Ififli igBirt"fijfe"'r' '--'-' -j --s
Summer Nebraskan
Tuesday, July 9, 1963
LeciiisSatoirs iteipresent Mo Partoes
4
l
t
I
iat ior'the majon
people of the state, and the
majority of legislators past
and present, the differences
between Democrats and Re
publicans on most state ques
tions are difficult to ascer
tain. Indeed, the basis for
party distinctions may be dif
ficult for most of them much
of the time."
THE PERSONAL ABILI
TIES of members determine
the kind of leadership and
tlus leadership may change
irom session to session on
separate questions, Brecken
ridge continued. Instead
being bound to one certain
party the legislators are
shaped by seniority, geo
graphical distribution and po
sitions on various committees,
Breckenridge also contends
that many Democrats have
been elected from areas
which would have denied
them that privilege had the
party label been attached.
A majority of the senators
surveyed agreed with Dr.
Breckenridge on the apparent
success of non-partisanship
However, several who ob
served the earliest days of
Nebraska's one-house legisla
tore, pointed out that son
partisanship did not become
a legislative fact of life over
night
"In the beginning," one sen
ator wrote, "the non-partisan
ship feature was a weakness.
There was no responsibility
of any member of the Legis
lature except to his own vot
ers in his district However,
the commonly accepted sys
tem of responsibility and
leadership has been devel
oped. As a result, party lines
have no effect on legislation
and the governor is able to
work in cooperation with the
Legislature."
Many of the senators
praised the independence
given them under the non
partisanship system. One of
them commented:
More Incentive
"I think this is part of the
one house. It allows each sen
ator to be just what the peo
ple have elected him to be.
A representative of all the
people regardless of party.!
This gives the senator, more
incentive since it eliminates
going to the party bosses with
anything that he thinks will
be good for all the people
and told to lay off if it may
make a few votes for the
other party."
SOME EVIDENCE of par
tisanship was found by an
other, but he added from the
senators' viewpoint:
"I personally like the feel
ing of direct responsibility to
the people."
Experience is Washington,
DC, was cited by a senator
who said:
"After considerable experi
ence in Washington, D.C,
and the resulting political
pressures, better legislation
is enacted by the unicameral
system with each senator al
lowed to use his own good
judgment. !
While this was the majority
view, as outspoken minority
did not view the workings of
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non-partisanship with so
much optimism.
System Is Joke
"The non-partisanship is a
joke." said one. "Every sen
ator is either a Democrat or
Republican before he is
elected to the non-partisan
legislature, and he remains
the same after he is elected."
"Xon-partisaship did not
eliminate anything," a sena
tor said. "Check the record
for the past 39 years, and you
will discover that the Repub
licans always voted as a
body, and also the Demo
crats."
Several of the senators
cited two examples over the
past few years in which they
felt partisanship had played
a part in legislative dealings.
One pointed out several times
was the period during the re
count after the election of
Governor Ralph G. Brooks in of the unicameral svs
1958. The second incident ci- Wm fmmi n,jartinthm'n
ted involved the appearance (
of Governor Frank Morrison
in 1961 before the Legislature
to complain that partisanship
may have helped to kill a
bill on Nebraska Hall of
Fame nominations.
Interestingly, several of the
legislators who felt that nun-
partisanship bad not worked
in the unicameral system did
not feel thai the system had
led to buck-passing.
THIS CHARGE of buck
passing has been heard
periodically since 1937. These
critics said that the lack of
party responsibility has made
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LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER Many of the
it possible for Nebraska leg
islators to ignore vital legis
lation. The survey, however,
incubated that most of the
senators themselves felt this
charge was borne out by the
facts.
One senator said, "You
can't keep partisanship out of
a government man. I say the
unicameral boys still follow
their politics."
No Back Passing
However, this same senator I
added, There s nothing to the
buck-passing idea."
Another senator who said he
was "personally opposed to
the non-partisan feature of the
Legislature," added, "I do not
believe, however, that non
partisanship has led to buck
passing." Conversely, another senator
who praised almost every as-
3 n n fw4hiini1flTnra! cvc
tbe reat w-eakness m ibe
Ja
passing is a favorite sport in
the Unicameral Legislature.
Legislature
la reply to the buck-passing
charge, one senator pointed
Alii that hf fonnrf it -harl (.
the buck mjih feiUf hav.
log a public bearing."
Another senator attacked ,
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very same charge. He said;
"A student of legislative :
history knows that the bicam-Jjjjj
era! system enables buck-
houftrw. tnsu Mi ihZ
other kills it: and vk wrw
conferente committee can do.
and does very often.
Efforts to Control
This same senator c 0
-alijfa 1901 West
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4- "A
393
senators who are seen on the
plained about efforts of the
political parties to control the
Legislature. He said:
"Many who are eligible to
vole do not vote, as sad com
mentary upon our citizens;
only a few citizens actually
participate in politics; and
only a handful control a par
ty, and it is only the handful
who control the party who
also want to control the Leg
islature. The citizenry is not
anxious to control the Legis
lature or to have anyone else
control it. except their elected
representatives.
THE MAJOR POLITICAL
PARTIES have voiced criti-
ci.s ms oi ukt uwi-yu ajo-
tern. During the 1960 state
conventions, Democratic and
Republican parties both
spoke out against non-partH attltude tevaTi
sanmp and urged a return to jjj -m anv ha
party politics in state govern- e blaed part cf ?Miy
ment- , on the lack of party politics
manes iiein, wcumc
state secretary of the Demo-
cratic party, concurred. sa-
I" "c " . " ..
