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Show M THE STATE H LEGISLATURES H Within a fow days tho legislatures H of forty-throe states will be In ses- H Blon. Political heelers are swarming around tho statchouses, business men. H uro demanding legislation ncoded for H tho dovolopmcut of stnto resources, H ofilco seekers are clamorous, and H persons with notions and panaceas H aro presenting their usual visionary B propositions. It Is a real man's Joh to bo a mombor of a stato leglsla M turo. 'Mltf) f As a whole tho people- of the sov B oral states do not seem very well V satisfied with theso bodies. Perhaps M tho worst trouble is that tho most BY capablo mon aro so reluctant to take PkV time off their business to servo th(j ! stato. There aro always plonty ot PfeV good and compotcnt meu In every Pig legislature. Hut thcro are too many Pll mero self seekers of very medlocro Bfep The American pooplo hnvo some PH strango notions whon they got Into H tho voting booth. Tho writer recalls K a contest In another town whero a PH certain man wus defeated who teally ) seemed very woll qualified. Tho sue- Papj ccssful candidate never had mado a PkV success of anything. Ho hud recent- H ly been ill, and It was the verdict of H tho community that ho would bo tho H cliolco as lie neoded tho salary. Tho H other and bettor candldato was "woll pkS fixed," and did not need the monoy. No wonder that foolish work Is done. A legislator Is very much on his honor when ho gets to tho stato capl-tol. capl-tol. If ho votes na tho party Icador suggests, and is present on tho most Important roll "alls, no ono seems to notice It if ho dodges committee hearings, hear-ings, takes no time for Independent study of public questions, and enjoys tho session ns a rest euro and porting port-ing loaf. It would bo n goos Idea It somo organisation or-ganisation of citizens would undertake under-take to watch legislators moro closely, close-ly, reporting nhsences from roll callB and committee, meetings, nnd supplying supply-ing Information of such Inattention to all tho homo constituencies. |