THE  I^islation  of  the  first  session  was  not  only  the  most
important,  but  it  was  among  the  most  judicious  of  all  that  i
has  been  done  in  the  state.  There  was  very  little  of  it  that  ^
could  be  called  new  or  original;  the  constitutional  provisions
adopted  from  the  constitutions  of  other  states  naturally  sug-
gested the  copying  of  the  statutes  by  which  such  states  had
carried  those  provisions  into  effect  But  there  were  a  great
many  matters  in  which  a  choice  had  to  be  made  or  a  discretion
exercised ;  and,  in  all  or  nearly  all  these  cases,  the  legislature
acted  with  consummate  good  judgment

Almost  every  act  passed  was  of  such  indispensable  necessity »
or  of  such  general  and  satisfactory  application  as  to  become  a  /
permanent  feature  in  the  grand  characteristics  of  the  country./
The  object  of  the  houses  seemed  to  be  to  provide  in  all  serious-
ness a  system  of  laws  that  would  effectively  carry  out  the  great
purposes  of  the  constitution  and  honestly  meet  the  needs  and  «
requirements  of  the  people.     There  was  little  or  no  legislation
of  a  special  or  local  character;  there  were  few  schemes  having
in  view  private  or  individual  advantage  as  opposed  to  the  gen-
eral welfare;  there  was  consequently  little  legislative  jobbery  or
corruption.     What  contests  arose  were   not  fights  over  spoils,
but  clashings  of  opinions  over  the  means  of  accomplishing  desir-
able objects.