PP" P"lu"K
ward state government as a
. . tr ,
bo!e. party effectiveness is
J...uul kar Ik MiM.n'i r-f icon
oraJ . . . "
crstem. Thus, Hein said, the :
' . : ' .
bills is often inconvenient and
impossible,
Speaking from a personal
standuoint and not ior the
Democratic party, Hein con
"it is impossible to
pinppiol responsibility on any
,ne "
'?TM,W .
Charles Thone. former state
chairman of the Republican
panv, Saia UJC uui'& m
different words when he de-
m-'scribed the non-partisan Leg-
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legislature's floor have endorsed the retain to a partisan
islature as "43 leaders going
in different directions."
He said that senate -s can
also escape respyibility
easier in a non-partisan sys
tem. Instead of taking a def
inite stand for or against an
issue, Thone added, the legis
lator often passes the buck to
the next man. No one is will
ing to take full responsibility,
Thone contended.
Responsibility Escape
He said that members of
the Legislature are not will
ing to return to a partisan
system because they can es
cape much responsibility. "A
guy with a full house. Thone
saw, ooesn t ask tor a new
LjeaL"
Thone also was concerned
over what he considers an
m slate government.
U"hile a majority of the
: senators surveyed favored
non-partisanship, a number of
'them agreed in part with the
greed
i aiiLuu Mi&di w uic aunt inr
, One senator
I
stand taken by the slate po-
-.n0 h2d gerved under bolh
isvstems
said he preferred
,r r'
In other words, candidates
for an office on a platform
would have the backing of
their party. At present, you
represent do party. On mat
ters ob legislation u regard
u partief m 0M mlsiAe u,e
Legislature may talk autfaori -
jtatively for a party, and Mr
iwuuii kb 1 bo vu ux iui ii
system.
A NEED FOR TW O PAR-
TIES was cited by several
senators.
Hr 0112M to be an arealto noj-political Legisla
of opposition to all legisla-
lion." one said. "I b e 1 i e v e
there ought to be a place to
put responsibility. Call em i
j Federals and Whigs, there
! should be some way to divide
I the responsibility. Of course
it should be partisan.
"More responsibility toward
vital i5tes would develop tan
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der partisan election of mem
bers," another senator said.
"Political parties would then
be able to work for pro
grams of benefit to the state
in matters pertaining to taxes,
education, roads, resource de
velopment, etc . . ."
Vague Platforms
However, another veteran
senator was dubious of the in
fluence of party platforms.
"The political parties refuse
to be specific on a platform,"
he said. "The political par
ties' promises are vague; but
(make) promises to all
groups.
"For example, they are for
good schools, for labor, for
fair taxes, for business, etc.,
but they don't nail their opin
ions ... to a specific pro
gram." And another senator did not
feel that non-partisanship
would necessarily work well
in all states. He wrote:
"The Unicameral would aot
work in a state iibere political
bossm or strong political
. I V,.'-. "ithe leadership point when he
is obvious that the whole thing -A acts as
would be greased all the ay
down the ball to the gov-
ernorsrffice There w.ii Id
oov c rnu-D v, cure
the machine bad the Unicam
eral and the governor."
CONCERN WAS EX
PRESSED by several sen
ators about what they felt
was the weakness of the two-
party system in Nebraska. "It
; is doubtful. one said, "if the
j two parties have fared as well
on iijc tijiue level. 1 ne uid
'problem of Nebraska is an
j out moded tax structure. Both
political parties seem to sby
away from it. and leave it
turc tech is unable to cope
tt- A one-toouse legisla-
ekxled on a partisan
mim we auie 10 gei
something done
Two points closely allied to
non-partisanship brought a
flood of comments from the
senators cooperating in the
survey. These two points
OrtH MOM. THUEJ. NfTES
4774402
f SilM
MANAGEMENT
legislature.
survey. These two points
leadership and liaison with
the governor.
Leadership Complaint
One senator, who backed
almost every other aspect of
the unicameral system,
voiced the complaint about
leadership:
"In this one respect I agree
with the opponents of the sys
tem. In my opinion, this has
resulted in a loss of leader
ship that the partisan feature
would probably provide. Ef
fective leadership has not. in
fact, developed in the Uni
cameral. It is not only diffi
cult, but in my opinion, im
possible to have effective
liaison between a partisan
governor and a non-partisan
Legislature. It is my experi
ence that a non-partisan Leg
islature makes it a particular
point not to be led by a par
tisan governor."
Another senator emphasized
the leadership point, although
ne called non-partisanship
strongest advantage of
the tmcameral." He made
personally sees the problems
tthe par-
t leaden This makes tt a
u;Ltlle MficiAt for some mem-
bers to go further in political
life (U.S. Senator, or Repre
sentative, or governor.)"
These two points are taken
up in succeeding sections of
this report First LEADER
SHIP. Three NU Offices
Planning to Move
The University Extension
Division began moving yes
terday to its new quarters
on the fifth Coor of Nebraska
IlalL
This is the first of a series
of departmental moves to tbs
remodeled east side of Ne
braska IlalL according to Lou
is J. Legg, University Man
ager of Inventory.
Plans are for the Journ
alism School to start moving
on July 15 to the third floor
of Nebraska HaH. As soon as
the Journalism move is com
pleted. Audio Visual and Pho
tographic Productions will be
gin to move to the tourta
floor.
"Moving is not the whole
tory.M said Legg, Mm any
people are involved fust cet-
ting organized; much back
ground planning is nece-
sary."
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