Page:The Wisconsin idea (IA cu31924032449252).pdf/255

 legislators if they determine to consider only the essential and to disregard the remainder. Year after year, the author has offered three suggestions which have been as regularly dismissed. The first of these proposed remedies is the establishment of a legislative rule compelling a member to obtain permission by an aye and no vote of the legislature before introducing a bill. All members would then go on record as to whether they wanted to consider the subject of the bill or not. Of course, the party in power would practically make the selection and be responsible for the introduction of the principal platform bills. But the member who comes to an American legislature wants his constituency to realize that he is doing something and the introduction of bills is a sure sign of activity on his part. Custom is so ingrained that it cannot be changed in a day. There are many men who do not care to father half the bills they present but the fellow at home is a good friend and therefore they must be introduced. If such a rule existed how easy it would be to explain to his friend that under the aye and no vote the bill was refused consideration. It is merely a matter of self-control which the legislature refuses to exercise.

The second suggestion was that much of the private and local legislation could be abolished or submitted to some procedure like that of the English private bill procedure. In Wisconsin about six hundred bills could be