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inembers elected while the rest call for a simple majority
of those present and voting. They say, and I quote, the
requirement of constitutional majority, majority of the
members elected, has come to present a convenient and eva-
sive way of killing a bill without croing on record against
it. An absence or non-voting member becomes in effect
an opponent of the bill. If enough inembers decline to
vote, the bill is certain to fail. The individual legisla-
tor can, if he chooses, argue that he was meeting with
constituents, that he did not hear the bell, or that he
was otherwise detained. Legislative devices for evasion,
for escaping pressures and avoiding records are numerous.
Most of them are maintained by plausible, if not altogether
convincing reasons. That is the end of the quotation.
I think if we want legislators, and I apologize
for guotincr from a professor of government, but T think if
we want our legislators to be resoonsible to the electorate,
if we want them to be responsible to the House in which
they serve, I think then we should deprive them cf the
opportunity simply to be absent, and thereby avoid a vote.
In reference to the comments of the distinguishejd