The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1913-03-05
WEDNESDAY, MARCH s, 1918.
LEGISLATION.

6eCkleSS leGJS1A
The members Of the Thirteenth as
sembly are being warned of the danger
Of reckless legislation duri ng the
closing hours of the session. The
warning comes from newspapers rep.
resenting the political party that lie
responsible for oil new laws that will
Be enacted, the Ansconds Standard
r%emarking: Tin previous sessions
some very pernicious bills have been
rushed through within The crowded
hours Of the last few days. There
should be persistent vigilance from
now until the close"
The situstion is also viewed with
alarm by thei Butte Miner, memories
OF the closing legislative incidents Of
two years ago suggesting this men
tion: "Governor Norris, in his mes.
sage two years. ago, called attention
to the fact that the former legislature
had paesed something over 100 bills
upon the last day. virtually without
any consider alton, for these measures
were only read by title and voted up.
on. The warning of the executive, 81.
though listened to at~tentively, was not
needed, for . still worse condition OK.
listed during the dying hours OF the
last session."
The reckless manner in which bills
were passed during the closing hours
OF the Twelfth assembly was wildly
described by . newspaper reporter,
whose statement has not been q alleng.
cd. The story OF what happened, and
how II vas done, says In part:
1.-THE closing scenes of the Mon.
tana legislative session we're marked
by even nor fragrant disregard of
law, order, decency and common sense
than have characterized preceding ses-
sions. Spectstorsj' In either house
during the last day, evening and night
OF the sessions, with Montana legisla.
lures. we're astounded at the spectacle
presented. The feature that made them
gasp was the reckless and abandoned
manner in which bills we're railroaded
through the legislative process.
"This /. desperate and unseemly
struggle to perfect in twenty.four
hours legislation that had been dal.
lied with for two months Is one of the
most ~disgrsceful delinquencies Of the
Montana Jlawmakers. The present
legislatureCwss M of the worst
offenders In years. The legislature
passed 223 bills, and ia Of these we're
rushed through on theilsst Legislative
day. At lesst.ssixty or seventy of
these bills we're not conveyed to the
governor till after midnight OF the last
dsy whenlthe power Of the Legislature
legally to enact lswsthad expired by
the operation of!she oreanicNaw.
"When . Legislature comes to ito
last dsyNwithlltwo or three hundred
bills undisposedsof, and undertakes to
pound halfC1of them Through both
houses beforel thelsession concludes,
Il simply delivers itself to chaos. The
work Of theihouse and senate on the
last night: ~jincludedts both chaos and
psndemonium. & All.cdsy bills we're
rushed through committee OF the whole
and third reading in both houses,
without knowledge or understanding
on the part Of anybody ~ to the
merits of any ofa.them.
"From ten O'Clock till one the next
morning, an hour after the legislative
session had legally ended, the same
feverish, roaringE mill of reckless
legislation twas. kept.rgoing at top
speed. The;tcommittees iof the whole
and on third.resding we're. .altern ated
with committee reports, which we're
adopted without consideration, con-
sidered in the committee of the whole
and passed on third reading In . per.
feet stream, while perhaps not five
per cent Of the members in either
house even caught the numbers of the
measures, much less the titles.
"Thisxpart OF the work vac con-.
cluded some time after one O'Clock,
and the sixty or seventy bills that
had piled up on the army Of enrolling
clerks by that time, 90 great that
those workers were unable to finish
enrolling them till 8 O'Clock the next
morning. More clerks than ever be-
fore employed struggled with this
overwhelming mass OF work, and al
though they toiled at top speed, they
we're given bills and more bills be.
yond their power to handle as the
night passed.
"All around the chamber and eat.
lery comments on the procedure, grins,
indignant criticisms. and cynical re-
marks were uttered by astonished and
shocked Spectators"
All the newa in tho Rivor Droso |