Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-02
KANSAS HAS NEW
LAWMAK|NG IDEA
Gov. Hodges Would Abolish
1.-TWO House" Legislatures
and Have Single Body.

TOPEKA. Kan, Sept. 2.-Governor
Hodges has gone to the head of the
progressive class by advocating the
most radical of legislative ideas thus
far suggested-the lone house" plan
| for states.
| Practically speaking, this kansas
idea" will gice states a commission
form of government, as it would CEN
tralize the law-making functions and
would remove all of the "constitu-
tional checks" 30 dear to the trainers
of the American Constitution.
| The governor brought his plan into
the national eye at the recent con-
| ference of governors at Colorado
| Springs. and it has attracted wide
spread attention. In fact, 1t prom
Uses to be the most discussed idea
there advanced.
the governor urges the following dis
advantages;
THE bicameral legislature remains o
heavy and complicated mechanism,
yielding readily enough to the po-
litical expert, but blocking at every
turn the attempts of the people to
work it.
There is no way whereby the public
can single out a particular member
and say, You personally are to
| blame
| "As for being deliberative body,
have yet to see a legislature that
could be so classed.
Powerful private interests find their
| best shelter behind multiplicity OF
| barriers.
About the only purpose have been
able to see for the two house sys-
| tenn Is that it enables the legislator
| to fool his constituents.
Might Improve Laws.
| The governor thinks the 'one
house legislative body would not
only be more quickly responsive to
| the peoples will, but that it would
improve the quality of laws. OF the
work of the two house bodies he
says:
cumbersome and complicated ma
chinery-followin the law that
everything produces after its kind
has resulted in cumbersome and COM
plicated legislation. Even the lawyer
| finds himself all but submerged by
the flood of judicial decisions inter-
preting these laws.
!, There appears to be no good rea-
son why our laws should not be
written in simple and direct language,
expressing so clearly their purpose
| that a man of average intelligence
may understand what Is meant"
when a desirable measure falls to
pass, or an undesirable measure
passes, there is no way whereby the
public can single out particular
member of the Legislature and say,
You personally are principally 70
blame in this matter.
AS showing the manner in which
two house legislation may be en-
acted without sufficient care and fore
| thought, the governor cites the fact
that In its last session of fortynine
days the Kansas Legislature enacted
376 laws out of a total of 1,700 bills
introduced, the new laws making a
book of 594 pages, which few legis-
lators had bothered to read. Con-
tinuing, he said:
zone of the stock arguments in
favor of the bicamera1 system Is that
the second chamber is valuable
there are two bodies through which
the bill must pass. From personal
/ Legislative experience I know how
/ farcical this contention Is. About the
only purposes I have ever been able
to see for the two-house system Is
that 1t enables legislator to fool his
constituents by getting measure de-
manded by them through his branch
Of the Legislature and then using
every effort to have 1t killed in the
other branch
Has Alternative Plan.
AS his substitute for the time-hor.
ored "two-house Legislature, Govern
or Hodges proposes a house OF not
more than sixteen members, to be
elected in the same manner as are
Kansas judges, on a non-partisan bal
lot, or, as an alternative proposition,
upon some plan that would give
minority representation. All would
receive salaries that would enable
them to devote their entire time to
the State and, would be empowered to
secure expert aid when needed. III
support of this plan the governor
says:
"In my Judgment such Legisla-
ture as I am advocating would give
us fewer but better laws; it would
give us laws that need less interpre-
tation from the courts and according
ly give us less litigation. 1t would
be representative"
While Governor Hodges does not
admit that the plan he proposes is
virtually q commission form of gov
eminent, he Is quite frank in saying
that 1t would probably lead. to the
adoption of State commissions in
preference to legislatures"