80 State Legislation 



of right or wrong can be placed clearly and in its 

 true light before the Legislature. The trouble is 

 that on many questions the Legislature never does 

 have the right and wrong clearly shown it. Either 

 some bold, clever parliamentary tactician snaps the 

 measure through before the members are aware 

 of its nature, or else the obnoxious features are 

 so combined with good ones as to procure the sup- 

 port of a certain proportion of that large class 

 of men whose intentions are excellent, but whose in- 

 tellects are foggy. Or else the necessary party or- 

 ganization, which we call the "machine," uses its 

 great power for some definite evil aim. 



THE CHARACTER OF THE REPRESENTATIVES 

 THE representatives from different sections of the 

 State differ widely in character. Those from the 

 country districts are generally very good men. They 

 are usually well-to-do farmers, small lawyers, or 

 prosperous storekeepers, and are shrewd, quiet, and 

 honest. They are often narrow-minded and slow to 

 receive an idea; but, on the other hand, when they 

 get a good one, they cling to it with the utmost 

 tenacity. They form very much the most valu- 

 able class of legislators. For the most part they 

 are native Americans, and those who are not are 

 men who have become completely Americanized in 

 all their ways and habits of thought. One of the 

 most useful members of the last Legislature was 

 a German from a western county, and the extent 

 of his Americanization can be judged from the fact 



