Arizona republican., 1919-03-14
The Fourth

The regular session Of the Fourth legislature has ended. When it assembled it was confronted by a greater task than any of its predecessors with the possible exception of the first. The uncompeted or -uuizauon of thc state presented many problems. though many ol the problems wNch offered to new state had been settled in very volumnous and detailed constitution. i turned out though that of them had not been settled right and have been settling them ever since. Very little part ot the work of reconstruction however, fell upon the first legs- lturc for sun believed then that constitution uus au inspired document
 The problems which iad before the Fourth legislature had been .ctt by the Every state had similar ones with which to struggle Everywhere war distributed part of the burden which had been laid upon Che nation Our legislative program was there torc an ambitious and difficult one but we had no doubt that it could execute it
 The legislature set about i with a seeming single ness Of purpose and for month gave promise or ac- complishment. And then something intervened. Con- structivc.lcgisation was brought to stand still Both houses began to be flooded with bills until more than 100 were introduced Though few or none of them were actually or actively bad the great majority of tEem were unnecessary. most of them which have been enacted into law serve only further to cucumber the statutes and add to the confusion. They have lcssencd the chances of good measures passing and have detrlcted from inc deiberaton which good measures deserve
 We will illustrate by a striking example what mean by the statement that this deluse Of ttle n- significant bills has added the confusion and caused tho loss of good essential legislation There was one hi introduced the house for the restoration of the criminal procedure before capital punishment was abolished The abolition took that with it. The resor- oton of the death penalty did restore this proceed bin introduced into the house for its resor- ation and was passed yesterday It was shown that t doubtful whether capital punishment could be Inflicted without t The bill was sent to the senate in thc afternoon along with mountain of other measures To be added to another mountain already the senate There this bill defeated by a overwhelming vote because perhaps not more than one two members had been advised of its essential character There had been time for discussion or even brief es- plantation of its purpose. That the senate later when Informed of the character the bin and the neces- sity for it's enactment roconsderod it's action and passed the bill without division only accentuates the narrowness of it's escape from most serious bundor
 or constructive legislation there has bee, very little. We might almost conclude that but for the necessary general appropriation b the state could have just well if not another bill had been passed.
 This result is not because of the lack Of ability of the members or lack of understanding or of purpose but Of politics which had the effect of dverting thc minds of the legislators from the big to the little work.
 The ordinary ways in which time is wasted in legiy laures happily absent Comparatively little time fooled away oratory. The clerical forces were efficient beyond any that had preceded them. The work was kept up and moving. We can only say that earnest effort and considerable ability suffered mis- direction. The result is more disappointing than it would have been if it had been reached by an lncoln potent body. We have the added bitter reflection on what might have been accomplished by such lcgls- iaturc as the Fourth.