The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-04
NORRIS ON .BI-CAMERAL BODY

who conduct the government are selected by the people and the people must be guided in making their selection, it is perhaps futile to calculate upon the coming of time when the system under which we live wiil' rise superior to politics; yet Senator George w. Norris of Nebraska, believes it worth while to consider the situation, and to de- scribe for the New York Times his idea of what would be best for the country's good.
 Tire senator says what has often been said by this newspaper, that our public bus mess is the chief business existing He calls the government a gigantic corpora tion,'' and naturally is of the opinion that as such it should have first-class manage ment, in fact; instead of having political management, which, as he proceeds to show, is very far from being the best. He con fines his suggestions to the reform of the state legislative processes; but what he says applies also to the national congress- Neither is state nor in national affairs is there business system of law-making
 Taking into view the state system, the senator asks attention to the defect of hay ing two legislative bodies dealing with one sort of business, and making compromise the rule, and not Che policy, of obtaining the best legislation to be had. Everything that emerges from the bi-cameral legisla- ture is tainted with compromise. Respon sibility is shifted from one house upon the other, individual actions are hidden under conference results; and the citizens en- trely unable to pass a fair and just iudg-l ment upon the result, save to say that the result is not up to public expectations or needs. Experience shows" says the sena- tor, :" that it is within the privacy of the conference committee room that jokers get into legislation and that provisions of law demanded even by majority of both branches of the legislature are, sometimes not included in the finished product. When a bill emerges from conference it is not then subject to amendment. It must be ac- cepted or rejected as whole. The confer once is held in4 secret. There is no record vote on any proposition decided at the con- ference Responsibility for failure to keep faith with constituents is thus divided, en- abling participants in fraudulent procedure to conceal their own record and to cover up their own tracks" The remedy for this evil state of compromise and concealment is in doing away with the bi-cameral system and having a single legislature. "It would obviate all these difficulties" declares the senator.
 For further reform Senator Norris would ask for small legislature. A large legisla- ture $ supposed to give more general mad complete representation, but the contrary is the fact for in large assembly every mem her must surrender many individual rights if he is to hope to get any of his legislation through. He must surrender his cherished opinions, his principles, and almost sell his soul for chance to serve; ana even then, when the matter has gone to committee he hasn't word to say as to its disposition. The very size of the bodies sometimes makes it impossible to get the needed and proper deliberation and discussion that should al ways take place before the legislation is enacted.
 The remedy proposed for this situation is the reduction of the state legislature to body of not more than thirty persons, pre- sumably the choicest citizens to be found, who will give all their time to the service of the state; and who will be paid for legls- latng for the best interest of the state The senator argues at some length for this form, as giving the best results, but partic- ularly as doing away to large extent with corruption in legislative office. The sena- tor understands that there are interests that send men to the legislature to serve them, not the people they pretend to serve, and that the present system invites that sort of dishonesty. in that it makes easy the conceal mer. of the actual purpose of such represent tation. Also he would have the legislature on-partisan. and he gives substantial req sons why it should be so. In short, however, what he contends for is real business leg islation for the big business, the peoples business. He asks for no more than IS con sidered wisest ip the management of bank or trust company and is insisted upon as essential to the success of such company. It certainly reflects upon the general lntel- lgence that legislation is provided in the way the senator condemns as producing the poorest results, when the genius of the American people has achieved so great ef- ficiency in all lines of private business.
 The senator probably expects no imme- diate response to his. appeal; but he does what he conceives to be his duty and does it intellgently and well in calling attention to the, system and pointing out what can and should be done to better it.
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