Harlow's Weekly (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 27, No. 5, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 4, 1928 Page: 4 of 16
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4
HARLOW’S WEEKLY
Should the Legislature Be Reduced?
FROM time to time suggestions are
made that the Legislature of this
yay.- state is too large and, therefore, too
cumbersome. The suggestion generally
comes from those who are acquainted with
the operations of the two bodies composing
it, either as observers or else as those who
have served in one or the other of the bodies.
It seems that the subject will not down and,
hence, it may be assumed that there is
merit to the contention that it should be re-
duced. However, some may wonder why it
is that the bodies were made so large as to
be cumbersome and un wieldly, or why it is
that the Legislature does not take the prop-
er stejis to correct the evil. It is suggested
that the following are some of the reasons,
at least, why it is not reduced.
There has been and still is an insistent
demand on the part of the counties, especial-
ly the average sized and smaller ones, that
each county have at least one representative
in the House and that not more than three
counties compose a senatorial district. With
seventy-seven counties in the state making
such demands, it is not hard to see that it
becomes quite difficult to reduce the size of
either hotly. Then there is the demand, usu-
ally made by the jmliticians, that as many
political jobs be made .and kept open as the
people will bear. It is quite easier to get
a large Legislature to provide bureaus,
boards, and departments in the state and
county scheme of government then it would
be if the Legislature were composed of two
small, efficient, and workable bodies. When
the custom of trading among the ixditicians
is considered, one can readily understand
that the more members each house has the
more trades there will have to be to go all
the way round among the members.
Not a little confusion is occasioned by rea-
son of the indifference of the average citi-
zen. He is most likely to leave it to the
politicians, or to blind chance, and the ixdi-
ticians are not averse to taking advantage
of the blind chances in government.
Another factor, having not a little to do
with the reasons why the Legislature does
not take the pro|M»r ami necessary’ steps to
cure the evil, is because of the ignorance. In-
efficiency, or incom|K*tency of some of the
members of the Legislature itself. Any one
who has observed the workings of the two
bodies during a session are struck by the
lack of knowledge exhibited by some mem-
bers as to what the constitution and the
statutes provide. Such members may be
well informed farmers, merchants, profes-
sional, or business men in their several avo-
cations, but there are so many of them who
have never made any study of government.
<‘S|M>cially of the laws and institutions of the
state, they are helpless. Therefore, in the
short space of time allotted for a regular
session of the Legislature, it is not reason-
able to suppose that such men could inform
themselves about the laws, constitution, ami
Institutions of the state. Such lack of
knowledge with the laws, constitution, in-
stitutions, and the fiscal affairs of the state
makes it imperative that a very small num-
ber of men do the work in each body, and
yet, at the same time, they have to bear the
By T. H. Wren
Former Member House of
Representatives
burden of interference of those who lack in-
formation.
GOVERNMENT is the machinery set up by
the people to do the work for the | ample
which the individual can not do, and govern-
mental machinery is not different from oth-
er machinery, except that it is comiiosed of
human factors with all the variations and
mishap to which humanity is heir, there
is always a tendency to add to ami extend
the machinery of government, and some time
the iMrfnt is likely to be reached when the
machinery becomes so much ami so compli-
cated that it ceases to function properly.
In fact, it is likely to become so complicated
and cumbersome that the motive power i"
unable to run the machinery at all. The
setting up of bureaus, boards, commissions,
ami departments can be carried to such an
extent that it is not unlike adding to phy-
sical machinery, pullies, pinions, belts, and
wheels in multitudinous number, until the
machinery liecomes incapable of accompl idl-
ing the purixxte for which it was set up.
When a government reaches the point where
its machinery has become so complicated
and cumbersome as to fail to function ami
jierform the duties assigned to it, then there
is only one of two things that can hap|»en:
A revolution of the government, either by
quiet and orderly legal methods, or by force
of anus. If one of these two methods is not
used t<» correct the evil, then we may have
the alternative, the overrunning of the state
by a more active ami virile people.
