The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-10-15
CONTENDS BIENNIAL SESSIONS AMENDMENT VITAL Alabama Only State in the Union Where Legislature
 Meets Quadrennially HASTE MAKES LEGISLATION FAULTY Big Business and Industrial States Like New York, Pennsylvania
 and New Jersey Meet
 Annually

lost in the shuffle, according to the opin- ion of Isadore Shapiro, member of the house. MT. Shapiro declares that in the interest being taken in the educational amendment, the savings bank and other amendments, In which certain strong forces are interested, the biennial sessions amendment has been overlooked because it was to the interest of no one in par ticular.
 He contends that the biennial session Is the proper thing for Alabama and calls attention to the fact that this is the one state in the union with quadreu- nial sessions. Many of the great busi- ness and industrial states have annual meetings.
 "The constitutional amendment provid- ing for biennial legislative sessions" said MT. Shapiro, appears friendless. It may die for inattention.
 ''The other amendments are very for tunate. The educational interests are pushing the local tax amendment with vigor. The banking element is champion ing the amendment justly affording the same protection to savings as to checking bank deposits. The Selma amendment. affecting only the city of Selma, is be- ing ardently campaigned for by Selma cit- izenry. But the lonely biennial session amendment attracts no particular class; hence no organized group espouses it's adoption.
 AMENDMENT IS VITAL
 "This latter amendment is supremely vital. Its significance to the forwardness of the state cannot be exaggerated.
 "It is curious to note that Alabama is the only state in the union whose legis- lature meets but quadrennially. The req son for this is incomprehensible
 From 1879, the year of the states birth. until 1S46. the legislature met an- nually; from 1s46 to 1901, biennially. The last constitutional convention C190D made the alteration from biennial to quadren- nial.
 ''The first Alabama legislative session was unrestricted as to the number of days. When the legislature met annually the sessions were restricted to 30 days, and even during the biennial sessions 70 days was the limitation. Now, with the session but once in four years, the num- Der of days within which the legislative work must be completed is still 50. Thus. the state witnesses the anomaly of her legislature meeting four times as often nearly hundred years ago as today, and less time is permitted to perform the legislative work now than was allowed almost a century ago.
 Tt is palpably evident that the domi- nant reactionary forces of the constitu- ional convention of 1901 feared legisla- tive sessions, and manifested their dis trust of representative government by providing for quadrennial sessions.
 Those who ever saw an Alabama leg islature in session or know anything of it's workings are constrained to appre- cate the imperative need for more fre- quent sessions. In a legislature meeting but for 50 days in four years, 1t is man. ifestly impossible to give measures the consideration and thought they deserve. Everything is confusion and rushy. Haste is the whip.
 BILLS ARE RUSHED Bills are voted upon and passed with their contents known only to a few members. It is not unusual for mem- Der to interrupt a roll call and exclaim that he does not know what is being voted on. In the last legislative session, when the conference report of the reve- nue bill was being discussed, one promi- nent member moved that the whole re- port be adopted without it's being read. for lack of time' This report contained 72 amendments, and yet the house em- braced 1t whole, without knowing what the amendments were.
 Moreover, we elect a governor to serve for four years, and yet the legislature is in session week before he assumes of fee. He but casually acquaints himself with the affairs of the state when the | legislature adjourns, and excepting ex- | tra sessions, he is left the balance of his l term without machinery with which to enact necessary remedial measures. With | biennial sessions. the governor would 1 have occasion to study the needs of the l state and to be prepared to place those needs intelligently before the legislature "It may be urged by some that we | have too many laws already; and that more frequent legislatureS will mean more frequent law crops. It may be 1 true that we have too many bad laws. but who will say that we have too many good ones? Biennial sessions are neces- sary not so much for more laws. as for more intelligent laws.
 EFFECT ON BUSINESS And then it is suggested that more ! flequent legislatures would disturb busi- ness This suggestion is fallacious. In the great industrial states of Massachu- l etts and New Jersey, and in the powerful | financial state of New York. the legisla- : | lures meet annually. Manufacturing
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