New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-15
MONTH"; Y LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS
for Adequate Consideration of Bills and Appropriations Such Prs
system Does Not Afford

thereof mailed 10 every daily newspaper :,
the state desiring a copy thereof Commas,
tees in which the budget would be eonsid.,.I
should be required 20 hold open sessions ~.
the consideration Of the various item. =,
such budget at which all persons inter.,,ss
might be present and tho actual consids,,
ton Of such items should be required !.
open session and action upon each item -
the committee should be required in on.,
session. Upon the final passage Of the bsS
get the constitution should require tina, n.
bill be read through in detail, and full a..
complete opportunity should be afforded ~,
debate thereon. Every member OF s..s
house should be recorded either for :,
against the bill, if present, and il absent n.
fact of such absence should be entered ma,
the journal.
By this method, and by this method oplv
will il be possible 10 obtain for the "a,
sideration Of the appropriations Of none,
from the state treasury that attentio,
which the Importance Of such appropriated,
requires. "Pitiless publicity" has been ssS
10 be the greatest Corrective agency r..
method suggested by the plan Of M Hin.
man provides for "pitiess publicity" y
coupled with this plan there be added. =,
Mr.. Human proposes, a provision for n.
pavment Of the salaries Of the members n,
the Legislature in equal monthly instalment,
and if in addition thereto the actual and
necessary expenses Of the members Of n.
Legislature while in attendance az n,
monthly sessions be paid upon vouchers 70
be submitted showing in detail the items o.
such expenses properly certified By n.
President of the Senate and Speaker Of N,
Assembly. and countersigned by the elers,
of the two branches of the Legislature. an.
dited by the Controller and paid By n,
Treasurer, there can be no excuse for
failure on the part Of a member Of N.
Legislature 10 perform his full duty IN
deliberate and satisfactory manner.
The adoption of the system as proposed
by Mr.. Human would undoubtedly lead 70
the enactment Of very much smaller bulk
OF legislation annually than Is now enacted
The legislation enacted would not 20 70 the
Governor until after il had received the
careful consideration Of the members Of TIE
Legislature and Of the general public itself
II would fairly express the wishes Of the
people, and rarely would il be necessary FOR
a Governor of the state 70 veto en- bloc one
hundred and fifty or two hundred bills, as
The adoption Of the system would likewise.
it seems to me. tend to encourage intelligent,
and conservative men 70 offer themselves as
candidates for membership in the Legsla
ture do not mean 10 infer that intelli.
gent men have not heretofore offered them.
selves for such members, but do believe
that a more experienced and better equipped
class of men would be willing 20 serve their
respective districts and the state as the rep.
resentatives of such districts in the Legs.
lature if it were possible for such men to
consider properly the problems submitted 20
them and act upon them more intelligenty
than is now possible.
If the Constitutional Convention, which
has the Human proposition before it. will
pause sufficiently in its efforts to cure al
of the ills to which its members believe the
state to be at present subject and give
brief period of time 70 the study Of the
Hinman proposition it will, it seems 70 ne,
by the adoption OF that proposition Go
larger and better work for the people Of the
state and for all of the people Of the state
thar it can do by the adoption Of any other
single proposition now pending before hat
body. MERTON L. LEWIS
Rochester, Aug. 9, 1915.