Other factors, having to do with reasons
for the large number of ineinliers constitut-
ing modern Legislatures, are the lack of pa-
triotic motives on the part of some of the
members of the Legislature as well as of
some of the citizens of the state, and sinister
motives on the part of others. Individual
selfishness of members and citizens cause
tin* doing of many things in legislative
bodies that are destructive of tin* welfare of
the laxly politic and. of course, such selfish
ness constitutes sinister motives. The num
her of individuals within the Legislature, or
outside thereof, which may be designated as
having sinister motives, is not so large as
effective in action. A small number of sel-
fish. designing, unscrupulous men can cause
more grief in government than can be offset
by a much larger number of unselfish and
patriotic men. The boldness of the un-
scrujxilous usually carries the day. The
lack of information on the part of many
good ami well meaning members of the Leg-
islature make it difficult and sometimes ini-
|H>ssible for those jxwsessing the proper in-
formation to combat the unscrupulous group.
THERE have been two plans suggested for
a reduction of the numlx*r of members
of the Legislature. one of which is the plan
that proposes to substitute one house for
the present two, and is usually known as
the unicameral plan. The other proposes
to reduce the membership in each, the Sen-
ate and the House of Representatives, to
such numlxTs as will make them efficiently
workable bodies. The first one has not as
yet been tried out under our scheme of gov-
ernment in the United States, and, there-
fore, cannot be said to furnish a satisfac-
tory solution. The bicameral plan has been
working in the United States since the time
of the adoption of the Constitution of the
United States ami has been tried in nil the
states, some of them with large bodies ami
some of them with smaller ones. It might
be said that the unicameral p’.an was the
(Hie tried during the years of the Revolution-
ary war and down to the time of the adop-
tion of the Constitution of the United States,
and known as the Continental Congress.
If the j ample of this state are desirous of
reducing the membership of the Senate and
the House of Representatives to such num-
bers in each as will provide for workable
bodies, the following plan is suggested for
their thoughtful consideration. In present-
ing the plan, it is not the intention of the
writer to say that the numbers selected for
each house is as large as might be provided.
Instead of the numbers sixteen and thirty-
two the numbers eighteen and thirty six,
twenty-two and forty-four, twenty-four ami
forty-eight, or even larger numbers might
lx* taken as a more satisfactory solution.
However. it is tin* opinion of the writer that
the numbers should not be larger than twcii
ty ami forty. The idea that the House
should contain double the number of the
Senate, under the p’an Hiibmitted. will be
seen to be essentially ms-cssary. The plan
proposed is as follows -.
A. Divide the state into sixteen com-
pact districts of approximately equal pop-
ulation as nearly so a> possible, coi form-
ing to county lines and numbering the dis-
tricts from one to sixteen inclusive.
1. Elect one senator and two repre-
sentatives from each district.
a. At first election, elect senators from
districts with mid numerals for a term of
four years and thoM* from districts with
even numjprals for a term of two years,
and thereafter elect each for a term of
four years.
b. At first election, elect two represen-
tatives from each district, one for n teim
of four years and the other for a term of
two years, and thereafter elect ea«b for
a term of four years.
B. The Legislature to meet annually
in regular session, on tin* first Tuesday in
January of each year, for a maximum
length of loo days.
1. In odd numbered years, appropria-
tion ami revenue bills only to be con-
sidered and enacted.
2. In even numbered years, bills on
any legislative subject, other than appro-
priation and revenue measures, to be con-
sidered and enacted.
C. Pay each member a salary of Sl.-
500.(1(1 per year, based upon attendance, as
follows:
1. Pay each member ten dollars per day
for each day his house is in actual ses.
sion and he is in aetmil attendance there-
on. pavment to he made moethly upon
claim fileil by member with the State Audi-
tor.
2. Payment of balances dm* to be mmlr
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Harlow, Victor E. Harlow's Weekly (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 27, No. 5, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 4, 1928, newspaper, February 4, 1928; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1601407/m1/4/: accessed June 20, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.