The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-11-24
Legislative Sessions in Other States.
{ Enosburg Staudard.)

(EnOsburg StanUard.)
With the approach of the time when
the Vermont legislature will meet i'm
biennial session, public attention nat
urallv turns to the question whethcr|
the disgraceful record of the legisla
ture of 1912, as regards length of ses-
sion, will bc re-cnacted, or whether an
honest effort will be made to limit the
the length of this and future legisla-
tive sessions to a reasonable period.
Two years ago ut this time the lepis-
lature of 1872 was well launched upon
its inglorious career of extraN agancc
in wasteful aud unwarranted cxpendi-
lures for clerks. messengers, sweepers
pages, etc, and in its length of session
protracted beyond all reason, ana
wholly disproportionatc TO the govern
mental activities relating TO a state
of the size. population and wealth OF
' ermont.
Following the final adjournment Of
that legislature, which came after "a
session of 1l9 days, the Standard drew
| comparisons between that session and
! the sessions Of the legislatures of
various other states, showing how the
! legislative work of states many times
larger than Vermont in population and
assessed wealth was transacted in one
half the time taken by the Vermont
! legislature.
With the sole exception OF Vermont.
all of the states of the Union. either
| by statue or constitutional enactment,
limit the length of their legislative
session, 81 of the ~ establishing Il fN-
ed number of days for the session. and
/ I b.,
IpCr annum or session.
| Following is u list of the states with
the time or salary limit, each state
having biennial sessions, except as 9TH
IcrWise noted
Alabama, 30 days, quadrenual SEES
sions: Arizona. 60 DAYS; Arkansas. 90
days; California, 81, 900 per term; Col
orado. j 1000 per term; Connecticut,
$500 per annum; Delaware. 90 days;
Florida, 60 days; Georgia, 30 days. an
Inual session; Idaho, 90 days; Illinois,
900 per amman; Indiana. 90 days;
Iowa, $1,000 per aunum; Kansas, 90
ldays; Kentucky, 90 days; Louisiana, 90
days; Maine, $500 per annum; Mary
Hand, 80 days; Massachusetts. $1,000
per annum, annual sessions; Michigan
$500 per annum; Minnesota. 90 days:
mississippi, $500 per anuum; Missouri
40 days; Montana, 90 days; Nebraska
100 days; Nevada, 90 days; New Ilamp-
shire, 5000 per annum; New Jersey
1890 per annum; New Mexico, 90 days
New York, $500 per annum, annual
sessions; North Carolina, go days;
North Dakota, 90 days; Ohio, $1,000
Iper annum; Oklahoma, 90 days; Ore
gOn, 40 days; Pennsylvania, s 800 pen
annum; Rhode Island, 90 days, annuu
sessiOns; South Carolina, $3.50 per an
mum, annual sessions; South Dakota
60 days; Tennessee, - days; Texas, sc
days; Utah, 60 days; Vermont, no linn
it in time or salary; Virginia, 60 days
Washington, 60 days; West Virginia
- days; Wisconsin,, 5000 per annum
Wyoming, 10 days.
The reader will observe that Il o.
the states, OF exactly one-h half of tn,
entire number, have a time limit OF
l60 days or less, in fact so days Seems
3 to be considered y reasonable period il
which to transact the business proper
) ly coming before the state Legislature
and this is as true of the large. pop
ulous and wealthy commemorative, a
it is of the smaller and less populou
ones.
, If Indiana, with a population eigh
times as large, and 2I assessed prOpert,
valuation ten times as large as Yer
mont; If Missouri, with population
, incarly ten times, and an assessed val
. uation 40 times that of Vermont, cal
complete their legislative Programs, on
in 90, the other in 10 days, how ridicul
? ous to assume or assert that Yer
+ mont needs to consume a longer periO