Omaha daily bee., 1919-05-26
Suggestions as to What
Should Come Before Next
Constitutional Convention
Members Cautioned That Document Formulated Must
Later On Come Before Voters of Nebraska for It's
Adoption or Rejection at Polls.

officer in name only, yet he is COM
PEELED to give bond of $4,000 the
same as any other state officer, be-
cause he is called upon from time
to time to occupy the office of gov
ernor in the absence of the executive
head of the state.
| contend that the lieutenant gov
ernor should be a part of the state
machinery the same as any other
officer and paid accordingly. He
should have an office in the state
building the same as any other Of
ficer and given certain part OF
the work of the state that would
keep him in touch with the business
of the state so that in case he is
called to the head of the common
wealth by reason of the death Of the
governor, his removal from office,
or temporary absence from the state,
that he would be in position to
know something of the work he
would be called to do.
There are many departments OF
the state where portion OF the
work could be very nicely trans
ferred to the office of the lieuten-
ant governor, and there is consid-
cradle work in the office of the
governor which could be transferred
also. The issuing of notarial COM
missions, druggists permits, hear
ings in requisition cases which take
up the time of the governor when
he should be attending to more i'm
portant things, could go to the lieu
tenant governor and he would al
ways be in a position to step into
the executive chair when the gov
ernor was out of the state.
am of the opinion that the con-
stitution should be changed making
the terms of members of the legis-
lature four years instead of two
One-half of these should be elected
at one election and the other half
at the next, thus insuring at least
one-half of the legislature to be
men with previous experience. This
could be easily arranged by elect
ing the members from the odd num-
bered districts at one election and
those in the even numbered dis
tricts at the next election the COM
ing two years. In districts like
Douglas and Lancaster one-half
could be elected at one election and
the other half at the next
Change Is Suggested.
The legislature should not con-
vene the first of the year following
the election for the reason that state
officers are elected at the same time
as the legislature and take their Of
fees at the same time. Thus a green
set of state officers come into exist
ence knowing nothing whatever
about the business affairs of the
state, and then departments and
the legislature are up against the
proposition of coming in contact
with state officials who know alb
solutely nothing of the needs of
their various departments and are
not in a position to know what their
department needs.
| believe that a better condition
would be brought about if the leg
islature for instance, elected, in 1920
did not convene until a year later
This would give the state officers
an opportunity to become familiar
with their departments and know
what was needed.
| believe that better legislation
would be obtained if, when the legis-
lature convened, if it would meet
the first Tuesday in December in
stead of in January following, as