The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-28
Kansas Governor Defends Leg
iSIative Plan
Before Annual Convention of
Governors Colorado Springs.
FAILURE POLITICAL PARTIES
Cannot Redeem Campaign
Pledges Old System.
But With Only IS Men on Job
Be Smooth Sailing.

Colorado Springs. Colo, Aug. Is
Speaking before the annual conVen-
ton of governors today. Governor
George H. Hodges of Kansas defended
his plan for a one house legislature
and poked fun at the slow, bungle-
some system in vogue in his own
state and many other states of the
Union. His talk was quite lengthy
and covered about so typewriter
pages. but the Kansas executive show
ell deep concern in his new reform
and the visiting executives heard all
the Jayhawker had to say about his
plan.
With his new legislative session in
t.reration. Governor Hodges declared
that il would be much easier for the
public to keep a watchful eye on the
states lawmakers, that legislative en-
ectments would receive close: atten-
ticn and that the legislation would ne
general rather than local as under the
present two house system with a large
.embership. AS evidence OF the fali-
ure of political parties to redeem their
Promises through their legislatures,
The Kansas governor pointed to the
failure of the Kansas legislature to
submit the initiative and referendum
to a vote of the people, although the
reform was endorsed and made a
part of the platform pledge of every
pClitical organization in the state
With a one house legislature COM
posed of l s members or less, Governor
Hodges declared that the people or
The state might keep a Watch1ul eye
on the legislators and secure not
more but better and higher class laws
In his discussion of the old bi-
cameral plan and the new one house
system. Governor Hodges said IN part;
System Heavy and Complicated.
After all the amending of conStitu-
tions, the bicameral legislature re-
mains a heavy and complicated me
chanism. yielding quickly enough to
the operation of the political expert,
but blocking every turn the at
tempts of the people to work it hon
estly and efficiently, and it has been
said that by a strange perversity of
fate. the fear of democracy and the
passion for democracy have contrib
uted equally to this result. Powerful,
private interests find their best shell
ter behind a multiplicity of barriers,
and politicians have no desire to make
plain the rules of the game, while re-
formers generally attack corruption
or inefficiency by adding some new
office or board of control: And so it
has come about that the people have
been unable to maintain control over
their own government, and it has
fallen more and more completely into
the hands of the professional politi-
clan. aptly described as One who
knows more about the voters political
business tnan Ine voter does himself.
This system of scattered reSpOn-
Sibility puts the very smallest incen-
tive upon the individual to accom-
plish effective results Not only can
he divide the blame with all the rest
of the majority, but he can offset it
entirely by bringing forward some 10
cal excuse or justification. He can
point to something else he has done
which was of particular interest to
his constituents and thereby avert
s,,rr
mistake or misdeed of profound i'm
portance to the state a whole, if
indeed under the present system he is
capable of accomplishing anything.
our legislatures are for the most
part limited to short sessions and the
terms of the members of the house
do not as a rule cover more than one
session. Generally, an overwhelming
tives are first termers, and without
legislative experience. The same
thing turns out annually.
Too Many New Laws.
And yet legislatures so composed. We
are informed. add something like 25 900
pages to our statute books each year
In MasSac husetts this year not less
than 2.5OO bills were introduced: in
Pennsylvania. 200; in Wisconsin.
1000. and in the state of Washington,
200.
In 1911 the session laws of Califor-
mia was a book of 1000 printed pa ges:
the session laws of Connecticut. 800
pa ges; Idaho. $40 pages: Indiana 7O5
pa ages: Maine. 500 pages: Massac hu-
setts. LOO pages; Michigan. $50 pages:
Missouri. 451 pages: New Jersey S34
page
The session laws of Kansas for 1918
is a book of 594 pages and contains 376
laws and resolutions. Excluding ap-
preparation bills. &c important laws
were passed. The rest We're either To-
cal acts or were trivial in their ma
ture. The last Kansas legislator was
in session 40 days parts of days,
consequently something like seven laws
passed both hou- eS each day
1t is hardly possible for a member to
read seven enactments a day, and it
is impossibility for him to compre-
bend and understand them. 1t must
be remembered, however. that some