, the telegraph, the
telephone. taxation, insurance and the
many complex questions of modern life
render il impossible for one man, what
ever his mental equipment. to act in
diligently upon tenth of the issues
which come before the Legislature for
settlement.
The legislator is beset by office
seekers and lobbyists; his accustomed
advisers and his friends are not at
hand to help him: he finds that ne
must learn the ropes; that If he Is TO
represent his district he must intro
duce bills and in some way must get
them through the Legislature He is
confronted with hundreds of bills on
hundreds of legal and economic sub
iects. Complex questions which have
not been settled by the master think
ers of the time arc put up to him for de-
cision Even scientific questions thai
the chemist, the physician or the scient-
let consider difficult must be met with
when he is hurried and rushed with
committee work.
DR.. Charles Mccarthy, the origina-
tor of the legislative reference library
and the head of Wisconsin's. explains
the work of his department:
I'm our department we are not
debating legislation, but are merely
servants of the legislators OF our State,
clerks to gather and index and put to-
gether the information that these
men desire. Question after question
asked of US by the Legislature is inyes-
tigated in as scientific a manner as time
and means permit.
I'VE have been convinced that there
is a great opportunity to better legis-
Iation through work of this kind--that
the best way is to help directly the man
VINO makes the laws Everything which
wfil help him TO grasp and understand
the great economic problems OF the
day in their fullest significance, the
legislative remedies which can be APP
piled and the legislative limitations
which exist rs brought TO his atten-
ton"
Michigan. Ohio and several other
States have initiated Wisconsin's ex-
ample with decided success There
is a strong movement in North Caro-
lima to have one established for her
legislators Virginia would find SIM
liar department profitable. 1t ought
TO save enough in court costs to pay
for itself. 1t means intelligent. Elf
Gent, economical legislation. II means
making laws once for ali ard making
them effective, while in most of our
states Law has to be enacted. tested
in the courts. amended and then re-
made. The Virginia State Library
has done what it could TO aid legisis-
tors in legislative reference. especially
in compiling valuable bulletins Of pub
hcations upon legislative subjects. but
its staff is not large enough 20 admit
Of drafting bills for legislators and
spending hours in conferences and in
destinations. II would be worth while
20 the people Of this state 20 have q
stan Of legislative reference experts
attached to the State Library for the
service Of our lawmakers. such a stafi
10 use the books and other pubiica.
tions Of the State Library and the
state Law Library FOR the basis O.
is work That such department;
would I'll a long-feit need j. a long
established fact OF popular experience