Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-14
I,1cuIa5'99 ITs1,nf Te.te4day eDSsy 143OO
Looks Like a Full Session.

Unless Governor Townsend shall be
able 10 exercise control over the State
Senate, it is already apparent the special
session of the Legislature will be protract-
Cd To the limit Of the thirty days dunng
which the members. under the ConstItu-
tion. will be allowed per diem COM
pensation. The House, by bare ma
iontv Of two votes, adopted a Joint rcso-
h,.ion 70 restrict business to the three
subject. mentioned in the governor s
proclamation calling the special session.
but the State Senate has not yet shown
4 disposition to concur.
But even should the State Senate con-
cur IN the JOINT resolution, the doors
would be open 70 various kinds OF new
business. under the glIise Of war mea-
SIrcs. The governor, in his proclana-
non in addition TO his specific recon-
mcndations, made one general reference
~ the entire subject Of national defence
and the States cooperation therein.
Intiniation has been given OF bills for
various purposes to be introduced on
the claim that They directly appertaln 70
the subject OF national defence. Among
those already in sight arc a bull for the
better protection az babies very worthy
proposition, OF itself considered, by the
wav-a bill to impose severe penalties Tor
selling or giving intoxicating liquor 10
soldier or sailor, and bill proposed by
the Board OF Education for the relief Of
its straitened financial situation, on
the ground that the provision Of ample
school facilities. especially for the educa-
non al soldiers children, may Justly be
included in the category Of those things
essential 10 the national defence.
And - il will 20 on. unless the brakes
ale applied and tightly clampcd. 1t Is
not only members Of the Legislature who
Will bc clamorous. but outside Interests.
The latter may be expected to he even
more insistent than the legislators. The
rlsn who gets the Legislative bee IN
his head i apt 70 be persistent n the
matter. and when large number o.
both men and women become obsesSed
with the notion that certain measures OF
legislation, many Of which might not
have been even thought Of until the session
opened, are absolutely essential 70 the
safety Of the nation and TO success IN the
var. they Will insist upon their enactment
Nv the Legislature.
II is easy TO foresee, therefore, busy
tumultuous and protracted session-anc
also a costly one-unless the members oi
the Legislature come to their senses anc
resolve 10 confne their deliberations tC
the three propositions specifically men
toned IN the governors proclamation
the special session will go the full limit
of the thirty days Of compensation, anC
perhaps longer. There may be some delay
due to the special election TO De held iol
the purpose Of filing the vacancy IN the
Fifteenth Representative district, but
adjournment could be taken pending The
holding of this election.
The members Of the Legislature oughr
70 know that the people do not want 8
protracted session In fact, they did not
want tins special session anyway. It i
an imposition upon them i isa tax
eating, money-wasting affair. The soone
tie farce-for that Is what it seems TO b.
degenerating into--cornes TO an end, tn
letter II VIII be for public interests.