San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-13
More Of a Training School
for Young Men, He
Tells Lions.
NEW ONES KEEP COMING
Speaker Of Texas House
Suggests Remedy for
Condition.

"The Texas Legislature is too much
of training school for young men, ;"
Judge r. E. Seagler, Speaker of the
House of Representatives, said We'd
nesday in addressing the San Anto-
Mo Lions Club on the subject of The
Legislature and the Remedy"
Judge Seagler emphasized the fact
that SO far as lie knew all the .inem-
bers of the Texas Legislature are hon
orable and upright men, and that
there is no corruption in the body,
but that to his mind, the great fault
with the governing body of Texas IS
that there are too many inexperienced
men in it.
I'VE are all for them" the speaker
said. "They are fine young fellows:
But they come up there and spend
. two or four years and after we have
trained them they go back home and
work for themselves, while Texas suf-
fers from their inexperience. while
they were in the states employ.
Not Like a Business.
"The way we have of operating our
Legislature is not like we would Oper-
ate our business. When you get a
good young man in your business you
train him up to what you want him
to be, and you keep him. That is
not the case with the Legislature. 1t
trains him and then they leave. The
young men are much more apt to pass
new laws than repeal old ones. Con.
sequently our statutes are ciogged
with more laws than we know what
to do with and there is confusion in
our legal machinery.
"The 3Sth Legislature has been Sc
verely criticised for creating a def
cit, and justly so. The reason for
this was that requests began coming
in during the regular session for spe-
cial appropriations. Our young leg
islators thought these requests repre-
scented the voice of the state, when
in reality they represented the voice
of only a small per cent of its citizens,
: They accommodated these citizens,
and when the special session came on
and went to appropriating money for
the things that state must have,
we found that both together created
a deficit.
And why was this? 1t was be.
cause we had men in the Legislature
that were not experienced enough to
distinguish between the cry OF few
citizens and all of Texas in general
Need More Money and Time.
"What will be the remedy for all
of this?" Judge Seagler asked. 81
would suggest better pay, a longer
term of service and a longer session
If you pay better you will get bet
ter men. With longer term Of ser
vice and longer session through
which to work these men can forget
about their home problems and give
themselves up to the problems of the
state. They can put in some real
time and learn the business of legislat.
ing for a great people, and they will
not be throwing up their jobs after
one or two terms of service. Texas
needs big men who know how to solve
big problems.
The speaker did not blame the Leg
islature entirely for its ills.
Each one of us has responsible.
ties as a citizen" he sadi, "and until
we assume those responsibilities VIC
cannot place all the blame in one
place. Some of those who were ask
ing for special appropriations dur
ing the regular session were the ones
who wrote letters during the special
session asking that we not raise theiI
taxes"
Another distinguished visitor at the
Lions Club luncheon Wednesday was
Thomas Jefferson, who is playing the
role of Lightnin' Bill Jones at the
Majestic Theatsr this week. The &C
tors family began playing on tbs
stage in 1717 and is the Oldest English
speaking family on the stage today
A collection for the Japanese relief
fund was taken up. by the Lions and
S1070S was raised.