Notes and Comments.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 128, 14 November 1901, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

Of tb,e forty- uvo states of A me' rica, only ..Georgia, too many New York, Massa--8E3310N3. eh usatts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Soutfc Carolina bold annual sessions of their Legislatures. All the-rest bold biennial sessions, and in some of the seven just enumerated determined efforts have long been made to change the annual to a biennial programme. This ten* dency to longer intervals between legislative sesbions is con armed by the action of Alabama's recent constitutional convention in limithg its Legislature to a fifty iaj session once in four years, exoept that special sessions may be ordered when necessary. The general theory is, of course, I bat frequent legislation is not so desirable on the whole as settled practice ; that a mu:tiplicity of enactments do more barm than good, and tbftt legislative sessions are sources of expense, confusion and scandal, rarely otfsit by reforms adopted or dangers averted. A great deal if to be said, an American editor remarks, in favour of the Alabatsi idea. In general- the vast body of wi.- a: ion enacted at every biennial *ftssioo,.cunt,ias little, if anything, of real vair'elothe commnnitf« «Vhen one weighs the extravaganoei iiiau.'gbU, scandals of various sorts, and i'ulgatioa eawutagad agawtf

the permanent good achieved b frequent legislative sessions, one i easily persuaded that once in four years is often enough for Legislature* to m3et. -Th-3 ' quadrennial session woald give us more steady •appropriations and more regular taxes; tower contests before the «ourt9 over statutes of doubtful ♦^onstiliationality; lefl3 expense for fcba nMabinery of governraent. The ■Clerkship abuse would be reduced •One-half, and frequently the disturbance of a senatorial campaign j ;»nd election would be. eliminated J by the election of two senators at «ne seusion. Everybody will watch "the Alabama experiment in hope 'to see it successful. If it does, -the example .aay extend to other s states, «nd let m hope to New Zealand.

TEho3e VhoTead in the newspapers the vivid yet careful a»s:moaw and accurate reports ..joubjuusm. of the assassination of President MeKinley probably never realiaftd to what a fever-pitch of activity _ trw ymomeutous news must have stirred i;ae great American dailies. The London Daily Express gives a description of how the news was *clealt with by one oftbe New York papers, from which we get an idea -of the almost incredible speed of •which modern journalism is capable •when necessity demands. It is a drama in itself, this content for a iourns.listio " scoop." At 4.29 p.m. "on September 6th the acting city editor of the paper received this 111339*39 through the telephoue, ••Baokan in a voice that was trembling with excitement-: MeKinley—haa been shot—twice—at the Buffalo Exposition grounds —probably mortally -injured." "Who is this?" demanded the acting editor. " The Press Association." "What more do you know?" " Nothing—this is only a bulletin—more later." The acting editor was out of his chair in an instant. Ha sent one reporter to the telephone to get a repetition of the news from the Press Association, and another post haste to a barber's shop on the floor above, where the managing editor was being shaved. The editor, on Soaring the news, jumped out of ■the barber's chair, whisked the lather off his face with a towel, and fairly raced downstairs to bis where he at once assumed command. The edition then being run off was stopped, and the £rgfc " emergency plate," with the words " MeKinley Bhot! " in type of the largest size, was put on. The emergency plate is a re-making <u the first page of every edition, with ■ a frank space at the top for the insertion of emergency type It is always ready day and night, year in and year out. Five minutes after the nuws wis received the special was being .sold in the streets. Rjt the work of the editor and hi* :xn9n was only beginning. " Get Buffalo on the long-distance telephone," was one of the editor's first orders. " Get some Buffalo •paper; get the Administrative Building at the Exposition. Call .up Washington at once." Verification of the bulletin had come in a •twinkling, and with it more details. These were sent off three words at & time to the linotypes. Men were despatched for stock zinc plate? of the [President's latest photograph, plates of the Temple of Mnsic, ■Where the shooting had occurred, a <proo!' of the "standing galley" • containing the lives of the President and Executive, and a list of previous rulers who had been assassinated. The office was all excitement, but the work went on -"with the smoothness of oiled wheels." In ten minutes from •the receipt of the newa " MeKinley Extra No. 2 " was selling in the streets. Meanwhile a social train for Buffalo had been arranged for, j and reporters, artists, and photographers packed off. One man could not find his coat, and was actually sent of! to Buffalo in his ' uhirb Bleeves. H MeKinley Extra No. 3," issued with marvellous •rapidity, had three full pages devoted to the assassination, aud included interviews with prominent meci, telegrams of sympathy from State Governors, comments of members of the Diplomatic Corps politicians, and large portraits •of the President and Mrs MeKinley. •*' Extra No. 4" contained a full and graphic account of the scene of assassination, opinions of the physicians, the demeanour of the assailant and the crowd, expressions of sympathy by the ssore, and a complete description of the wounds and two prominent surgeons' estimate of their charac tar.; " And all this within—we. 1 within—an bonr after the President had been 3hot down."