ty-five to one hundred and fifty.

Meeting.--The legislature meets biennially in most of the states. People
are beginning to understand that they may suffer from an excess of
legislation. Some of the English kings used to try to run the government
without parliament, and frequent sessions of parliament were then demanded
as a protection to popular rights. Hence our forefathers instinctively
favored frequent sessions of the legislature. But such necessity no longer
exists, and for many reasons the states have with a few exceptions changed
from annual to biennial sessions. [Footnote: Extra sessions may be called
by the governor. Mississippi has its regular sessions for general
legislation once in four years, and special sessions midway between.]

Election.--Senators and representatives are both elected by the people. In
some cases the states are divided into senatorial and representative
districts in such a way that each elects one senator and one
representative, the senate districts being of course the larger. In other
cases, the state is divided into senate districts only, and each senate
district chooses one senator and an assigned number of representatives.
The former plan prevails in Wisconsin, for instance, and the latter in
Minnesota. The number of representatives chosen in a senatorial district
varies from one to half a dozen, dependent upon population. Illinois has a
peculiar, and it would seem an excellent, plan. The state is divided on
the basis of population into fifty-one parts as nearly equal as possible.
Each of these districts elects one senator and three representatives. In
voting for representatives, a person may mass his three votes on one
candidate, or give them to two or three. The purpose is to enable a party
in the minority to secure some representation.

Term.--The length of term of legislators usually depends upon the
frequency of sessions. The general principle seems to be that
representatives shall serve through one session and senators through two.
How long, then, would you expect the respective terms to be in states
having annual sessions? In states having biennial sessions? By reference
to the comparative legislative table on page 293 confirm or reverse your
judgment.

Vacancy.--In case of a vacancy in either house the governor orders a new
election in the district affected by the vacancy.

Individual House Powers.--Each house has certain powers conferred by the
constitution having for th